Question for those whose chilren take riding lessons - Page 2

[midnightwriter]

Originally Posted by karne 

Horse family, chiming in.  OP, your last post was an example of inappropriate and dangerous behavior.  I would leave because it doesn't sound safe.

Here's our view: safety trumps all.  My dd rides almost every day, jumps, cross county riding, etc.  I would not waste $ on a situation that wasn't fully qualified and safety conscious,esp. when a child is inexperienced (anything before an intermediate rider) and/or young.  This doesn't mean a fancy show barn, or fancy horses.  I have seen some of the best instruction in low key, non-competition barns, with stellar, experienced, instructors.  If teens are instructing, they have supervison or oversight by the adult(s) in charge.  Some teens are really wonderful with beginners.  My child assists on occasion, but always supervised.

There was a post above that said that there 7 y/o was going to be moved to a younger, more spirited horse.  I would really advise caution.  The best school horse for a beginner is a stable, bombproof lesson horse-you don't need young and spirited after 4 lessons.  Accidents happen, and it can be really traumatic for kids, so go slow and be safe.

i agree w/ learning how to emergency dismount and fall "safely".  Balance, a good seat, etc. all take lots of time.  My advanced rider still works on these things!

OP, I would figure out what your dd wants at this moment, and look for a solid instructor.  Don't immediately sign up with a barn.  Go and observe lessons at a few places, take a lesson or two and see how it goes.  Be cautious, and have fun!

ETA: Make sure you have a really good helmet!

Thank you. We had a safety discussion DD, and I will talk to S., without blaming. We will aslo work on the emergency dismount. I watched a dozen of youtube videos on this, so at least I know what to watch for when DD practices. She does wear a good helmet. DD really loves the instructor and the horses. It is a good fit for her. I hope I can work it out with S.,--we will see how lessons will go if we ask S to teach DD specific things.
 

[insidevoice]

I think a lot of this would be cleared up with a clear discussion with the instructor.  (If you can get past the thunder/riding issue, which would have been the last time I went there.)

Your child should be riding a push button horse at this point.  A horse who doesn't want to move forward as asked is NOT one to put a beginner on.  

I would have a very direct discussion with the instructor regarding what their goals are for the next say- month or two, and how to achieve those goals.  Also, there are some exercises your daughter can work on at home to help improve her balance and strength overall so that riding would be more comfortable for her. 

As for your daughter- I'd really ask why she wants to be on a leadline horse so much.  Most riders long to have more freedom to work with the horse, not less. 

[midnightwriter]

Originally Posted by insidevoice 

I think a lot of this would be cleared up with a clear discussion with the instructor.  (If you can get past the thunder/riding issue, which would have been the last time I went there.)

Your child should be riding a push button horse at this point.  A horse who doesn't want to move forward as asked is NOT one to put a beginner on.  

I would have a very direct discussion with the instructor regarding what their goals are for the next say- month or two, and how to achieve those goals.  Also, there are some exercises your daughter can work on at home to help improve her balance and strength overall so that riding would be more comfortable for her. 

As for your daughter- I'd really ask why she wants to be on a leadline horse so much.  Most riders long to have more freedom to work with the horse, not less. 

She wants to do more of a variety of exercises on her horse, the ones she'd been reading about in books / seeing photos.

Since we don't know much about horses, we just assumed that being on a leadline is part of the package, if she wanted to do balance exercises.

She also wants the leadline because she thinks her horse will trot more.

So her goals are to have more variety and more trotting, not the leadline per se.

[FarmerBeth]

Originally Posted by midnightwriter 

She wants to do more of a variety of exercises on her horse, the ones she'd been reading about in books / seeing photos.

Since we don't know much about horses, we just assumed that being on a leadline is part of the package, if she wanted to do balance exercises.

She also wants the leadline because she thinks her horse will trot more.

So her goals are to have more variety and more trotting, not the leadline per se.

I just joined in here.  My daughter rides English saddle, so I'm not sure if because your daughter is riding Western saddle (where you sit more into it) this might effect how the lessons are taught.  I do think that at this point, if your daughter is paired with the right horse for a beginner, it should be trotting for her, leadline or not.  I know that the norm with English saddle around here was balance exercises from the first lesson, and yes, a leadline was used for this at first.  Your daughter's lessons seem to be moving very slowly and it doesn't sound like S is giving her the variety she wants.  From your previous posts about camp, and the thunder incident, it also seems that S is not handling the personal elements of teaching.  Beyond the horse related knowledge, there's also how to deal with difficult teens, maintaining authority, having good insight into maturity and comfort levels.  Unstructured time is fine if everyone feels safe and comfortable and goals are met.  It just doesn't seem that you are getting what you are paying for.The most knowledgeable horse person is not going to run successful lessons if they can't handle different learning styles, age groups and behaviors.  I don't think a leadline will fix this.  I think a different teaching style (and most likely a different teacher) would.