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So pleased that you enjoyed your lesson :D It sounds like you had a great time and did really well too. You'll be addicted before you know it! Trotting is really tricky until you get the hang of rising up and down in your stirrups, sitting trot is much harder and something I still struggle with after 25 years of riding :lol: But it won't take you long to master the rising trot and then you'll be away :D

 

I think I might be addicted already, ha ha :D

 

If you don't mind me asking, how old were you when you first started riding? I felt so old there, :oops: all of the really young kids had been riding for years!

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If you don't mind me asking, how old were you when you first started riding? I felt so old there, :oops: all of the really young kids had been riding for years!

 

I was about 5 years old - so quite little! But plenty of people do learn in their teens and even as adults. My mum started riding too a few years after I did as she figured if she had to wait at the yard for me to have my lesson/hack she might as well pass the time by learning to ride herself :lol: She rode for quite a number of years before she stopped due to arthritis.

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I'm really glad you enjoyed it too - its a lovely way to spend time and see the countryside if you get to go hacking :D Don't worry about everyone else, the instructors see all sorts of people, with all sorts of experience, and all sorts of ability, all the time :D

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I'll probably go to the library tomorrow to see if they have any books on riding. Obviously horse riding really isn't the sort of thing you can just learn for a book, but I think it would help for me to learn a few horsey words etc

 

 

:lol: you've got the bug already! So glad you enjoyed it and well done for being so brave.

 

Hope you don't mind me correcting you, it's a lunge line.

 

Definitely don't worry about being older, pleanty of people start riding as adults rather than kids and go on to become acomplised riders.

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Ahhh, I woke up today feeling really sore. I thought I'd got off lightly as I wasn't achy at all yesterday, but apparently not! :lol: I hope this improves by tomorrow - I have a trampolining assessment and I have to teach badminton to a class of 12 year olds.

 

Thanks for correcting me Kinsk :) I couldn't quite remember what it was called (somehow I had it in my head that it was a lurch line :doh: ) so I looked it up and Wikipedia said that it was 'longe' with an O . Is that the American way of spelling it?

 

Over the summer I'm going to work at my Aunt's riding stable (she also has chickens, sheep and a few rare breed cattle there) just to get some more experience with working around animals. Hopefully if I'm lucky she might give me a few lessons in return for my work, we'll see. :)

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Just check it out and you're right the Americans do refer to it as longeing, see even after 30 years there is still more to learn :D

 

Definitely lungeing in England though. There is another method called long lining which is basically where you use two lunge lines, one either side.

 

Sounds like you have a busy day today! Hope you're not too sore, riding does seem to use muscles that nothing else does. How lovely about going to your Aunts, there's nothing like hands on experience.

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Well done! Sounds as if you had a brilliant time....it is addictive!!!! Off the lunge in your first lesson too, very good...WELL DONE!! You aren't by any chance riding in south west London. My old horse, called Ed who I used to share a very long time is stabled there. Anyway, most unlikely but just in case!

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I learned to ride in my 30s, and I felt as if I was the oldest 'beginner' there. I used to arrive early for my lesson, and watch the children on ponies having their lesson; they used to take their feet out of the stirrups and then turn round on the pony's back so they were facing backwards, lie down on top of the saddle and reverse position, and so on. I mentioned this to my instructor one day and she explained that these were exercises to help them learn balance and confidence etc.

 

Then she said ominously 'ok, take your feet out of the stirrups and we'll try it ... ' how I wished I'd never mentioned it, ponies are a lot closer to the ground but she had me doing this on a 15 hand horse! :lol:

 

I didn't really progress much with my riding as once we moved on to jumping, I hated it and decided it wasn't for me, but I can still remember the first time I cantered, and how much fun it was. Sounds as if you did well for a first lesson LCL, keep us posted on how you get on.

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Definitely lungeing in England though. There is another method called long lining which is basically where you use two lunge lines, one either side.

Would the horse just be walking in a straight line then? :think:

 

Well done! Sounds as if you had a brilliant time....it is addictive!!!! Off the lunge in your first lesson too, very good...WELL DONE!! You aren't by any chance riding in south west London. My old horse, called Ed who I used to share a very long time is stabled there. Anyway, most unlikely but just in case!

 

Thanks :D

 

And no, it's North East London. It would have been a massive coincidence if it had been your Ed though!

