Learning to tack up and groom

[BreeC]

I find in my horse riding lessons that even when I request she do so my RI barely ever teaches me anything about grooming or tacking up. When I get there she has the horse already tacked up and has only ever shown my how to wash a horse and she did all the work although I had my hand out most of the time thinking I was going to do it waiting for her to hand the things over. I would love to look after other peoples horses to earn some money for more lessons, pants, boots etc but I'm finding it very difficult to learn.

I was wondering if it would be a good idea to put an ad in the paper saying that I could offer an extra pair of hands in exchange for learning to groom and tack up etc etc. And learn from someone who already does this. It would be great to go out and visit lots of different horses with someone and get to help out. What is the proper name for someone who does this and where is a good place to find one? Any ideas hugely apressiated

[virtuallyhorses]

Sounds like you need to turn up a little earlier and stay a little later - if you turn up with plenty of time then your RI won't feel like she's wasting your lesson money on getting you to do things that are part of the lesson :) Its also important that you be clear with your RI that you are really interested - perhaps suggest that you would like to spend half or even all of your next lesson on tack and grooming.

Is your riding instructor also the owner\manager of the riding school or is this a lesson on her own horse(s)? If you want to spend some time grooming and mucking out then look for local riding schools or racing stables\trainers. If you offer your services free then they will overlook the lack of experience and train you in what to do.

However, tagging along with a professional groom is probably not an option - they have an established clientelle who expect fast and impeccable service (generally on top show or competition horses) so while they may take the offer of help from someone who can do the basics well a real novice would probably eat into their time too much.

[Whatanejit]

Turn up half hour or more before hand and be confident about asking and telling them that you would really like to learn. It is all about attitude.

Ever since we learned how to and then moaned when we arrived and our horses were tacked the staff leave them for us all the time.

We even will tack up other horses getting them ready for hacks etc before our own lesson with a bit of a groom when appropriate.

We have been doing this for 18 months and have learned so much and gained so much confidence.

Keep persisting with a smile and enthusiasm!

:D :D

xx

[jumpinintherai]

If there are any horses near you, you could always ask those owners if they need help grooming. The only think I could suggest is another riding school that teaches horsemanship not just riding, since if you do decide to lease or own you'll need to know how. You could also get some horse books to learn the different parts of the saddle and learn the different grooming tools so when you do get more instruction you'll have a better idea of what they are talking about.

[Just.Jump]

Usually it's the "Spiffy" barns that do this- when they have the money to hire multiple grooms who do the stupid work of tacking up lesson horses.
That said, at my one-coach, two-people barn, tacking up was covered on day one, and reinforced for as long as it took for me to be comefortable tying that western cinch knot. And then bridling. And now I'm trying to wrack my brains to remember everything about my summer of jumping and not look like a fool going to ride english lease horses next month.

That said, I was expected to turn up 15 minutes early before all lessons once I was advanced enough to be in group lessons- so, after my first month or so.
While you can give yourself half an hour int he beginning, you should eventually train yourself to do a tidy grooming and efficient tacking within ten to fifteen minutes. Grooming isn't too hard to do until you start getting into the aesthetic point- for the next couple of years, the onyl point of grooming will be to ensure a safe horse that will be happy to ride.

For grooming:
bring the horse in, grab a dandy brush, a curry brush, and a hoof pick. Go over with the curry in small circular motions, then go over with the stiff dandy brush in firm, short strokes to get out free'd dust and dirt. Move on to hoof picking
-this should account for maybe around five minutes once you've been shown what to do and are confident- generally you can do an efficient job by grooming just the saddle and girth area and picking the hooves if you happen to be late.

tacking up:
for the time being, you will only be expected (form a decent place, anyway) to try to tackle the aspect of saddling. Do NOT start riding until someone has inspected your saddle placement, tightness of girth, and to see that the blanket has been set up correctly.
In this aspect, you may be better off finding a place the produces well rounded riders. It takes *alot* of experience and alot of watching and learning for new riders to learn how to place saddles correctly, how to adjust things, etc.
I think it took me a good couple of years before I could confidently judge the saddle placement and be able to help other new riders. However, once you've got an eye for it, it never goes away. I've barely used a saddle in over 4 years, but I still remember how to do it and where it goes- so don't rush it.

Your lucky- english tack is pretty straight forward in comparison to western!

[MI Horsey]

I rode as a kid in germany at a big "fancy" barn and even though I wanted to learn how to groom and tack this never happened .I even "hung out" there to make them see that I was serious about learning but no one cared .
So I switched to a little school , nothing fancy at all , not even an indoor arena and I learned more there in a day than I have the whole time at that "fancy "school .
If your RI doesn't let you learn to groom and tack ,even when you show up early and let her know that you are interested ,I feel that you may be better off at a different school.:)

[Just.Jump]

Yes- I'm at a little place run solely by my coach who is helped out with barn chores by a young woman who she used to coach who now does the chores and all that for free board on her horse(s-she's had a few).

My advice is to start out with a little place where the coach is doing the teaching on the side because they genuinely like to do it.
At big places, people have things to do, people to see, and places to go. Honestly, at bigger places, no one has the time to do anything other than what they are paid to do- grooms are hired to do, not to teach. And quite frankly, at big places, the horses have stupid stabling, feeding, and turnout scheduals. It's stupidity at it's highest.

