Any instructors out there - some ideas please

[DebO]

I teach at a local riding school every Sat and sometimes get stuck for ideas, or probably punch drunk from teaching 12-13 lessons on the day!

Have one lady who wants to work on her position, its not bad. Would like some ideas or suggestions on lesson content to improve her position, and improve her sit to the canter.

I also have a group of 7 teenagers and only have use of 40x20 of the school. Need some ideas for them too, they are all fairly competent. This week we practiced some movements for test 4 and next week do some jumps or grid work. Never know if they enjoy it, typical teenagers don't say much and don't smile much either!

[Wally]

Get them giggling with some quadrille work, make then ride accurately, no wizzing around with no regard to dressing! Lots of changes of rein and inter lacing with each other at X. put up a box jump as a bounce in the middle and make them do that in turn.

[intouch]

"Musical" poles is popular with us at the moment - put out enough poles for everyone and when you shout stop, everyone has to halt with their pony straddling a pole. then take one pole away until u have a winner.
For helping with position, I find it helps to get the rider to stand in the stirrups to find their balance, first at walk then for short periods at trot. then try "double posting" where the rider goes up for two beats instead of one. And "sevens" where they rise for seven strides, stand for seven and sit for seven. In canter, on a safe horse, they can take the reins in their outside hand and swing the inside hand backwards in a big circle, one circle for 2 beats of canter, helps to get the seat down.

[FreedomStar]

For position, do lots of no stirrup work :) she'll hate you for that, but it works for me. Also do some stuff in your 5 positions.
For the teens...umm...has it rained in your area lately? Because if it has, try puddle jumping. It's heaps of fun. Put up a jump line with the puddle of water right in between the two jumps and have them jump the line. The horses go wheeeee.

[Mehitabel]

some reasonably simple things that often catch people out are trotting to the rear of the ride with some transitions to walk or stand on the way - most riding school ponies have a degree of autopilot once they start going, and it's interesting to see whose ponies are actually listening to the riders! for more novice groups, just one transtion back to walk, for more advanced groups, several trot-stand ones. also coming back to walk about 3 horses lengths from the end of the ride, and not letting the ponies tank right to the end - especially from canter. this is good because it can work the rider without wearing the pony out, useful if it has to do several lessons that day. also, trotting on one by one, and doing some school movements and rein changes on the way to the rear of the ride - eg trot on, 20m circle, change rein, figure of 8, change rein back again, 2 transitions to walk on the way to the end.
if you know the ponies well, and you know which ones are likey to nap to the others, it's a really good indication of how well the rider is in control!

[Lgd]

To expand on Es's suggestion you can also get them to work out of the ride and back into the ride. For example in a ride of 5, number 5 halts, rein back 4 steps and trot on PAST the ride to take up lead file, then number 4 etc. Can also ask someone to move to the inside and leave the ride, canter on and go large, trot just before they reach their place in the ride and then retake their place - good exercise for improving accuracy and also for the other riders in keeping the gap open.

Another exercise I've used with more competent riders is to get each rider to do an exercise individually and ask the other members of the class to comment on their riding of the exercise and their position. Each person, including the rider themselves, has to make one negative and one positive comment. It has a very good effect on making people pay better attention to their own faults and become more aware as a rider.

[DebO]

There are some useful ideas - thanks very much for those who contributed I will try some of them out next week

[Tumbleweed]

You can put some trotting poles out and the rider has to stand up when going over them. This can be done at walk and trot, very good for making the ankles supple and absorbing the movement, and improves balance.

You can have all the ride on a 20 metre circle round X, then when the rider is called out. If the ride is in walk, they have to trot, if in trot the rider has to canter, round the oposite way, when halfway round, call another out, and the first rider has to slot into their place.

Drill work is also good for control, they have to watch thier partner and keep pace. There are a lot of moves that can be done, down the centre line and split, odd numbers one way, even the other, they can keep doing this and develop a wheel in the centre. Riding the wheel is difficult to keep the line. Usually the ride collapses because of the laughing. they can ride down the side and cross over or they can cross on the diagnal. When the ride is going down both sides, a 10 metre circle, this usually completely confuses the riders and some end up in the wrong ride.

These are fun things but they do make the riders work but they don't realise they are working.

There is also riding to music, marches are good for both walk and canter, and the children have fun trying to get the horse to keep time with the music.