 

Then she said ominously 'ok, take your feet out of the stirrups and we'll try it ... ' how I wished I'd never mentioned it, ponies are a lot closer to the ground but she had me doing this on a 15 hand horse!

 

Wow, sounds scary! :o

 

 

Also, I just wanted to ask you experienced riders, does trotting become easier over time. It seems like there are so many things to remember and I keep looking down at the horse, leaning forwards or holding my heels too high. Apparently it's like riding a bike - once you learn how to do it properly you never forget. I'm hoping this is true :anxious: .

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Having been off a horse for so long I can tell you trotting does become easier, it was second nature to me when I got back on after my long break, although I'm not surprised you ask, lets face it, its a pretty weird movement you have to make :D After a while you stop thinking about what the horse is doing, and about what you are doing, you begin to concentrate on whats going on ahead of you (a bit like driving) and suddenly, somehow, you are doing the rising trot without thinking about it at all :lol: And the other thing is, if you don't get the timing right, its very uncomfortable - I think our bodies naturally adapt to the horse's rhythm very quickly.

 

It'll be great working at your Aunt's - there's no substitute for messing about with the animals on a daily basis. I'm sure she will help you all she can, its the best way to learn :D

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Also, I just wanted to ask you experienced riders, does trotting become easier over time.

 

Yes! I promise you it does. Once you've cracked rising up and down in your stirrups in time to the horse's trot, then it becomes FAR more pleasant :lol: It will take a few lessons - at the moment you are still working on balance, position, core strength etc, but it won't be long at all before you've got the hang of it. Sitting trot is evil, especially if you are unfortunate enough to be on a very bouncy pony! :lol:

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Definitely lungeing in England though. There is another method called long lining which is basically where you use two lunge lines, one either side.

 

Would the horse just be walking in a straight line then? :think:

 

Sometimes yes, and that's how you'd train a horse for driving, but you can also have the two lunge lines running from either side of the bit and through the loops of a 'roller' http://www.derbyhouse.co.uk/Shop+by+Brand/Kincade/Kincade+2+Point+Lunge+Roller_318-0075.htm, or you can get attachments for a saddle so they pass through close to the girth area. If you were lungeing on a clockwise circle the right rein would be your inside rein and the left rein would pass down the outside side of the horse and behind it, so the handler has two lines/reins but the horse can still work on a circle. It offers the handler more contact with the horse and essentially gives more of a true feeling of how the horse would ride, but you are on the ground. Don't know if I have explained that very well :?

 

It's not something you would do with a rider aboard as human legs would get in the way. But I was wondering if maybe long lining and lungeing had become merged to come up with 'longeing'

 

Trotting definitely gets 100% easier, to start with it feels like the most unnatural, uncoordinted thing going, you will get it, but remember relaxing and enjoying is the most important thing. Sometimes the harder you try, the harder you make it. Think of it as up-down-up-down-up-down, or 1-2-1-2-1-2, trot is a two time movement.

 

Remember your head is the heaviest part of your body, so if you look down you will tilt yourself forward, which in turn can pivot and unbalance your whole body so your heels will come up, and then you can get into the viscious circle of gripping the wrong part of the horse with the wrong part of your leg.

 

Chin up, shoulders down and back, try to keep your heels inline with your shoulders, and if it helps think more of it as keeping your toes up rather than your heels down.

 

It sounds like you have done amazing for your first lesson, and there is a lot to think about. It's like learning anything new, it takes time for things to slot into place.

 

Hope the muscles have eased up.

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Having been off a horse for so long I can tell you trotting does become easier, it was second nature to me when I got back on after my long break, although I'm not surprised you ask, lets face it, its a pretty weird movement you have to make :D After a while you stop thinking about what the horse is doing, and about what you are doing, you begin to concentrate on whats going on ahead of you (a bit like driving) and suddenly, somehow, you are doing the rising trot without thinking about it at all :lol: And the other thing is, if you don't get the timing right, its very uncomfortable - I think our bodies naturally adapt to the horse's rhythm very quickly.

 

Yes! I promise you it does. Once you've cracked rising up and down in your stirrups in time to the horse's trot, then it becomes FAR more pleasant :lol: It will take a few lessons - at the moment you are still working on balance, position, core strength etc, but it won't be long at all before you've got the hang of it. Sitting trot is evil, especially if you are unfortunate enough to be on a very bouncy pony! :lol:

 

Okay then, that's good news at least :D I can't believe I thought it would be as simple as just sitting down! :lol:

 

It's only been a couple of days but already I can't wait until my next lesson! :D Horse riding is so addictive!

