No progress in riding

[Dace]

I've been riding about 2 months, individual lessons once a week on a 7 years old 17hh mare named Elsa. I'm riding English. Today people who watched the training said there is no progress in my riding. Sadly I've to confess - that's true.

There are some problems. Elsa is doing the trot as slowly as possible and even than I have to give leg aids on every step otherwise she will slow to walk. I don't know is she too lazy or it's me doing wrong. Instructor says I'm just squeezing the leg around and not pressing hard enough. Well, I really try my best, but in rising trot it isn't too easy.

Of course when instructor ride her, Elsa is very responsible to leg aids and move in nice fast trot even with a light squeeze. If I have a whip the trot is going OK. I don't have even to use it, just the horse is seeing I have the whip and anything happens. But I had tried this only once, cause instructor means I have to learn how the things are done without any help, so no whip at trot and we are moving around like "from trot into sleep".

As I have the common problem in absorbing canter movement (with other words my butt is bouncing around much more than is needed) and after a lot good advice on this page I asked the instructor for a lunge lesson. I have to mention I'm still using the whip to get Elsa in canter. She is trained to do the walk to canter transition, so with the whip it happens. Also I always have to do all the canter without stirrups cause "first you have to learn to canter properly and only than put the legs in stirrups".

I will never do the lunge again. I know a lot of people in here would disagree, but... here is my experience. We did a bit trot and canter. As the instructor used the long whip (or whatever it's called) to speed up, Elsa rushed away with sudden movements than slowed back and so many times (it never happened before, even if I've used the whip, and of course my instructor did not hit the horse, just the ground). Also she didn't run in the nice round circle so I had to use reins and legs to correct it. Of course there was no walk to canter transitions, Elsa did a lot fast trot to canter and again to fast trot transitions. On my mind was only how to hold in the saddle so I didn't paid much attention how correct my butt/legs etc. are doing.

[Medalia]

Oh, I feel like I'm going to get on someones case here, for what I'm about to say. I'm sorry, but I don't really think beating around the bush is very good,

Anyway, You shouldn't get discouraged in the longe line class. You can't base everything on one bad experience. It's like saying you hate chicken because one piece you ate tasted wrong. Do you know what I mean?

This horse might not be the best for you. I prefer it when people ride, that if they have lessons and don't own their own horse, they ride a lot of different horses. Then, as time goes on and they have a private lesson, you can pick which horse goes better for you.

Of course she's going to go better for the instructor! You've only been riding two months? There is no way, unless you were a super mutated equine genius (a little of my humor. forgive), that you could pick everything up at the drop of a hat. I've been riding for 10 years, and sometimes I have problems with all the stuff you mentioned.

I can't quite hack this stuff about the whip. I don't think anyone needs a whip for anything other than longing.

The horse has probably figured out that she can get away with a lot of stuff, and that's why she'll trot all lazy and won't be rhythmic.

[fran]

Hi Dace - sorry you had such a rotten lunge lesson, and that you're feeling low about how your riding is going. I'm no expert, but several things occured to me when I read your post:
- I wonder how much your instructor is concentrating on getting your position right. I really think this is the cornerstone, and it's really tough to begin to think about how to sit in canter if you're feeling really wobbly in trot. After 18 months of learning to ride, I'm finally beginning to get my seat right, open up my hip joints etc. It certainly doesn't come naturally and takes time. Perhaps it's possible for you to forget about canter for the time being, and work on sitting trot and walk, concentrating on the feel of these gaits.
- I agree with Medalia that it's really good to ride a variety of horses. Is this possible? Then you learn to ride, rather than learning to ride one horse, if you see what I mean.
- I do really know what you mean about not getting the horse going. The horses that are good and safe for beginners are often the ones who are quite dead to the leg - having spent years being booted in the sides by novices, they very sensibly choose to ignore the rather feeble messages our lower legs give. So using the whip IN CONJUNCTION with the leg aid can help, but we can help too by exercising our legs and strengthening the muscles - and, of course, sitting well.
- Others will have a better idea than me, but I wonder if the horse you rode was a good lunging horse?? Sounds like she was having a rotten time as well as you!
- please don't despair. Sitting well and getting impulsion will come, but it may be that you need to have a think about the kind of instruction you're getting at the moment.

