new rider

[alley]

hi all! i'm new to this site and to riding also...i'm thirteen and i've had two lessons but i'm already in love with horseback riding! :) At my riding school we don't get to choose which horse we ride but somehow i get the lazy ones! he's a bit of a slacker and tends to go very slow or stop when walking...i've tried giving him a squeeze or a kick but he doesn't seem to have noticed...what am i doing wrong? please help! thanx a lot :)

[Gemma16]

Hi alley and welcome to NR and riding. You will be hooked for life.:D

I'm Gemma as you could proberbly guess I have a welsh cob called Taffy.

As for your problem with the school horses lots of them get numb to the leg and just ignore you so you have to get a bit firmer with them. I don't think its you lots of horses are like that.

Good luck with riding. Hope to her from you soon.:D

[zoki]

You should get his attention before you give him leg aids. Shortly pull one rein and then the other one, gently with your fingers. You can see his ears are then directed toward you. That means you've got his attention, and he is waiting for instructions, and then give him squeeze with your legs.

He's used to get leg all the time, since he's school horse, and ridden by new riders who does not have quiet legs, so he does not respond to your squeeze...

[Wally]

Tell them you are concerned about kicking him and ask them to show you how to use a schooling whip. You don't use it to hit or whip or punish him, you just ask once with your leg, if he ignores it then instantly give him a touch behind your leg with it, it is just that a tap. With a schooling whip you don't need to take your hand off the reins.
It is much kinder to tickle his backside than to thump away with your legs in the hope he will go.

[Gods Property]

Hey, and Welcome to new rider!:)...

yuo should ask your riding teacher if you could use spurs or how they normally get the horse to go faster..the teacher should know how the horse reacts to different things:)

[bexj]

Gods Property - I don't mean to offend but I wouldn't recommend a beginner to use spurs, They are designed for experienced riders to reinforce the leg aid, but a beginner who is not sure what aid to use when and where they are not appropiate. I woul dadvocate the gentle use of aschooling whip instead as per Wally's reply. Sorry don't want to be contorversial......

[MyStIc139]

i dont want to offend any one but i think Bexj is right using spurs for a begginer? lol iv been riding for a year and i wouldnt feel confident about using them. Anyway i no *** u mean about slow skool horses i used to ride the slowest lazyest pony eva but if u used a crop or skooling whip on him and rode him with confidence( i think a horse responds alot to how confident u are in the saddle not just to your leg aids) he would go evutually and he had a super jump once u got him goin :)

[~§pîrìt_Hòr§ë~]

I agree with MyStIc139, that beginners should not wear spurs. they do not have enough control over their legs and will be spurring their horse accidentally. i know i've done it before! the first time i used spurs i had been riding for over a year and still felt a little nervous about it. a crop will have the same effect as spurs but is much safer for a beginner to use. good luck:)!

~§pîrìt_Hòr§ë~:D

[liz--y]

hiya welcome to the site :)

[FreedomStar]

hi and welcome to NR!!! Make sure that the horse knows that you're up there!!! Otherwise it does no good. I think Wally has a good idea with the whip. Ask them to show you how to use it, and then if he doesn't respond to your leg, use your leg. If the horse doesn't respond to that use your leg and voice. If the horse doesn't repsond to either of those, use your leg, voice, and a smart tap with the whip behind your leg ought to do it. But keep in mind that most riding horses or ponies have deadened sides from the constant kicking they receive from beginners who think kick and pull is all there is to riding. :D Keep trying!!

[OlavS]

Hi,
I just want to say that if the horse keeps slowing maybe you are not relaxed, thereby hindering his movements.

Another thing is that some (most?) horses will try out any new/unfamiliar rider to see how dominant he/she is. Things like use your body to srcatch against, push you towards the wall when saddling, bite your jacket, walk when trying to mount etc. If you let him do this he won't respect you.
The horse will pick up on lack of confidence from your posture, breathing, the lot. And if he gets to boss you around on the ground, he won't listen when you're up, as he'll think you've got a lower rank than him.

The importance (to us) of horse having a distinct pecking order, is hardly ever mentioned. I should think it's very important, but hardly anyone mentiones this when someone says "I can't make my horse do this or that".

Maybe I've got it wrong...I've only been riding for 6 months so I don't mind if anyone tells me off...

Anyway welcome to NR!!
Olav

[~§pîrìt_Hòr§ë~]

Sounds to me, Olav, that you know exactly what you're talking about! :)

~§pîrìt_Hòr§ë~:D