The big schools are for riders who know what they are doing already.
Sadly, after 7 years, I've outgrown my barn. There aren't too many more things that my coach can teach me on horseback- generally I'd like to learn how to back a horse from her and then move on. At my barnt he trend is to buy your own horse and stop taking lessons- well, I want to learn. I love to learn.
So I'm moving on to an english barn to start rounding out my riding- I'd like to be adept at more than just general riding. We'll see if I find a small personal place, or a big busy barn full of work. Yet, the bigger barns seem to have coaches with never ending knowledge.

We'll see. I got my 7 year start at a place with no indoor ring, riding in -20 C in the winter time. You learn to love the sport when you've got nurturing type coaches working with you.

[BreeC]

I'm sort of in between lessons at the moment, I stopped going to that barn because I wasn't learning enough for what I was paying and it was actualy the opposite. It was a very small barn. A 2 instruster partnership. Just a couple of paddocks and 2 sheds. Not even a round enclosed area or anything. The first time I went to horse riding lessons I was expecting big beautiful encosed barns with wooden fences and under cover enclosures. Especially because it turned out to not be anywhere near as cheap as I thought it was. The lessons I'm going to now start is at a larger barn, more professional and neater but cheaper. Wooden finces big barns enclosed areas etc. So i will see how I go thanks for the advice.

[cvb]

:confused: so who are you fitting a saddle to ?
http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74692

[joosie]

My RS had a number of requests from riders asking to learn the basics of grooming, tacking up, mucking out etc. so one of the instructors put on evening classes in horse-care and stable management. Find out if your stable runs similar classes or, if you can find other clients there who want to learn too, suggest that they could put on a few sessions.

If you started helping out other people with their own horses, we would probably call it "work for rides" here. In my personal experience most owners who advertise for help want people who already know what they're doing, but I have a friend who was lucky enough to find someone who was willing to train her first.

[phyzelda]

have you asked whether they would take you on to help them out? I know people that have learnt through helping at there RS, they don't get paid, but they get reduced if not free lessons from it.

[Guest]

When I first started out I just started off putting the horse back in it's stable, putting the stirrups up, loosening the girth that sort of thing.
Then I would get down early before my lesson and tack up, in between lessons I would groom the horse I rode and just generally hang about and wash.
The RI was really happy to let me do it, he'd just ask if I minded and make sure I new what to do ie: in the summer to sponge down the right places etc.
You pick it up quickly and the horses will soon let you know if your doing it wrong.
In the end I'd get the horse in from the field, grrom him, tack him up, get myself on ride him in a lesson, untack him and turn him out all by myself.

[BreeC]

I would love reduced lessons, it would mean I could have more. I will just have to see what happens when I get there.

[Just.Jump]

:confused: so who are you fitting a saddle to ?
http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74692

I'm curious to know too.

[Skib]

Where I hack, the riding school insurance wont let clients in the box alone with a horse, let alone to tack up etc. It is two years since I had real contact with horses, and if you dont actually do the stuff it is pointless doing more courses, as you forget really quickly.
This is a complete contrast with the RS where I started lessons. There everyone was encouraged to get their horses out, put them away, rug them etc or groom - and help out at weekends. I did the BHS pt 1 course and I really miss that contact with horses.

[Peace]

Where I hack, the riding school insurance wont let clients in the box alone with a horse, let alone to tack up etc.

It's amazing isn't it, the difference between schools. The first one I went to made students -including very first time on a horse as an adult students, like I was - not only fully responsible for grooming and tacking after being shown how once, but also for going into a field full of horses and catching their own lesson horse.:eek::rolleyes:

OTOH, my lawschool roommate went to a very fancy dressage barn that never let anyone groom or tack up a horse other than the person's very own.:rolleyes:

I think there's a happy medium in there somewhere.:p

[BreeC]

Isn't it awful to think that other people probably think the opposite and if the were asked to groom and tack up they would be like "For the amount of money I'm paying you you should do it or ew you think I want to get all dirty?" Now that's a rich snob. Although you can sort of see their point. It is alot of money but tacking and grooming is part of it its not a chore.

[Purple Hugs]

I too love the practicle side of things.. I paid for a lesson in tacking, basic grooming and un-tacking. And got a ride thrown in too. :)

Then I started volunteering at a private yard (friend of a friend) and now I'm on the verge of a sort of share / come help out and ride to exercise the horses. :)

I still am not great at tacking up or putting on rugs, but I know more about it and will get better in time. As for grooming and picking feet.. that depends on the horse, but i'm not bad.

All experience gained for nothing.. :)
Have a chat with your school and then see if you can 'help out' ;)

[coblover26]

We never get to tack up our horses either, although out of about 7 of us there's probably only about 2 of us that actually know how to do it.

I think that RS should allow the riders to groom and tack up the horse they wish to ride :)

[phyzelda]

I think that RS should allow the riders to groom and tack up the horse they wish to ride :)


The problem is the Insurance, it would cost alot and take alot of time for this to happen. At the RS i used to work at years ago, we had own a pony days during the school holidays, and we taught the child to tack up and groom etc. But to do it before every lesson, just wouldnt of been possible, some ponies were very grumpy to tack up and could be dangerous some times. and it would take twice as long to get into the school, to start the lessons