Adult novices

[AnneK]

Hello everybody! I discovered this forum today, and it looks great! I'm sorry if my English isn't correct, I live in Norway and doesn't practice it much...

I work as a riding instructor at a summer camp here in Norway. Most of the pupils are children, but there are also som adults in the classes. Most of the adults are beginners.

I have a question to those of you that started riding as adults: What did you find most difficult?

I understand that learning to ride when you're grown up is quite different from starting riding as a child. It seems to me that many adult beginners are so afraid to fall off the horse and gets so tense that it's almost impossible for them to stay on :)

It worked fine the previous summer, and the adults war happy with my teaching (maybe because they didn't know better ;) ) but I really want to learn more! So if you can tell me what problems you had or have I will really appreciate it!

I'm reading Heather Moffetts book right now, and I'm really looking forward to putting it into practice!

With regards
Anne-Kristin

[Allie]

I'm a teenager, so I really can't help you with your questions, I just wanted to reassure that your english is perfectly fine. In fact, it is better than some I have seen from American or English people.

Allie

[Kiwismum]

I learned as a child, then took a long break and relearnt as an adult.
You are right in that fear is the biggest problem, and anything that encourages is great.
The things that helped me most were working on a lunge and training at the beach.
Also don't be mistaken that just because we are adults all we want to do is arena work. Adults like the fun stuff too and it opens up many learning options.

[tnawarriorprincess]

I am finding that my biggest problem right now is that I concentrate so hard on seat or hands that I forget to relax, or my leg position slips or I lose my stirrup. It is so hard to try & keep it all together. My instructor keeps reassuring me that it isn't the "getting it together" it is the "keeping it together" for an extended period of time.

You sound like a great instructor!!! Tina

[Beverley Entwistle]

Hi Anne,

I am 40 years old and started riding a year ago. Up until then I was terrified of horses, but I have soon become obsessed. I am now taking the BHS stage 1 course to help my confidence and to learn more about these beautiful animals. I think for me learning late I do lack confidence and if I get on a horse I have not ridden before, I feel quite sick. Once I know they are not going to do anything stupid I relax. But I do agree being tense does not help and can create more problems because the horse picks up on this, so I am trying really hard at the moment. I have fallen off a couple of times but only when the horse has bolted because something spooked it not just general riding.


Beverley

[hlstarmie]

Hi i started riding 4 years ago as an adult after having two children. My biggest fear was falling off but alot of other factors were that i was embarressed because alot of the time i didnt understand what i was supposed to be doing. I felt silly having to keep asking for things to be explained over and over again. It can be quite intimidating! I found and still do find it hard to canter as i tense up, i feel sometimes that im not a good rider and that i should have gave up along time ago but having got a horse of my own now i have gained so much confidence and knowledge that i wont give up.
I think the main thing is lots of praise and encouragement and allow the rider to get a feel of things without pushing them.

[Dot]

The hardest thing for me as an adult rider, is lack of confidence. There are some days I feel like the indian chief and others where I feel like I have never ridden before. I long for the days when I was a child and was just myself and relaxed on a horse, and I was not worried about myself or the horse, I just rode for fun. I expressed myself openly to the horse, as a child will, and it seemed to make a difference. Now it seems like more work than fun at times and it makes me sad.

[AnneK]

Thank you so much for your answers! It really means a lot to me!

We have camps that lasts one week, where I work, so the novices have to learn a lot in short time. Of course, this is not ideal, but it works...

I got some good results last year by lunging the novices. The horse was equipped with a vaulting-girth, with handles. Then they were allowed to feel the different paces, without having to control the horse.

It turned out that many of the riders was afraid to canter, because the didn't know how it felt. After trying canter on the lunge, they were so reliefed - they had discovered that it was a lot easier to stay on than in trot!

Thank you for answering! I'll also appreciate more answers :)

[eden]

I too came back to start riding again after a long, long gap. Every so aften in that first year of adult riding our instructor would have a gymkhana or musical ride for the evening instead of the formal lesson, it was perfect to relax you as your aim then became winning/getting past the pole first etc. and instinct took over from thinking. I thought it was all a very good idea as its so easy to get obsessed with how everything 'should' be and lose the joy and fun.

[cheney]

I came back to riding on a regular basis as an adult after a gap of close to 20 years. I think the lunging to get the feel for the gaits is great. I also agree with Eden. We need to recognize the joy and fun in riding. That is what keeps us going on the tough days!

