See The Land Man

I’d really like to start horse riding for complete beginners but I don’t know whether to do private or group lessons!

The price difference isn’t that much at the riding school I’m looking at, so I don’t really know what one to do.

For the private lessons I could be taught by a Trainee, a Junior instructor or a Senior instructor… It’s cheaper to be taught by a Trainee but it just depends which is best! The group lesson is 1hr long and the private lessons are either 30 or 45 minutes or 1hr long.

Please help I don’t know which one to pick! Bare in mind I don’t know anyone at the horse riding school :S

Group lessons are good because they’re usually cheaper, and it’s fun to have a lesson with some friends.
Private lessons are usually a better learning experience because it’s just you and the trainer, one-on-one. As for who you want to be taught by, although the trainee is cheaper, it’s always better to get someone with instructing experience who knows what they’re doing so you can get the best out of your lessons. If you were wondering about what length of lesson, if this is your first time riding, you should probably start out with the 30 minute lessons and increase the length as you get more advanced; as a beginner doing walk/trot, you won’t get much out of an hour long lesson.
Since you don’t really know anyone at the stable and the prices are about the same, I’d recommend you get private lessons.

what is your definition? please be specific(: . what do you think is the difference between a beginner and intermediate rider?

An intermediate horseback rider should be able to handle and ride a well broke horse with no problems or severe challenges. They should be able to identify common abnormalities, such as lameness, colic, or other typical problems. They can break down and reassemble tack, and understand care of tack. They understand how to feed and groom a horse, and could groom a horse for their chosen competition effectively. They are moderately well read– say, they’ve read 20 horse related books or subscribe to at least two good quality horse magazines (like Equus). They should recognize prospective dangers at least 75% of the time, including issues with environment (nails protruding in a stall) or issues with others around them (horse on the other side of the arena spooking).

Beginners may or may not have a few of the above skills, but will not have them all. A beginner will generally make a few serious mistakes that intermediates don’t make. A beginner will need a beginner’s mount to ride, and not just a broke horse.

trying to find my best friend a horse shes in her 30’s and wants a horse to trail ride and do arena work on. were going to see this mare in the morning. http://www.equinenow.com/horse-ad-476331
only issue im having with her is if she knows anything about barrels and roping she probably liked to act up in the gate unfortunately most people dont teach patience to there horses.

She looks awesome and the ad sounds great, makes me want to go get her. These are the issues I would have: First of all, the fact that your friend is a beginner. Secondly, this is a young horse for an inexperienced rider. Then the fact your friend has no horse handling ability. She would need to be at least a fair handler for a horse this age and with this history.

I agree with your statement about the possibility of the horse not having PATIENCE. To that end, I would say the following:
As a GENERAL rule from my PERSONAL experience, gaming horses (coupled with being a young horse) have a tendency to be a bit jumpy, nervous, mentally unsettled, or basically kind of out of their head nuts. My neighbor is a professional and watching her practice is like watching a horror movie. Her horses are all over the place in the box and at the end of the run. Then, on the other end of the spectrum, one of my friends has a gamer that is a doll. She is a delightful horse, sweet, kind and good on the trail. She does not get hyped up until she gets to show. So, to me, that is where the HUGE judgement call comes in, other than the vet check, of course. (and you probably already know all of this). It is really generous of you to help your friend with this very important decision.

She looks so wonderful, but safety is going to be the primary issue for your friend. Just looking at the horse, the ad is good marketing, the owner sounds lovely and she seems to really love her horse so it makes you all emotional. ——–Never make an emotional decision about a horse as it can cost you your life.

I hope that when you see her that you are able to make the decision that she would be a good, safe horse for your friend. I would ask the owner to ride her so I could watch the reactions and communication between horse and rider. And then I would want to ride her and after she is warmed up, I would want to ask her for all gaits (in an enclosed space) and transitions. I would want to evaluate how excited she gets with changes as well as how she calms down. If there is grass around, while you guys are standing around talking, does the horse graze? If there are other horses around, how does that effect the horse you are looking at? There are lots of little things/behaviors that can tell you a lot about the horse that has nothing to do with riding. Good luck.

I like statlinetack, adams horse supplies, and horseloverz (although I stopped ordering from them)
What do you like and think is the best?

