On Riding Lessons and Learning for Life….

 

It surprises some folks to find that I’m still in weekly lessons. Yes, even at my age! Even though I don’t show. This happy state comes and goes, always dependent on the health of my finances. I’m a firm believer in lifelong learning, as one never knows it all.

 

There are things we can do to get the most ‘bang for our buck’ from riding lessons, however. For what they’re worth, I’ll share a few thoughts of my own.

 

From a learning point of view, I much prefer spending money on regular, weekly lessons over spending the same amount on a clinic. There is a huge allure to attending a workshop taught by someone from afar. If there was no one I admired or trusted in my locale, clinics might be the best way. Here in southern Alberta, however, we’ve world-renowned teachers in every discipline from jumping to working cowhorse. We literally have it all.

 

Regular lessons are more like watering a plant deeply at the roots with a trickle, as opposed to using a fire hose. I imagine my learning by seepage, rather than run-off.

 

I choose my teacher with a long-range outlook.

My mentor takes on the same vibe as a low-risk investment at the bank. I’m in it for the long haul, not for the thrills. I don’t pay too much attention to the blips, all the little ups and downs. So often, people will get their feelings hurt, jumping from one trainer to another. Yes, other teachers have something to offer! It’s just that for our horses’ sakes, it behooves us to stick with one philosophy long enough to see if it works. When we change barns as often as we change the oil in our trucks, there isn’t much time to absorb the method.

 

When I get into regular lessons, I plan my life around them. They are more sacrosanct than date night! Heck, who am I kidding? My horse and I spend so much time together, he’s pretty much my significant other. These lessons mean that for one hour each week, I have a course to chart, a plan to follow. I can feel if my horse or I are ‘off’ or sliding backwards…. I can tell when we’re moving ahead.

 

Lessons give me courage on a new, unknown, or troubled horse. This is where the trust comes in between the student and teacher. I trust that I will not be asked to do anything that will hurt me… and the horse, in turn, feeds off this energy. We knit together more quickly, than if we were wandering around alone in my pasture. Every horse I learn to confidently captain, increases my working knowledge. It makes me a better rider.

 

Whether or not I sign up for private or group lessons depends on my riding goals… but more so, on the fitness of my horse. If my horse isn’t in great condition, a group allows him to pull in some air and rest while we watch others working. This is not wasted time! So much can be gleaned from watching riders work, often on the same issues that I might be facing with my other horses. I begin to train my eye to see what my teacher is explaining.

 

Much can be learned whether I’m in a small group, or alone.

That said, I look long and hard for a teacher who knows how to keep a group focused and busy. Too often, teachers will drop everything to work one horse and rider while everyone stands around for the hour. Teaching a group of varied riders with horses at different levels is a special skill. Once found, such a trainer is valued highly.

 

I haul in to my lessons. The regular short hauls are good for my horses. I learn to cope with traffic and road conditions. I challenge myself to get there in one piece, calmly and in good spirits. I want to be on time. Usually, I haul my horse saddled so that he has a chance to warm up his back. My saddle settles. This is cowboy know-how and something I wish more people would try. We arrive groomed, saddled and ready. I have only to put his boots and bridle on and we’re set. Rushing around, arriving late and full of apologies, is never conducive to my mental wellness. That said, stuff happens enroute. It’s also a learning experience, arriving behind schedule and clearing myself so that I can focus.

 

Warming up is the great mystery – what, really, does this mean? For me, it means working my horse for five or ten minutes, until he needs a bit of pushing on. He will be stretching downward and able to go on a light contact, alternating with a long, loose rein. This generally signals enough relaxation that we can get serious. I don’t like to leave my horse’s best efforts in the warm up! If my horse needs longer to settle, I have to wonder about the state of our training or whether he’s in pain.

 

Listen to the teacher!

Watch carefully if he or she is mounted and demonstrating the lesson’s focus. It’s easy to get caught up in quiet conversation with other riders, especially if our riding is also our social scene. So much can be learned from watching other riders do what I’ve just finished, or will be trying to do. When we visit, we miss a golden opportunity to learn.

 

I realize that I hail from a strict background where talking over the teacher was beyond rude. It’s been challenging for me to accept that different barns have different rules with visiting and also regarding phones. I might need to learn to lighten up.

 

I don’t debate with my riding coach. This includes making excuses, or defending my horse and myself from criticism. Sometimes learning hurts and we go home fighting tears. I’m an adult, though – and my hard-earned dollars need not be spent on shoring up my feelings. I’m not in lessons to be told that I no longer need to learn! Sometimes we long-time horse people need reminding. If it’s too painful to be corrected – if we’re unteachable – then I guess we should just stay home.

 

Every so often, it is a great help to my learning to have a friend video my riding. Especially if I am struggling with a concept, hearing my teacher repeatedly make the same correction, I know that I am not yet ‘getting it’. Our bodies are so conservative in their movement, so ruled by muscle memory, that the tiniest change feels monumental to us. It seldom is. Often, I’ll need to see my faults with my own eyes before I’ll believe them! Seeing will also convince me that something more needs to be done.

 

I don’t expect my teacher to get on my horse to fix things. There is comfort in knowing that he or she can… but I’m not in lessons to get free training. If this is something that happens regularly, I either need to get my horse into a good program, or maybe I need to look for a more suitable horse. This is different from watching my teacher occasionally get on my horse to show that despite my bungling efforts, it is possible! Such a moment is to be treasured and keeps one coming back to try again.

 

During each lesson, I remember one or two key points that deserve to be saved. When I get home, I’ll write these down in my journal while they’re fresh. Writing what I need to remember is the final step that makes new knowledge stick. It means that I’ve a record to look back on if I need to find answers or track my horse’s progress. Often, when I’m down about how we’re working, I’ll look back through the pages and build my fortitude. The value in journaling is something I cannot stress enough.

 

And then, I must practice….

There’ll be something my horse did well in the last lesson, so I’ll start with that. Just for a bit. We’ll go on to something that we struggled with. I’ll try and be happy with even the tiniest grain of improvement. Our next ride, we’ll build on that. Sometimes we have to look very hard for that little grain of sand! We’ll finish off with something my horse enjoys. For me, it’s essential to be guided with the notion of progress, over perfection.

 

I’ve found that my horses will soak up our practice after they’re been turned out to pasture. The next time we ride, I’ll be surprised by what they know. This is why it’s key to end our rides on the happy note.

 

Finally, my learning is just a tool that I want to use again, at home.

It can be tempting to ride under verbal guidance that never changes. As if the needle is stuck in the same groove of the record, as if it is Groundhog Day. While a certain amount of repetition is needed to get into this thick skull of mine, I want to know what is needed to make me effective. It is my responsibility, not my teacher’s, to become a somewhat autonomous state. Knowing how and when to do things on my own has become one of my riding goals.

 

In the end, I use the pushing of myself in lessons as a bonding time with my horse. Our relationship is built when we both get thinking, learning and sweating… and then, when we dismount, loosen our cinch or girth and start cooling out. The horse sighs, shakes his head and relaxes. We ‘talk’ about our lesson and all its highs and lows. The horse and rider relationship is why I continue to sign up, wanting to learn more and more.

 

Please share whether you are currently in lessons, despite people in your life wondering why? Are you planning to keep learning? If so, what would you like to try if you were going to do something new with your horsemanship? I’d love to hear from you! Cheers, Lee.