[jane.p]

Hi, I am 30 yrs old and began to learn to ride along with my Husband 4 Months ago. I think that the biggest obstacle to overcome is FEAR. The older you get the more you value your bones! The other thing is that as you get older you normally develop the role of teacher rather than pupil, and it can take a while to get back into the swing of receiving insructions. I think that whilst most adults want to receive constructive criticism they also appreciate encouragement when things go right! We are very lucky as we have good instructors and very safe horses which helps to slowly build confidence. Hope this helps. Jane

[Jennifer Harris]

Hi, ive enjoyed reading everyones replies. I used to work as a trail ride guide and I was amazed by how scared and terrified adults can be as opposed to children. I think the thing that helped me deal with people most was understanding that they were scared, and that their fear was okay. As an adult we have an image to display, and we are taught to believe that being scared isnt one of the most dignified ways to present ourselves. With that fear of the horse, complicated by the fear of what other people think of them, and their own judgements of themselves, well you have an experience ready to go wrong. But most people respond well to instruction. If you clearly tell them what to do, in "plain english"(sorry, I realize this isnt your native language) they tend to react better. I noticed that horsey language tended to confuse them, and the mind is already a little clouded by fear. It sounds to me like you are doing a very good job! And i would rate encouragement and praise as one of the top things that adults respond to. It is something that alot of us arent used to getting, either at work, or home, and when we finally do get praise, it seems to make us feel so much better. if it is genuine and deserved. I notice some people are thrown off by praise, but if you really mean it, most adults will accept it. I think it is a throwback to all the scribbled little pictures that parents hang on the refrigerator door. Eventually you realize that the pictures arent that good, and that youve been getting praise you dont feel was genuine. Or at least that was how i felt, maybe Im just weird, but that was me.
also, let them know that riding doesnt come together overnight, it takes alot of practice and no one in history got it perfect the first time(my opinion)! If you notice a rider doing something correctly that they had struggled with previously be sure to notice and praise. Good Luck! :D

[kellyk]

I rode trail rides where you rent a horse & they follow a lead horse a few times as a child. When I bought my first horse I had no clue. Good thing she was Bomb Proof & she taught me. Then at 33 I got my mare I have now at 3 & green broke. Good thing I found myself a good instructor ie trainer or I would be lost today. Confidence does not come easy. I am 37 & have taken a few lessons here & there & I cant say how much a good teacher does for you. Mine moved & I miss her dearly now where I board the gal there is a very experienced & Elegent rider but I feel as if I am learning all over again with this new person. I am still learning & do have some fear to overcome. It is hard work. You have to love it. It's my hobby. I realy have no other so it is worth it. Each good ride helps & even the bad ones have taught me something. But I do beat myself up thinking I am not good enough & have to shake that. My thoughts are many on the subject.

[Heather]

HI Anne-Kristin,

Firstly, it is good to see an instructor who cares enough to post such a question as yours. You are very welcome to email me if you have any problems with individual riders that i may be able to help with. Also, from an instructors point of view, you would find my video very helpful, as I show exactly how I teach the movement of the lower back to absorb the movement of the horse.

Even if you haven't got an equisimulator as I am so lucky to have, you can show students this movement, at the halt of course(!), on an ordinary saddle stand that is strong enough to take the weight of the rider. It is so much better that the student has a mental idea of what they should be doing with the lower back once on a real horse. You can also teach them the correct way to rise to the trot on the saddle stand, so that they are not just moving up and down and then often coming down with a double bump in the saddle. You can show them the correct forward and back swing of the pelvis. The other thing that will really help is to have a strap across between the two saddle 'd' rings on the front of the saddle,. Have the strap so that it is just long enough that the rider's hands are about two inches above the pommelwhen holding onto the strap. They can hold this as well as the reins, and it assists gratly with balance at the novice stage.

Hope this helps- Heather

[isabella.jackson]

what i am finding very hard is when i ride ( the pony is my own) is that he keeps napping. i have a new knee and he keeps putting me into the wall with it. he tosses his head but now i put a band on his forelock(he's a fell) today at a show he broke my glasses tossing his head. other than that he's akind pony( he's five) but i am still going round on a lead rein (he can ride good with other people) help i love him to bits i just want to ride hine
i.c.j

[Nancy]

I looks like I had a different fear than most adult riders. When first learning to ride, I was most fearful of tacking up. The quarter horses we ride are all well behaved and really not a problem, however, when on the ground looking up they looked so big! Tigthening the girth made me afraid that they were going to turn around and bite, lifting the foot to clean it seemed like a terrifing thing to do and actually putting my hand near the mouth to put in the bit caused me to shake. Once up in the saddle , I calmed down. Just working around the horses with friendly, calm people eventually made it fun and a pleasure. Patience and repeating instructions in a simple way is my best advice for dealing with new riders.