Dover, Horses.com, and Adams Horse Supply
My favorite would be Dover, but I don’t really shop online unless I can’t find something in my local tack and feed stores.

this is me on my friends 5 Y/O american warmblood. he is very green and very heavy on the bit cause nobody takes the time to try to build some muscle on him and teach him to support himself. right now he is like trying to ride a freight train LOL. but im going to change that cause i can’t stand to see a horse who could be doing so much sitting in a pasture so i’m getting paid just to ride him around, even though i don’t think i’m the most qualified person to be working with him ….but this was my third ride on him and my first time in a dressage saddle so … rip us apart! nitpick and tell me everything you see right and some things i did right. i think i look better by the end

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcnZIow7P6o
i had a miss type i meant tell me everything you see wrong and some things i did right

Let me just start at the top and work our way down:

Your shoulders are slouching forward and you seem to be falling forward. Bring her shoulders back and bring your sternum (it’s a bone at the front of your ribs if you don’t know what it is) up in front of you. Imagine that there is a string tied around that particular part and someone is pulling it up. Bring your neck up so that your back begins to straight. Your back is rounding itself into like the Fetal Position and this is blocking your seat from making an impact and putting more pressure on your reins. Also, don’t look at your horse’s neck, look up right about their ears, you can tell that they’re connected if you look there and your head will be in the right position.

Now for your arms, they are too straight and thus this creates a lot of tension on the bridle. This may be one of the reasons why he is heavy, along with his lack of work. Bend your elbows to almost a right angle and bring your upper arm back so it’s parallel with your back. Also bring your thumbs up so that the pressure on the reins is even. This position of your reins will put the pressure on the upper arm instead of the hand, which is a much more softer rein pressure than on the hand.

Now your seat is pitched too far back, so that your pressure is on your butt instead of your seat bones. While the changes in your back will help significantly, make sure you can feel your seat bones. Sit up on the horse and move your hips left and right a little bit. You should feel about two pressure points. These are your seat bones and are majorly important to the overall rider positioning and aids. If you can’t find them then get the assistance of a qualified dressage instructor who will help you find your seat bones.

Your legs, as the other answerers said, are much to forward. They are also being shoved up into your hip which is preventing you from using your seat in an effective way. I would recommend lowering your stirrups to a point where your leg is directly under you and is long. Your leg needs to be able to push into the stirrup but still be nice and long. Now once you find that proper stirrup length, almost imagine your leg being pulled out of the hip socket so it drapes around the horse’s barrel. Also bring your toes in and try to wrap your entire leg around the barrel. This will make an even leg pressure around his body.

However, my biggest suggestion for you is to train with a qualified dressage trainer who will help you with these problems. They will also help you with the training of this young horse, which can be difficult at some times. You are however, lucky to have access to train a young horse and get paid. I unfortunately have to buy a young horse in order to get the opportunity to train one. At one point there were two young horses that I was working with, but one of them got leased out and the other one his owner is being a little bit too possessive with him.

Good luck!!

I am looking into dressage because I’ve been riding for two years and I’m to cautious to continue being a jumper. I love Henri De Rivel saddles, so if any one has another kind of saddle to share, that would be great! Thanks!

I would recommend finding a good saddle shop in your area. They should come out and fit a saddle to your horse and you. Bit those saddles are really pricey. Frankly, I’d buy a cheap on to start with, make sire it fits you and your horse. When you get to the point where you decide you love dressage and nothing else in the world compares, then go buy a good saddle. I’d hate to see you spend several hundred or thousands of dollars for a saddle when you’re still trying to decide whether you even like dressage. The saddle isn’t that important as long as you and your horse are comfortable.

As far as type of horse – you want one with good angles in the shoulder and hip. A strong stifle, and croup. A horse with a shorter back will be easier to collect at higher levels. The neck should tie in high to the shoulder. Stay away from ewe necks, thick throat latches, too short or too long necks.
Ideally it should have short loins, be close coupled, with a croup that is long and slightly sloping. the lumbosacral joint should lie as far forward as possible, which then makes the croup bone long. 

There are some good websites that talk about the ideal conformation for dressage horses. Just google it.

Main thing is finding a horse with a brain, and that likes to work.

Any breed will work if it has good conformation. You can buy a warmblood, but you still have to know ideal conformation or you’re stuck with a lower level mount that you paid 20-50 grand for. Why bother? I’d suggest finding a horse based on temperament and conformation regardless of the breed. You can find some fantastic cross breeds with 2nd and 3rd level training for a fraction of the price of an untrained Hanoverian or Oldenburg.

