Advice needed for neice's 1st lesson

[Bertie]

In the easter holidays I will be taking my 5 year old neice riding, we're going twice once for a walk-out and once for a lesson.

Here's my question shall I book her a half hour private or let her join a group?? It will be her first ever lesson, she's only ever been on 2 walk outs with a break of about nearly 6mnths btwn the 2. It'll be abt 1.5mnths since her last ride although she really quite grapsed rising trot on the walk-out and remebered so much from the last time.

She is a quick learner but can be quite shy at times.

Any advice from instructors, parents or anyone really on what they think will be the best environment as I want the lesson to be fun as well as give her more confidence.

Thanks everybody in advance :)

[eventerbabe]

well, i started learning to ride when i was 4 and i had half hour private lessons to begin with. i'd have been terrified if they had put me into a group. my little cousin has recently had riding lessons and my uncle was advised to start off with private lessons then maybe move into a suitable group. good luck!

[Bertie]

Thanks eventerbabe, I was leaning more towards a private as I feel a group lesson she could easily get bored in when there doing stuff with the other kids and we can make it much more fun on her own and really take it at our own pace :)

[Jojo_82]

Whenever we got new customers come to the school to book lessons, I always recommended having 1 or 2 private lessons first just to get into the swing of things.

Once she's at home in the saddle again, join into a group lesson as she will learn lots from the other children on the lesson too, plus it won't be so tiring for her as she starts to do more.

Hope she has fun! :D

Jo xx

[Wally]

Go for one or two private half hours. Just to make sure she's up to speed and won't feel too out on a limb in a group.

[Bertie]

Thanks for the advice I'm going to the yard this afternoon so will book her in tonight for 1 half hour lesson and 1 1-hour walk-out :)

[Kerry Claire]

If the group sizes are big I'd definately go for the private. If they're quite small though I think I'd choose the group - don't really know why, it's just one of those feelings. You're the one who knows her though so I'd just go with your gut feeling - I'm sure she'll enjoy it either way. :)

Which riding school are you talking about by the way - I've just realised we're in the same area so I probably know it :)

[Eli_Jay]

I personally prefer group lessons, because you have way more fun and tend to try harder because there's other people there and it boosts your confidence. however, if she's still that green go private for a couple of lessons and then go group, that way she will have had an hour or so of the instructors full attention to really grasp the basics. she probably won't be up to the level of the group, but if she understands whats going on she won't get bored and will probably learn heaps more than if she just continued having private.

[roxycutie]

This must be very exciting for her. :D Hope she does good.

[JOJOBA]

I went into group lessons aged 4 and Im still riding now (14yrs later) so it must have been good!

xxx

[Samsky]

At the riding school where I work,we usually encourage young children to start in a group lesson.We usually find it benefits them as they dont get bored or too tired that they cant physically do anything by the end.Plus we only have helpers down at the weekend and so in the week the child may have to be taught and led by the same person which is really neither beneficial to the child or the instructor.We are guaranteed to have leaders at the weekend so it tends to work out better.

[Bertie]

Thanks everyone, I tried to book a lesson in the week after my last lesson but the instructor was bogged down with stuff so I need to go back tonight to book her in.

The leading aspect doesn't worry me to much cis if no-one available I can always do it myself :)

Roxycutie - she is sooo excited she's been practicing her rising trot on the chair at home so she knows what to do :D

I'll let you all know how she gets on :)

[danielle:>]

I recomend booking a private lesson . Once she's learned the basics she can get moved into a group lesson . Hope she has fun !!! :D

[laura jeanne]

How WAS the lesson? I'd really like to know how she liked it!

[Bertie]

Hi laura - she's not had ot yet - I've not been able to get the time off work to take her but shall be taking her in the next week or so and will definitley let you know how she gets on - thanks for asking though :)

[horseygeorge]

Any riding school worth their salt wouldn't let any rider (adult or child) into a group lesson until they can walk trot initiate canter and have control of basic shapes and turns.

In any group of horses/ponies anything can happen. I teach two groups at a riding school. One a group of up to 6 kids and the other up to 8 adults. Once in the kids group we were all stood halfway through the lesson to double chek stirrups and girths when a car backfired. Naturally each pony went off in a different direction, but because the kids could initiate canter themselves and have some control over canter they were all able to get the ponies to stop by themselves.

I have also had an adult in a private lesson where she was nervous at canter and a lorry delivering the oil for the house stables came along side the indoor arena and its air brakes hissed making the horse canter off - he's known in the school as steady eddie - she screamed everytime he was close to coming back to trot which only made the situation worse. Eventually he managed to slow down enough and came over to me when he was too tired to carry on.

So as an instructor I wouldn't want that adult in a group because if something did go wrong she wouldn't be able to cope with it wth other people in there and she probably would have set the other horses off too.

[JOJOBA]

Any riding school worth their salt wouldn't let any rider (adult or child) into a group lesson until they can walk trot initiate canter and have control of basic shapes and turns

I dont think that's entirely true. My riding school is incredibly well thought of, and has a waiting list a mile long, and they run group lessons for beginners. They generally do one assessment lesson then fit you into a group that best suits your ability. However with very young children they start them in group lessons, usually on a leadrein the first couple of times. But if everyone had to wait until they could walk trot and canter before riding in a group it would be very boring - some of the little kids who rode in our Pony Club could only walk and trot and they did camp displays and all sorts!

xxx

[Dummer&Drummer]

my school is fab - and my instructor recommends group lessons initially, private can be very hard for a beginner and you can learn so much from others