will i ever get it????

J

jade leahy

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Oct 12, 2005
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hi everyone,
im so frustrated ive had about eight half hour lessons and i am still stuck with rising trot!!! im getting a bid fed up i feel as if i'll be stuck doing circles for ever!!!! can anyone help, i did wonder about the possiblility of my own pony but it would be unfair if we were only able to jog round in circles can anyone offer tips? I think part of the problem is my muscles are totally dead beat after a tiny bit of trotting! :o
 
You might find it benificial to see if you can book a horse to go on a hack out for a couple of hours, then you can get a really good long settle into it. I think half an hour can be a bit short to practice some things. I recently went on a western style trekk and it was good just to have the extended time on a horse and not have to worry about thinking what my RI is trying to tell me to do next.
 
so there maybe light at the end of the tunnel

yeh that maybe a good idea, I think part of the problem is i am nervous after a fall as a kid and i also have mobility problems so not the best balance. I was briefly considereing giving up in frustration, but i enjoy it too much!!! i can kind of do sitting trot, do you think rising trot is absolutely necessary?
 
Be kind to yourself! You've had a total of FOUR HOURS of lessons, of course you're still getting used to it. If you think about the time during that 4 hours that you're not actually 'working' then you've been riding for even less.

Rising trot isn't as easy as it looks when you first start out, you haven't got the balance, you haven't got the timing or the confidence or even the hang of being high up on a pony's/horse's back. It WILL come, I promise, just stop being so hard on yourself :D A very good investment is Heather Moffett's 'Enlightened Equitation' book ... it tells you things that your instructor probably never will! If you have the £ then a visit to her 'equisimulator' courses is a very good idea (I haven't been yet but hope to one day) as you get taught how to ride the various gaits correctly without having a horse underneath you.

Oh, and the circle thing? Yes, you WILL be doing them forever if you keep on having lessons :) That's what riding is all about ... circles, variations on circles, half circles, smaller circles .....

Just one thing, PLEASE don't get your own pony yet, wait until you're more experienced both in riding and in stable management. There are lots of threads which cover the reasons for this and there will be people who say 'yeah, go for it' but at the end of the day I say think of the horse! They are living, breathing creatures and a privately owned ned isn't necessarily (or generally) as forgiving as a riding school horse who is used to beginners making mistakes.

Good luck, chill out and good luck :)
 
I couldn't agree more - stop being so hard on yourself :) If you're managing rising trot at all at this stage you're doing OK. Give it time, and try to relax and not put yourself under pressure (easier said than done!).

But most of all, try and enjoy what you're doing. I wouldn't advocate a long ride at this stage - the extra time to practise also means that you're riding for that much longer, and if you're having problems finding your balance it will get to be very hard work...

Keep going - it WILL come right...

Ross
 
Ever decreasing circles

Well, I had 2 years of riding a loan horse, then a 17 year break and I am on my 14th half hour lesson. I am still in trot!! But better safe than sorry! I do, like you, want to move on but I also want to be sure that I get things sorted along the way. I long to have a canter in some ways but it's taking longer than I thought to re-establish the basics. I am very disheartened this week because last week we were ready to move on but this week it all went wrong and I couldn't get my leg aids right and spent the lesson trying to maintain any kind of pace. REALLY FRUSTRATING!! But...well....there it is. Can't go flat out on the straight til you've mastered the cornering!! Not much help I know but I know what you mean. We'll have a virtual glass of champagne together when we both get the hang of trot!!
 
thanx for the help!

i feel much better to hear other people think it takes time, sometimes when the instructor says well it does take some people longer i feel like a bit of a dumbo but ill get there in the end!!! and i do look forward to my half an hour!!! :D
 
It comes, NATURALLY, honest! *nods head energetically*

Took a while for me but do not worry and do not try to hard!!!

Once you've got it you will be wowed how nice it is and you will feel it when you have got the hang of it, it just clicks really.

Let the horse bounce you out of the saddle and you controll your fall. Plus, don't rise too high because you won't be in time for the next beat and rise and then it will feel all weird LOL

Most of all don't be too concerned about it.

I also am a beginner, having had around 8-15 half hour lessons and yes you do lots of circles but once you get the hang of rising trot and going round and round doing it it's FUN! I love it!

Don't push yourself up by using the stirrups....keep your heels down and let the horse rise you so your hips sort of.....swing? Rising trot is all about making it easier and more comfortable for BOTH horse and rider...because there is less weight on the horse's back if you are just going up in thin air without to much pressure in the stirrups.

Trust me you'll get it.

Do you have private/group? Private are very good I think but group can be just as good as you are watching other riders.

Have I spoke enough? LOL Sorry about the long thread.