 

It'll be great working at your Aunt's - there's no substitute for messing about with the animals on a daily basis. I'm sure she will help you all she can, its the best way to learn :D

I can't wait :D:D

 

Yes, rising trot will become second nature and yes it is like riding a bike, you never forget. Cooor, it would have been amazing if it had have been Ed I used to share. He is used for beginners and RDA now. Enjoy your research at the library tomorrow.

 

Was was your Ed like? :D

 

I went to the library yesterday, but I couldn't see that they had any horse riding books so I went to Waterstone's instead. They had a few that looked quite good, but they were a bit out of my price range so I bought the second Hunger Games book, Catching Fire instead 8)

 

Perhaps I'll try to go to a different library, nearer my school tomorrow if I don't have anything else on. Although it is in a different borough so I'm not sure whether or not my library card will work.

 

So, could anyone recommend a good book about riding? :) Like I said, I know that riding really isn't the sort of thing that can be taught out of a book, but I think it would be good to get to know some of the basics of horse terminology. If the other library doesn't have any books then I may well just go for one of the books I saw at Waterstone's, after all, if I'm going to keep this up then it will be an investment. :)

 

Sometimes yes...

I see. Thanks for explaining :)

 

Trotting definitely gets 100% easier, to start with it feels like the most unnatural, uncoordinted thing going, you will get it, but remember relaxing and enjoying is the most important thing. Sometimes the harder you try, the harder you make it. Think of it as up-down-up-down-up-down, or 1-2-1-2-1-2, trot is a two time movement.

Yep, that's how my instructor got me to think about it. She told me to treat it like a metronome.

 

Remember your head is the heaviest part of your body, so if you look down you will tilt yourself forward, which in turn can pivot and unbalance your whole body so your heels will come up, and then you can get into the viscious circle of gripping the wrong part of the horse with the wrong part of your leg.

 

Chin up, shoulders down and back, try to keep your heels inline with your shoulders, and if it helps think more of it as keeping your toes up rather than your heels down.

Yes, this is one of the things that I struggle most with. Also, when 'standing' during trotting, I tend to lever myself up with my head instead of pushing up with my knees (if that made sense? :?: ) Still, that's something I can work on next time, I suppose :)

 

It sounds like you have done amazing for your first lesson, and there is a lot to think about. It's like learning anything new, it takes time for things to slot into place.

 

Hope the muscles have eased up.

 

Thanks :D:oops:

 

And yeah, they're a bit better. I went for a walk for an hour after school to see if that would help, and they're still sore but a lot better than yesterday :)

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Edward is here, I found the website yesterday of where he now resides

http://www.horserangers.com/html/horses.php and look down and you will see him. They mention he is a houdini, he used to be when I rode him too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Unfortunately, all of the books I have about riding are so old, I doubt they are in print any more! I have however just looked up the book that I had my nose in a lot when I started riding. It is called The Handbook of Riding by Mary Gordon-Watson and was recommended to me by my instructor then. Amazingly it is here on Amazon :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Handbook-Riding-Pelham-Practical-Sports/dp/0720719984#reader_0720719984

 

It is an old book, first published in 1982 but bottom line, I don't think much has changed about learning to ride a horse. I hope this helps.

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Edward is here, I found the website yesterday of where he now resides.

He is gorgeous! :D

 

I have however just looked up the book that I had my nose in a lot when I started riding. It is called The Handbook of Riding by Mary Gordon-Watson and was recommended to me by my instructor then.

Thanks for that, I'll looks out for it at a bookshop or buy it online. The Amazon link you gave me has it going for £0.01! You have to pay for postage, but still really cheap! :o:dance:

 

I used to have a few quite good ones, they've been abandoned at my parents for years now and I'm not going to use them again. Am over there at the weekend so can see if I can dig them out and you can have them if you want.

Oh, that's really very kind of you, thanks for the offer. Thing is, I wouldn't really feel comfortable about giving out my address via the internet, even if it was by PM. It's not that I don't trust you, you've been extremely helpful and I'm really grateful for that, it's just that you never know where information that you put up on the web could end up, as I'm sure you'll understand. Thanks a lot for the offer though, it means a lot :D .

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Well done on your first lesson, sounds good! :D

 

I understand the insides of horses and their behaviour from Uni modules and done a bit of work with them at the yard but can't ride - really wish I could though!