Hi, I have a gf who rides horses alot. I have never been around a horse before meeting her, unless you count a pony ride when I was 5. They are a big part of her life so I have been trying to adjust to them, but they seem a little intimidating although I try not to show it. She has taken me to her barn and I met her horse and her friends. I have helped her with cleaning the stall, or mucking whatever its called. She has shown me how she saddles up the horse and all (still looks complicated to me lol). I watch her practice, but she wants me to learn how to ride. I am thinking of taking a few lessons just to learn how to get on a horse before she actually teaches me and I’ll just act like its the first time. I fear that I will embarass myself in front of her if I fall or panic. So what would other places charge for a basic riding lesson, nothing fancy? I just want to make sure I can be calm when she actually teaches me. Thanks!
I’m in the midwestern part of the US if this helps.

If your girlfriend is not an instructor, I would tell her that you’d like to learn the basics from a professional so that you have a good solid foundation. Not everyone is an excellent teacher, and sometimes having a bit of a "wall" emotionally helps you listen better to the teacher than you would a friend or a family member.

A lot of pro riding instructors send their children and significant others to different instructors simply because they don’t have the problem of "familiarity breeds contempt". Also, a professional is trained to know what to look for and how to help you solve problems so you become a better rider.

It’s a really great thing that you’re taking an interest in your girlfriend’s hobby! Once you get out of raw-beginner stage and feel more comfortable around horses and tack, it will all seem like second nature. It looks terribly complicated, but it’s really not

Best of luck!

I ride both western and english. I am a more confident western rider, and will likely show one of my horses next month in halter, leadline, and western pleasure. It will be my first time showing, and i’d like to know what riding equipment I need.

I’m not sure about western but if your going into English:
- APHA approved helmet
- Show jacket
- Show shirt
- Hair net
- Boots with heel and preferably steel toe (tall boots are necessary if your older)
- Breeches
- A crop can be helpful but not necessary
Make sure to get everything in the proper colors. Hope it helps!

By that I mean Western saddle, English saddle, bareback, etc… What are your opinions? Feel free to share stories, tips, or hints. Thanks!
Yesterday I rode with a Western saddle, I liked it and felt it was comfortable. My trainer mentioned putting the horse on the lunge line and having me without rains, so I really learn how to balance myself and have correct posture while on a horse.
For my first class, I was told to walk and trot the horse as well, but I used a Western saddle.

Personally, I ride English and I like it much better.
How you learn to ride? Chose your preferred style, find a riding school with a calm, gentle beginners horse with a trainer who knows how to train in said style, and listen and DO. It’s how I learned.
Best of luck!

I’m a novice rider, I’ve never done anything more than a trot on a horse. So I would need to learn basic skills first. I’m planning on taking lessons at a local stable that teaches dressage/jumping. I’m wondering how long should I train before competing. I’m a stay at home mom and my daughter is only 1, so I’m not interested in competing until she’s at least in middle school, maybe even older. Is this too long or not long enough experience riding before competing?

As soon as you can control your horse in the situation in which you’ll show, go for it. Showing isn’t just for advanced riders. dressage is a great place to start because you do it alone–you don’t have to worry about controlling your horse in a group of unfamiliar horses. Can you handle your horse safely at the walk and trot? Is your horse reliable in a new place? If you don’t know, try hauling him to a few places and finding out (if you’re inexperienced and expect him to act up, get someone else to ride him first). You can haul to another barn for a lesson, a local show to practice (not show), a public arena, etc. Once you know that you can safely control him in a new place with other horses around (although they won’t be in the arena with you showing), find a local show and enter. Dressage is great because they have so many levels. The lowest level is Intro, and it’s only walk/trot–so it’s a perfect place to start. You can even have a friend call out the test if you can’t memorize it or are worried about forgetting.

By the time your daughter is in middle school, you could be a fairly accomplished rider if you start taking lessons now. There’s no reason to wait to show if you want to start now, unless you simply want to wait. The whole reason most small shows have beginner, walk/trot, novice, etc. classes is so that beginners can have a showing experience at their level. I think it’s great that you plan to take more lessons and want to be fully prepared, but I think you can show much sooner than you think, and especially since you’re doing a class that doesn’t require you to work in a group (where you’d endanger everyone else if you lost control).