[KAC]

I'm 37 and have a couple of small kids.
I used to ride as a child but have taken it up again after over 20 years (yikes!). The difference I've found is that I have so much other 'baggage' in my head that it's sometimes difficult to relax enough to start the lesson! My instructor and I have to take this into account during the lessons now and have a low stress re-cap discussion before I even mount up.

Also, I'm more conscious of the repercussions if I became injured. I'm not so much scared for me but scared about the effects it will have on the family etc. Mind you, I haven't stopped because of it... I'll continue to learn in spite of it !

I too have a confidence problem about tacking up. When I feel ready my instructor says she'll leave me to get the horse ready myself.

Cheers,
Karen

[fran]

Hi Anne-Kristin
just to add to what others have said about being scared...I think what helped me with this (along with good teaching) was learning about the nature of horses, and how differently a prey animal like a horse thinks about life. I was so used to being around cats and dogs that it took quite a while to begin to understand how horses have to see things in a very different way (eg oh my god that plastic bag is going to eat me) - and how I had to try to understand the ways their minds work. I still get scared, but at least now I can try and think about why a horse is acting in a particular way.

[Kimbo]

Dear AnneK

I began riding as an adult about 9 months ago. I now feel comfortable on hacks with walk, trot and canter - although in the ring, my canter is a different matter. I believe that for adults, early cantering generates the most fear, worry and perhaps most of all, a belief that you will never be able to perform it happily.

When being taught, encouragement is almost more important than with children, as adults are precarious novices and their ego is intertwined with their reduced ability to learn. Combine this with a learned fear, as opposed to a child's natural lack of fear and you have someone who needs to progress more slowly and should not be pushed into things they may not be ready for.

Adults tend to worry far more about whether they are doing things right, whether they are being gentle enough on the horse's mouth, whether they have control out on a hack and such like, whereas children will just get up and go! Mixed children and adult groups I believe are not ideal, as the differences lead to a less satisfying experience - I spent one early group lesson listening to 8 year old girls complain they were too hot, too cold, stirrups too long (after 1/2 hour), could they take their coat off (after 3/4 hour), could they please not do work without stirrups etc. whereas all I wanted to do was to get on with the lesson!

Adults love being taught at their own pace and benefit most from private lessons, although that may not be possible for many. However, a good instructor will be aware of their fears and hopefully tailor the lesson to take them into account. You sound like such an instructor!

Good luck.

[Sarah Jane]

I just wanted to agree with Kimbo sometimes mixed adult and child classes work but with me at the moment they are not.

Where I ride they also run a nursery so lots of their clients are children. I had a gap of 17 years in my riding and wanted to ride somewhere friendly. They seemed really nice and my first lesson there was just myself and one other lady. The instructor was the lady who owned the school and she seemed really patient.

My problem was mainly fear of looking really silly and I found it a struggle to get my body to do the required things, I'm not a naturally well co-ordinated person and often looked silly I wasn't too bothered to start with. Then I got moved into another class, much larger and mostly children who had been riding a while. I've now started to lose my confidence because the kids are really good and I am struggling to cope with the larger class size, new more advanced things and the fear that I on a much larger horse might get in the way of a child on a smaller pony. However, in favour of this I got to play mounted games at Christmas which I probably enjoyed more than the kids.

Anyway I'm looking round for another school to have private lessons at the moment because I'm going backwards in my riding and I often feel I should give up because I don't get much positive feedback, whereas they run merit and award schemes for the children they don't bother for the adults.

Its nice to hear of instructors who are concerned about the adult riders.

[Jo]

Hi

I think the problem you face with most adults is also the thing that can improve their chances of being good riders: the fact that adults THINK and need to rationalise things more than children. Young people take things for granted and accept what they are told. They don't always worry about what their hands and legs are doing and they don't predict things which may cause them problems. I don't think most adults fear falling, although I have to admit that as an adult I am aware of the inconvenience that could be caused by a serious accident -not being able to drive, go to work and so on. However, as an adult beginner I have certainly progressed more quickly than some of the children who have ridden for longer than I have so the ability to question everything works!