At 05:26:30 on 31.12.10, nut_lover wrote:
i have been riding for less then a year but i have learnt things quite fast and can jump around 75cm. i never took proper lessons but my friend taught me and shes been riding for 2 years. recently i have been riding on my friends farm with no one watching me and i fell like i have no control over my horse. when she trots its fine but once she starts cantering i feel like i have no control. her canter is quite fast and i cant seem to slow her down. can anyone help with this? i really want to feel comfortable again. i also seem to feel more uncomfortable in a saddle and i dont know why. any suggestions?

At 00:49:53 on 07.01.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
Yes. Get some lessons. I know your friend knows how to ride but 2 years isn't enough experience to teach a beginner how to control every type of horse. A riding school will help you learn to use your whole body to control all different types of horse and how to get the perfect approach to any size jump. Do you see what i am getting at? I have been riding 14 years and the first 11 years of my riding was at a riding school. Only then did i have the skills to ride and bring on my own horse. And i still have regular lessons, even my friend who is an instructor herself has a lesson every week with a professional. You may be a naturally talented rider but you still need to develop your skills to be able to ride difficult horses and use your whole body effectively... If you don't want to go to a riding school you could always have private lessons with an instructor on the horse you ride at the moment. Good luck :)

At 09:52:47 on 07.01.11, kibby wrote:
I am just oing to say this, i sound like a paranoid mother, but you really should never ride on your own after such a short time.. I still dont ride without telling someone i am going to ride and an estimate of how long i will be.. in case anything goes wrong.. so if mum isn't going to be home that afternoon i will call someone and tell them if i dont call them by .... to get the people next door to check on me..

At 09:55:24 on 07.01.11, kibby wrote:
but lessons would help dramatically.. i get regular lessons ..

At 00:41:16 on 08.01.11, nut_lover wrote:
i would love to get lessons even if not regular. they are to expensive even where my friend goes where it is $20 a lesson so my family just cant afford it with my dad dead and 3 other sisters. it stinks :(

At 19:14:05 on 08.01.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
Sorry to hear about your dad, maybe you could look through all the stables near you? Near me there is loads of price difference between stables. The cheapest round here is £11 for a hour or £7 for half an hour... I pay £20 for half hour private lesson once a week now but i am sure you will be able to find somewhere whithin a price range you can afford. Even if you only had one lesson every three weeks. Also the riding school i learned at let people help out on weekends in exchange for point and once you had 20 points you got a lesson or a beach ride, maybe one of the barns near you will do this? Good luck with finding a sollution

At 06:48:42 on 18.01.11, nut_lover wrote:
i havent been able to convince my mum for lessons :( but have gotton more comfortable in the saddle and feel like i have more control but its still not completely right any suggestions apart from lessons?

At 20:55:32 on 20.01.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
Honestly i think it is just a confidence and experience thing, you probably have tallent which would explain how you have learnt so quickly with no lessons but to ride a quick horse you must be the opposite. For example my horse is pretty fizzy and strong so i hold him gently and sooth him rather than get annoyed when he plays up, many people (who are bubbly and speed crazy themselves) say hit him or get angry but this would only intensify the problem. Its like to ride a lazy horse you have to have enthusiasm for both you and the horse, see what i mean? I talk in riddles sometimes haha. But yeah if the horse you ride is strong keep calm and relexed, don't get mad or excited :)