[Myrmex]

Cheer up Dace, after just 2 months riding (about ten lessons?) you're not going to be a brilliant rider. It takes time to get used to the horse's movement and really get a feel for it. I don't think it was very fair of the people watching to tell you that you weren't making any progress. The quickest way to destroy a beginner's confidence is to concentrate on their bad points, or tell them they're not getting any better (I used to teach archery, not horse-riding, but the principle's the same!).
As the other replies say, don't give up on the lunging yet - a different horse might be better. Elsa might not be a particularly experienced school horse and it doesn't sound like she lunges very well (the long whip is a lunge whip, by the way). I have my doubts about your instructor too - he/she's not doing much for your confidence and doesn't seem to be addressing your fundamental problems of position and leg aids. Giving you a whip to make the horse move forwards just covers up your problems and gets you into bad habits. And once you've developed bad habits, getting rid of them is a nightmare - I know, because I've got 'em!

[CLAUDIA]

I understand how you feel about the thought that you may not be making any progress. I could easily be told now that I'm not making any progress because I've been working on the same problem for months (it seems like). But this is the furthest from the truth. No one should be telling you that you're not making any progress, and I think that you should definitely be given the opportunity to ride a more motivated horse, at least once in a while. I also agree with the others when they say that learning to ride a variety of horses is more effective.

It was actually quite a few months after I began riding that I was told to ride a horse that sounds similar to Elsa, and I had a horrible time trying to get him to move on. No matter how much effort I gave it he would still go so slow that we were barely moving--he could've easily trotted in place. I just ended up wearing myself out. As you can imagine, I was greatly discouraged after this lesson. My instructor wanted me to learn to ride this horse though, so she waited until a few lessons later and put me back on him. Oh, and should I mention that he sometimes responds to the crop with bucking, so no crop until that's resolved! It's still difficult for me to get him going sometimes, and the only advice I have for you is to have confidence from the moment you're in contact with this horse. Show her that you want her to work for you as soon as you're adjusted in the saddle. This is the only way I can get our horse to wake up. That, and incessant clucking. :)

Have you ever had a lunge lesson where the horse stays out and responds to voice commands to walk, trot, and canter? Or at least one that doesn't charge off when changing gaits? I don't think lunge lessons will be particularly helpful to you at this stage if you can't concentrate on your position. Is there possibly another horse that's better on the lunge than Elsa?

I really hope you can work things out with your instructor to where s/he is more encouraging and teaches you how to ride other horses, because it seems to be far more enjoyable this way. Don't give up, and if things don't get better, try a different instructor. Sometimes different teaching methods are all we need. :)

[Dace]

Hi all,

thanks for all the suggestions. Today things seems to be more opthimistic than right after the lesson. Of course my instructor wasn't happy about this "no progress" thing either.

I really like all the encouraging, and don't worry I'll not give up :)

Seems as I will ride Elsa untill I will know how to ride, cause the instructor wants me to learn how to ride on this particular horse and she believes that Elsa is the right horse for me. Since I'm not a great expert in "horsey" things I have to agree.

[Botanyman2]

I've been riding for two months as well and I have all the same problems. I find that when I relax, I sit better and the horse opens up a bit. It's just very difficult to stop concentrating on the five things I'm doing wrong at any given moment. I am, however, always looking foward to the next lesson because I love riding, however badly I'm doing relative to an experienced rider. I am now moving to lessons twice a week because I find that it takes a while during each lesson just to reorient myself, and I want to improve my "feel" for the horse. I sense that you really enjoy riding as well, so I think our best approach is to have fun and relax on the horse. We'll figure it out someday.

[Chris]

The point you made about using your legs a little hint is you must remember to use your calf area to squeeze not your thighs if that is what your doing. Also your horse is most likely slow not because of you but because she is a lesson horse and that is the way they can get and believe me I have ridden several over the past few months like that but my riding level is at a fairly good level where I have learned other ways to over come there lazyness. I would just stick with it and you will improve, you may not know it but you should try and think of what you did wrong and how too correct it and you should walk away with something new every lesson.

[Dace]

Hi,

thanks Chris for actualizing this topic again so I can drop a quick message about what's new. To answer your post, Chris, actually in my previous message I thought about leg aid meaning squeezing the horse with my heels.

Any way the lesson on Saturday was great. My instructor decided to give me another horse.
She said Astra is not quite for a beginner and I've heard this horse have some bad habits like biting, but I haven't noticed that Astra is a "monster". At beginning the horse tested me a bit on stepping back or trying to go in another direction, but as I menaged this she was very nice and responsive to any kind of aids so we got the compliment our troting looks "very good".

Still working at canter :)