Comments on: Am i a novice rider or a beginner?

By: Teresa H

Teresa H — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:51:59 +0000

If you go to shows, definitely start as a novice rider. If you are young you will become a good rider more quickly. However, you do need to put time in the saddle to become intermediate.
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By: equusaside

equusaside — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:42:59 +0000

Everyone has different ways to define beginner, intermediate, and advanced. For example, at my current lesson barn, they define a beginner as someone learning the basics of riding – steering, balance, and control. Intermediate riders are refining themselves – subtler cues such as weight shifts, and learning things like lead changes and lateral movement. Advanced riders are learning to improve the horse.

Within each level, there are numbered sub-levels defined by what exactly is being learned. This is as much or more to help with lesson planning as ranking students.

You can be an advanced dressage rider but beginning jumper, and vice versa. I’ve been riding 25 years, I teach sidesaddle riding, and I have trained several horses. But at this barn I am considered an upper level intermediate rider because I have not learned or mastered a number of subtle skills.

Many shows will define beginner as someone riding less than a year, or showing for less than a year, or won less than three classes, and similar things. I’ve been in "beginner" classes with amazing riders who were beginners only in the sense that they hadn’t shown before, so never won a class!

Also, it is possible to w/t/c and even jump without doing it well. I’m not saying *you* don’t ride well – just that there’s folks out there who rent a horse, cling to it for dear life during a foxhunt, and say they’re expert riders because they hunt. And many of the great masters humbly say they are still learning their basics.

The important thing is to not let a label define you, make you feel inferior, or stop you from striving to better yourself!
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By: Mikaela P

Mikaela P — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:21:59 +0000

beginner
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By: jazzy!

jazzy! — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:50:59 +0000

i would say ur still a begineer becomeing a novice as your learnign to jump im nto sure if u have galloped before if you have galloped i wiould say once you elarnt hwo to do 2 -points ur a novice

around were i ride novice is considered the in between of become intermedant so your working on ur leg aids and controls so ur builfing up the basic skills you learn

and a begineer is considered someone dosint know how to do trot/canter/gallop/jumping/no stirups/bareback
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By: Jess

Jess — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:43:59 +0000

Novice, once you start doing some jumping and stuff and maybe a bit of competition I would say Intermediate.
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By: Mia

Mia — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:12:59 +0000

i would saY YOU ARE A NOVISE RIDER DEPENDING ON HOW YOU RIDE
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By: Rachael

Rachael — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:53:59 +0000

hi i would say that you are a novice rider but it depends on how you ride
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By: GOODD

GOODD — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:19:59 +0000

Novice and beginner are the same.

How long you’ve been riding is irrelevant as far as evaluating your skill. I rode with one trainer for almost 8 years and didn’t learn a thing other than how to stay on a bucking horse while he tore across the ring at a gallop. Good to know, handy skill to have, didn’t help my actual riding ability.

If you can walk, trot and canter without your stirrups I would say you’re an intermediate rider. Otherwise I’d say you’re a beginner.
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By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:45:59 +0000

i would say your higher than novice.you havnt said what kind of riding you can do- if you can jump it would be intermediate or something novice and beginner are kind of the same thing i think
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