 

Feel like I'm too old and that its more of a women's thing to do... know its not but still think it!

If I did more work with them or at a stables I'd be up for it, sure have to ride a Shire though! :lol:

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Well done on your first lesson, sounds good! :D

 

I understand the insides of horses and their behaviour from Uni modules and done a bit of work with them at the yard but can't ride - really wish I could though!

 

Feel like I'm too old and that its more of a women's thing to do... know its not but still think it!

If I did more work with them or at a stables I'd be up for it, sure have to ride a Shire though! :lol:

 

Yes, there certainly seemed to be a lot more girls than boys there. I think the only guy I saw was the instructor's son.

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Glad you had a good time. My tip re rising trot is not to think of it as up down up down but instead, as you bounce out of the saddle slightly due to the horse's movement, just use your legs to hold yourself up briefly before sitting down again. The horse will do most of the work in that the movement pushes you up, you just use that push to swing your hips forward a little creating a short pause before allowing yourself back in the saddle. Also think of moving forward not up. Actually thinking "up down up down" takes too long and you end up behind the movement unless it is a really huge horse with a very long stride!

 

Re reading that, I'm not sure I've explained it well, but hey ho, just bear it in mind eh?

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Feel like I'm too old and that its more of a women's thing to do... know its not but still think it!

 

I think at younger ages it is more of a girl thing than a boy thing, but as the more mature ages kick in I would say it's more men I know learning to ride than women. A male friend of mine started riding at 48 and 5 years later is one of the hunt masters, another has always loved horses, started working at our yard last year and now at 60 is hacking out on his own.

 

Luckychicken - no problem, the offer is there if you want it, it'll all be on amazon/ebay easter weekend.

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My second lesson was a bit of a disaster :lol:

 

Firstly my instructor was late, because a male foal broke loose and was trying to mount some of the mares. The foal's owner had no idea what was going on, so it was up to my instructor (who has broken fingers due to a recent horse riding accident) to try and catch him.

 

Anyway, apparently Ed was sold, so I was on a different horse today, a brown one called Joe. I was riding him on the lunge to start off with, just walking in a circle, and getting him to halt and walk on, just to remind me of everything that I did last week. Unfortunately it soon became apparent that Joe was reluctant to walk on after he had stopped, so they got me off and examined his back. It seems that there was something wrong with his saddle, and it was rubbing on his back, hurting him. My instructor didn't want to keep me riding him because then he would learn to associate being ridden with pain, so would become stubborn, and she didn't want me to get scared if he did something bad as a result of the pain.

 

The stable didn't have any more horses that I could ride on, so they rescheduled for Monday morning. My instructor was very apologetic even though it clearly wasn't her fault, and she says that I can have my next lesson free, which was really nice of her :) .

 

I'll let you all know how I get on after my lesson on Monday :)

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Makes me :think: about getting back into the saddle again....not been riding for nearly 30 years :lol:
You really should! :D

 

 

 

I had my 'proper' second lesson today :D The weather today is better than it was on Saturday, so I suppose every cloud has it's silver lining. I was on a light grey pony called Sally. She was one of the stable's new ponies, as they're currently in the process of getting rid of some of the oldest ones to get younger ones. Sally didn't seem to want to walk properly on the lunge line and she kept just trying to walk towards my instructor, so in the end we just decided that I should ride her around the ring. I was pretty much just doing more of what I did last lesson, with the focus being on the rising trot. I think I'm finally able to sustain a rising trot for a little while (famous last words :lol: ) I still need to work on holding the reins though, my instructor got me to imagine that I was holding a jug of water in each hand, and she told me to try to keep my hands upright, so as not to spill the water.

 

All in all not a bad lesson :D This is so fun!

 

Could someone explain the difference between a horse and a pony? I assumed that the main difference was size, but the ponies that they use for Polo are huge! :think:

 

Thanks again everyone for your advice :D

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Yes, the difference between a horse and a pony is size. A pony is up to 14.2hh and a horse is 14.3hh and over.

I think polo ponies is just a term that is used - not sure why though. Maybe someone else does!

 

Glad to hear your 'proper' second lesson went well and that you're getting the hang of rising trot. Sad to hear about the older ponies being sold on though :( The riding stables I go to keeps all their horses and ponies, there's a field full of retirees which is very sweet. They spend their days grazing and coming in for the occasional lesson to keep them occupied if they're fit enough. (But I do appreciate this probably doesn't make good business sense!)

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