Hope I helped and don't worry,
Vicky :)
 
jade leahy said:
i feel much better to hear other people think it takes time, sometimes when the instructor says well it does take some people longer i feel like a bit of a dumbo but ill get there in the end!!! and i do look forward to my half an hour!!! :D
Click to expand...

You're not a dumbo at all. To learn to ride PROPERLY takes longer than just a few lessons. You WILL see people who are cantering in a few weeks, even going over a couple of small jumps. This doesn't mean that they are balanced, correct or effective it just means that they're riding a horse who knows it's job. Like anything it's worth taking the time to get the basics right as then you will have a lot less trouble with the more advanced stuff.

Good luck, enjoy and please keep us updated with your progress :D
 
Jade,
I had my 10th half hour lesson this past Wednesday. Usually I end up on the lunge due to my poor grip on the reigns, but this time I was free to do a posting trot around the arena. But next week I may end up back on the lunge for whatever reason. I've learned not to be bothered by this, because more than anything I want to learn to ride correctly, so that I feel in control of my horse and comfortable with my seat. It's like anything else, if you don't get the basics down, you'll never really know the joy of doing something well. And the basics take time. Some people fly through the first part but get hung up somewhere else along the way... it's like the jerk who passes you on the road and then you end up sitting right behind him at the next light, if you know what I mean? Some lessons I'm in a different mood... maybe angry at something that happened that day... whatever... and that affects my concentration and mood for learning as well. I set little goals for myself. Right now I'm aiming to learn to ride well enough to be part of a little laid-back dressage show next June. It's not a fussy show by any means, so all my mistakes won't matter. In other words, it's just for fun! It's also something to focus on. We'll see if I can do - but it doesn't matter if I don't. I'll still go and have fun!

Lia
 
Jade, one thing that helps me a lot is thinking back not to my previous lesson but to very my first one. In my first lesson I could only manage about 2-3 strides of rising trot without losing the rhythm, and I couldn't walk afterwards for about a week :rolleyes:, but now I'm on my sixth (today :D ) and I feel reasonably comfortable with rising trot and even with sitting trot which I find much harder, which makes me realise I've made quite a lot of progress - so where will I be when I've had six more? - exciting thought :D!
 
It took me FOREVER to master rising trot!! It is very difficult and a lot of people struggle. But once it clicks there will be no stopping you..onwards and upwards i promise!

Keep at it!
 
I agree with the poster who advised waiting to get your own horse. I made the mistake of buying a horse after just a few hours of lessons. She is a lovely horse, but was too much for me at the time. I ended up with a broken back last spring because of the green-on- green combination. Now, after riding for a year (same horse, different instructor) I know enough to choose a horse that is right for my skills- though I am still on the same horse. In a few years, this horse is going to be an absolute dream for anyone to ride- as long as we both survive! Seriously, though, don't let your enthusiasm goad you into purchasing too soon. Be sure you have the opportunity to ride a number of different horses in different situations before you take that step. Going out on hacks is a great way to truly understand your horse and your skills. That is where I ride the most, and I have to say that what we learn in the arena is a totally different ballgame when it comes to being outside in the wild! Both types of riding are important to experience before making your horse choice. My horses are with us for life, as are many peoples' horses, so it is important to have enough experience to make the right choice the first time.
 
I completely agree with you, Greentchr, I'm sorry that you had to learn that lesson the hard way, I hope that you're ok now x

Greentchr made another really good point which is also related to not buying your own too soon! Riding lots of different horses is a great way to improve your skills as you HAVE to tune into different horses and deal with different problems. If I had the £ I would still go to a RS once a week just to ride different horses. It is SO easy to tune into your own when you are just riding one.

My lesson at the weekend showed how 'one horsed' I've become! I used to be able to ride MOST things given to me and had a very good dressage trainer (who is now my trainer here) who 'taught' me how to get the best out of every horse that I rode.

Saff was NAUGHTY on Saturday in my lesson, she stropped from the minute that we got on the arena. Her 'thing' is to threaten to rear (a step forward from when she was ACTUALLY rearing) and also to canter on the spot (my trainer calls it her 'haut ecole' moves). As soon as I feel her front end lighten I'm going forward ... the thing is that I'm too sensitive to it now so am going forward even as she's thinking about it!!! In one way it's great that I'm tuned into her and almost know what she's thinking but it did give me a jolt in that I'm definitely completely focussed on her, I doubt that I could ride one of the school horses as well any more!
 
Think you are being too hard on yourself and possibly putting too much pressure on yourself which may lead you to tense up which in turn will make it harder for you to do rising trot. Can you arrange to go on hack where you can relax a bit and go in straight lines which are easier to ride!
 
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