Frustrated!

[luv horses]

Hi! I have recently started to learn to ride again after a break of 27 yrs. I gave up due to receiving concussion from a bolting horse when I was a girl. My 8yr old daughter and I share a lesson as I am a struggling single mother. I would so love to achieve what I missed out on because of my fears (which I still have) and beable to ride with a good seat. It's hard to overcome the memories of a horse you cannot stop and that you have no idea where he's heading! And also frustating when you are unable to find a quiet beginner's horse to practice on, they seem to be very few and hard to find! :(
We are also experiencing huge insurance problems here in Australia with the insurance companies refusing to insure coaches and riding schools which is a big worry! :( You don't seem to have any problems over in England,etc. What do they do about public liability? We don't seem to beable to hire horses for hacking over in Australia just expensive trail rides.
I figure to have an independant seat you need to practice, practice and practice which will take me forever in my case as it's slow going. My daughter and I would dearly love to beable to buy a horse (though I don't think she realises how much work it can be!) How do you practice when you can only find lesson horses that cost quite a bit of money?
I am intrigued by the results that People like Monty Roberts and Pat Parelli can achieve with their methods and the relationships with their horses!! I also think it's amazing that these wonderful animals allow us to put bits in their mouths and ride them!;)

[galadriel]

From the insurance difficulties you mention, this may not work for you...but:

Here, you can often go to an instructor or barn manager and offer to work in exchange for lessons/riding time. I have a mother and daughter that come out all the time; they fill up stall waters, they clean stalls, they pick up fallen branches in pasture, etc--they spend a LOT of time with me and learn tons about taking care of horses. And in exchange, I let them ride my lesson horse; give them lessons when they need it or practice time when they're working on something they just need to get right.

Good luck!

[mikka]

Hi Luv Horses,

You're absolutely right that it's extremely hard, if not impossible, to achieve one of those elegantly perfect seats when you can only ride periodically. It takes hours and hours in the saddle, year after year, to reach that level of expertise. However, you can still make good strides by taking it more slowly and less expensively. If you can afford a lesson a week, perhaps in time you'll be in a better position to consider taking a half-lease.

In the meantime, enjoy those too brief moments!

[luv horses]

Thanks for your suggestions!

The only thing is my instructor only has 3 stables and the horses are always outside except when being saddled. Hope it didn't sound like too much of a winge but it's hard when you so want your riding to improve both for you and the horse's sake! Love it when it's feel like it's coming together though.

I don't know of any big riding stables around here other than agistment places where people are busy with their own horses, but it would help my nervousness to be around them more! It must be great to live in the UK and have so many riding stables. My instructor is english and has a lovely way with horses. she has two school masters mares for teaching on and they have fantastic temperaments and are very patient with learners....

[KarinUS]

Something I made use of before I got my own horse was take "free rides" along with my "lesson rides".
Once my instructor felt I could handle it on my own I was allowed to take a horse out by myself. It wasn't free- LOL- misleading term, but I paid the same for a one hour "free ride" (just meaning without instructor) as I did for my half hour lesson.
Also we have the choice between half hour lessons ($15) and one hour lessons ($25). I find that I gain more from more frequent, but shorter lessons. Tack up time and warming up the horse is on our own anyway, so it doesn't count towards lesson time.
I am in the US, so I am not sure how available those options are to you in Australia...