2nd lesson- I'm hooked!!

[Sparkly]

Hi Everyone!
I had my second lesson today and I am well and truly hooked!! Concentrated on trotting- did some more work on the sitting trot and then had an introduction to rising trot. Please tell me rising trot gets easier?!!! I felt like I needed iron thighs to keep that one up!
Cos I'm sure I love riding, i have decided to buy my own hat. Have you got any tips for buying hats that I should know (apart from the obvious, such as buying a new hat to avoid weakened protection etc.). Such as styles or whatever?
Anyway, had a fab time and can't wait till my next lesson.

Love Sparkly

[Rebekah Simpson]

That's fantastic! Yeah - riding is amazing, huh?! :) ;) I started riding last summer and have since advanced to TOTALLY, COMPLETELY OBSESSED WITH HORSES!!!!! :D :D :D

About the rising trot, it does get easier... really! When I first started I had a hard time with posting. My instructor told me that I would get to the point when it would be hard to sit the trot, posting would be that natural. Guess what? - as riding instructors often are, she was right! It now takes a lot of effort to sit the trot because I post so naturally - so hang in there!

Can't wait to hear about your next lesson! :)

~Rebekah~

[trick_pony19]

:) :D :) :D Hey Im so glad you love riding its sooooooooooo much fun
Anyway posting(rising) the trot gets eaisier it just is a matter of time Practice MAKES PERFect!!! Helmets- a Devon air helmet with removable show cover is what I have and since your not always showing you should probably get a plain riding helmet and buy a show cap the velvet helmets are expensive and heavy on your head. :D HAPPY RIDING :D

[ajhainey]

Rising gets easier, in fact I've always found it WAY easier than sitting trot - I swear if you can sit to a trot after only two lessons you were born to be a rider!

To give you some hope on my first lesson (Apr 8th this year) we did trot manouvers for 3 circuits at a time (400m) and by the end I thought I'd actually died. By the end of May I could trot happily for half the lesson, although I did pay for it the following morning..On tuesday I did trot and canter all lesson and I don't even have an ache - anywhere! I'm not sure if I've got fitter or better at rising trot though :D

You are probably putting effort into 'rising' as well as controlling the fall btw, which makes it really tiring. The horse should push you 'up' its your job to just make sure you don't land with a big thump!

On the hat front I prefer the way the velvet ones look - mine was £23 from decathlon sports in London. Make sure your hat complies with saftey standards. BS EN 1384 is acceptable for most organisations - although some ask for the newer PAS 015 standard. See http://www.beta-uk.org/Safety/HatGuide.asp

Enjoy your riding!

Aj x

[Equisgurl]

the more u ride, the better it gets..for me it was always sitting trot thats hard to sit to, i still bounce, and I hate when i mess up my diagonals.
I bought troxel grand prix gold helmet(velvet) , which looks great, especially if u go to shows, its comfortable and looks nice.
But if u do care if it gets messed up, u should get a plastic schooling one instead.
http://www.troxelhelmets.com/images/helmets/large/q18green.jpg

[tillynz]

I have a plastic balck XC helmet that is quite nice as is okay to use in dressage and what not, but now I have a velvet one too!!
A tip if you get a velvet one, keep it in a bag because it will fade and wipe it with an old pantyhose stocking, it is a brillant duster!!!!
Anyway, sorry, if you are just starting I would suggest a plactic one, you can get styley covers (velvet or silk) for them, and fasihon in the horse world is whatever you want it to be!!!!!

[kedwards]

I'm always happy to hear of new riding converts. I can't even begin to describe how much joy lessons, riding, and just being around horses has brought me.

Like everyone says, the rising trot does get much easier. Eventually, you'll find it takes no effort at all.

When I started, I bought a velvet helmet because I thought it would be good to have when I started showing. It is, but I ended up buying a vented, plastic schooling helmet anyway because they are so much cooler. No one brand is best, just try a few on to see what feels most comfortable for you. Ideally, the helmet will fit well enough to remain still on your head without any pressure points.

[paula kemp]

I have just had my first lesson, and really enjoyed it as well, I am the same as you that I can't believe how difficult the rising trot is and we did the sitting trot and all I did was bounce, and unintentionally I kept pulling the reins and making the horse stop - doh!

I now have to try and keep up straight when I am in the saddle as I tend to bend forward and pull my hands towards myself, but when I was on the horse, it was 15.3h and it looked very high and didn't want to fall off.

Oh well, another lesson on Thursday afternoon which I can't wait for.

Cheerio

Paula x

[DorsetMartin]

I'm new too 7 lessons so far.
So being green can anyone explain why we have to do sitting trot. What's the point of it?
Excuse my ignorance.
Rising is much more comfortable, now I'm getting the hang of diagonals.

[Equine Queen]

Hi Sparkly

I am so happy for you! Riding is wonderful. Rising trot gets so much easier. Your thighs will get stronger after a while and you will find it much nicer than sitting trot. I also found when I started riding that my legs were stiff as a board the day after my lesson for a while, but I've been riding so many years now, I barely feel a thing.

As for hats.... I suggest a jockey skull cap for your first hat. Go to www.buttons-saddlery.co.uk - they are really good and have a selection of different hats to browse. When you get more experienced (or even now, if you have the money floating around) you could consider the GPA Titium hat which is what I use. It is light and breathable, but very expensive.

Good luck and well done! :) :) :)

Kate

[Equine Queen]

DorsetMartin - Sitting trot is my preferred trotting method. When you have been riding a while you will find your bum moving along with the horse without so much bouncing. When this happens, you will learn to appreciate the harmony you and the horse have in movement. Sitting trot has also improved my sitting position and given me a deeper seat when riding generally.

I believe (though not sure) that rising trot was developed for comfort of the rider and balance for the horse (or something like that) because you stand when the horse bounces and sit when the outside shoulder goes back to allow the horse balance.

Good luck with your lessons too - I hope you learn to love sitting trot the way us completely mad people do! LOL ;)

Kate