Group Lessons?

[Burke]

I have been taking private lessons for a few months. I am doing walk-trot (no canter yet), and I really like my teacher. She has a dressage background and she is really working me good on the basics. She has suggested that I go into a small group lesson instead of the private lesson. What do any of you think? I will obviously get less individual attention, but it may be good to ride with others and to learn to control the horse in a "herd" situation. Any advice? Thanks.

[Farm_Girl5]

Group lessons are great! You won't get as much attention as you said but you will also be with other horsey people who you will undoubtedly make friends with. I learnt on a friends horse so when I finally did go to a riding school I was put in a lesson cause I could ride. It depends what YOU feel comfortable with. Maybe you could try a group lesson and if you like them better keep with it or if not go back to private lessons for a while?
Tell us what you decide
Kristy

[Burke]

Thanks Kristy. I am wiling to give it a try. As you've said, I think it will be fun to be with other people, and to learn in a different setting. Also, what I am learning is pretty basic stuff, so my guess is that I do not need complete attention for 30 minutes in order to learn what I am working on at this stage.
My group lessons will begin in 5 weeks, so it will be a while before I can report back on how it is going.
Anyone out there who feels otherwise about group lessons for a novice rider?

[bettina]

Group lessons are fun! You'll luv em, I'm sure. The thing to remember is keep an even space between you and the other riders. And when you do simultaneous movements, like circles, *watch where you're going*!! It may seems stupid, but there can be collisions. And don't let your horse get stupid and follow the horse in front of him (example, your instructor asks for one rider for a canter, and your horse breaks into one too without any cues from you), because he won't be listening to you, and it'll start becoming a habit. Periodically do circles so that you'll see him listening to you, and not just automatically following the horse in front of you. Good luck!

[Anne]

Hello ... :-)

I learned to ride in a group but whilst it was a good introduction for me,one-to-one instruction is better, but more intensive and tiring obviously ... riding with a group is good fun, but I tried to have at least some private lessons and benefited from both ..... this is only my opinion of course, other people will feel differently depending on their particular experiences ...now I just have private lessons, which are still tiring, but also good fun, and I hack out with other people ...

Good Luck!

Anne

[fran]

Hi burke - I think this is a really good question. I have had very mixed experience of being taught in a group, and for me the key word is consistancy. If the group is going to be quite small (4 or 5 of you), AND if it's the same people every time AND if you have the same instructor, you'll be in for a great time. But if the group is big, or the membership keeps changing with different standards of riders every week, or if the instructor keeps changing, I think you'll find it hard to progress. I've had a miserable time in groups where the teacher (different every week) had no idea who we were or what we could/couldn't do, or where a first-time rider suddenly appears in the group, making it a frustrating experience for all concerned, as the beginner didn't get the kind of help she needed, and we felt held back. Which wasn't fair on anyone. In the end I felt that these kind of lessons were a waste of time, and I'm now happily having semi-private lessons with the same instructor each week. So it's probably worth checking how this group runs - who teaches it, how many in the group etc. I actually think that novice riders should get all the attention they can - I want to learn to ride as well as I can and get into good habits now, not in five years time! Hope all turns out well - let us know what happens!

[This message has been edited by fran (edited 08 November 1999).]

[This message has been edited by fran (edited 08 November 1999).]

[SIXTEN]

HI BURKE! I agree with Fran-novice riders should get as much attention as possible so that we learn all the techniques correctly. Perhaps it would be good to get into canter before starting group lessons since it can be sort of a difficult pace (start/transition/control). Good luck!

[Canter]

Hi there,

I find that once my students have had a good start with private lessons and are begining to feel comfortable on their horse, the group lesson is the next best progression. You begin to learn in quite a different way. Seeing others overcome difficulties that you may not be experiencing is also helpful in preparing you to ride other horses in the future. From time to time if I have a particular student who is falling behind, or simply requires more of my time to get something 'right', then I suggest a couple private lessons to get them back on track (in between and as well as the group lessons). This way I don't have to single them out and ignore my other students while trying to correct a 'problem', and the student gains by getting the attention they need to attain their goal.
Just remember that once you've switched to a group lesson, that doesn't mean that you can never go back! It's helpful to have a private now and again to regain your focus!

Good luck! ....and let us know how everything goes!

Shelley

[Burke]

Thank you all for your helpful comments. I also thought that work at the canter would be a prerequisite for a group lesson, and I plan to discuss this with my teacher (we plan on starting this in 5 weeks, so maybe we will work on canter during the next 4 lessons). The teacher will be the same from week to week, and the group will be 3 persons, as far as I know, so it should be okay on that score.

[fran]

Burke - that sounds really great, and an ideal group to be in. Good luck with the canter and let us know how your first group lesson goes.