Riding lessons ??

Question

did you take riding lessons or did you some how learn by yourself ??

Answer 1

Lessons.

I think lessons are a really good idea. Some people say "You can get the basics down on your own!". I kind of doubt that, because you have no idea what you're doing. You can easily learn bad habits and do things that are unsafe and dangerous to you and your horse. Personally, I think learning from yourself is kind of a disaster waiting to happen.

This also depends on what style you're doing. Western is fine to learn by yourself I think, while English I wouldn't reccomend it.

Answer 2

Took Lessons for about ten years, and can't wait to be able to afford taking them again. I would tell anyone starting out to take lessons. You will learn the basics and help you get used to communicating with your horse. I think people should take weekly lessons for at least a year before buying a horse.

As for how long you should take lessons, I would keep going until you could canter confidently (being able to sit quietly and be able to turn and stop at the canter). That normally takes over a year. After you get to that point it depends on how good you want to get. The more lessons you take the better you will be. If you just want to have fun and go trail riding a year may be fine. but if you want to excel in a discipline, you will be looking at years. Think about it; Olympic riders have coaches for a reason.

Answer 3

my first horse was a pony and i was about 7 iam 47 now, anyway my parents gave me the pony , a grass halter and lead rope.and the basic run down, and that's where i started.by the next yr i could ride just about anything.but i had a whole lot of scrapes and bruises  and some scars still there to this day.so i say get lessons in a controlled environment with someone you feel you can trust.and if you love riding you;ll be as good as anyone with out all the torture..

Answer 4

I have been taking lessons for about 6 years now. They help me so much. Every time I am learning something new. It cool becuase I can switch to any discpline I want.

I learn it the right way so I don't have to relearn it.

Answer 5

i've been riding for 8 1/2 years, and i take lessons. iits helpful to have someone there to correct you or tell you when you need to work on something.

if you just ride alone you really have to pay attention to what youre doing extra hard so you can tell when you are doing something you shouldnt be, or you  just are on the wrong diagnal, lead, etc.

Answer 6

Half/Half really.

I started to ride at lessons age 3 and worked into walk an trot. I kept doing that for like 2 years then at five years old i cantered, then i stopped having riding lessons.

My dad got me a 12.2hh pony age six and i rode it everyday and learn how to control and handle her and bonded with her, i started doing small jumps age 7 and went to my first show at 8 years old. I worked on from there and just got better and better.

1- sitting on my dads shetlands.

2- trying to groom my dads shetlands.

3- riding lessons, walk and trot.

4- riding lessons, walk and trot without lunge line.

5- cantered and then stopped going for lessons

6- dad got me a pony for my b-day

7- learn to do small jumps with my pony

8- went to my first showjumping contest got 4th place

9- continued jumping

10- got a new pony 15.3hh started dressage

11- "                                                                  "

12- went to dressage contests got a 1st 2 2nds and 1 3rd

Thats really my childhood life^^^

=]

Answer 7

Well i started when i was ten and i was really good and by my 10the lesson i was cantering. I had done it  before. Like ride and stuff before i started lessons. But i had never done it with out some one like leading me.

Answer 8

I didn't have formal lessons until I started college and the only reason I took those was so that I could ride there. I started riding(with help) when I was 2 and I guess the basics just came naturally.

Answer 9

I took, and still take, riding lessons. I think that it helps if you have someone who knows a lot about the sport to help you learn, at least at the beginning. Because if you don't know what your doing you might learn wrong and have a harmful effect on the horse or something.

Answer 10

I started to learn by my self for 3 years then when I got more involved with my disipline I started taking riding lessons. It's easier when you teach yourself because you can switch between English and western as many times as you want before you actually pick if you do. I prefer western over english, but i love them both

Answer 11

i took riding lessons

Answer 12

I took lessons when I was 6!

Answer 13

I took lessons. I still DO take lessons. There's always something to learn in the world of horses, no matter how experienced you are!

Answer 14

i am taking riding lessons that is the only way i would be able to ride, my entire family isnt in to horses at all and have no clue how to ride.

Answer 15

I took riding lessons for 9 years and still am.

Answer 16

i took lessons. even if you dont keep taking lessons, i think its important just to make sure you are doing the best thing for you and your horse and to keep a more secure seat and such. after a while, its not a big deal if you stop taking lessons, unless you have a hard to handle horse or want to show or something like that.

Answer 17

I take lessons from a very successful instructor who went to equine college, and shes been around horses for 17 years, but even she STILL takes lessons, i think that nobodys perfect and that the expression "practice makes perfect" is wrong because if we were perfect we could never get anybetter and everyone can excel in something.

So yes, i take lessons

Answer 18

i have rode at horse riding austraila, koombahla,for my school and at blazing saddles. now i ride for a lady with her daughter, we do shows pony club so on. but at the start i learnt how to jump,trot,canter and gallop by myself! bare back jumping and jumping with a saddle.

Answer 19

I have never taken a lesson in my life!  When I was very young, my father took me out to his friend's farm where I could ride the kid's pony.  He said I was a natural.

I have been riding constantly now for about 20 years and learned everything I know by doing it myself.  Of course, I have some friends who were raised with horses who showed me different things, but mostly it was about how to spot a good horse.

I think some people are just born riders, while others have to learn.  I was one of the lucky ones who just seemed at home on the back of a horse.

Answer 20

I took lessons for about a year and then I decided to lease a horse and I still get lessons about three times a week from my instructor. I've learned almost everything about horses through lessons. Personally learning by yourself can be much harder if you don't know quite what you are doing. If you are going to learn by yourself I would suggest that you contact a trainer and have her supervise you and critique you. Besides learning from someone else with more experience will help you learn the In's and outs of horses. Good luck!

Answer 21

I come from a long generation of cowboys and farmers. Learning to ride was like learning to walk. It was automatically handed down from one generation to the next. I have never had a professional trainer in my life I listened to my father and our friends and learned a lot by trial and error. We rode western (rodeo style not pleasure)so it is not as strict as show or ring events.

Answer 22

I have taken a few riding lessons in my life time.  However, most of my riding days have been without an instructer.  It is alsways best, however, to take as many riding lessons as possible.  No matter how long you have ridden, you can always use lessons.  Believe it or not, most Grand Prix winners had an instructor who got them to that point.  Even after victories, they would still take the counsil of a riding instructor.  Well, I hope I gave you the answer you needed.

Answer 23

I take lessons and I love the pony I ride. Since I cant afford my own horse, I also like to go to my dad's friends house to ride her horse. she doesnt have time to ride it a lot since she rescues animal, and her kids are into music and clothes, so sometimes I ride him. I LOVE HORSES =)

Answer 24

I have taken a few lessons, it is better with an instructor just because they can see mistakes from the ground like your posture and other things and know what you need to do to correct yourself.  I don't think its impossible to teach yourself but for the horse's sake so it won't get hurt or anything like that I think lessons from someone with experience are better.

Answer 25

Take lessons! Not only do you learn more but you see veiws from others prospectives. I take a lesson a week and have been doing it for about 4 years. There is never a end to learning when it comes to horses...  :-)

Answer 26

I have been taking lessons for seven years and still am.

Answer 27

I learned to ride from my dad.

he taught me when I was 3 years old and I have been riding ever since.

But when I was finnaly old enought to go to clinics I started going.

Clinics are fun even if you know how to ride.

you meet ppl and have fun with your horses...I have been going to josey's clinics since I was 8 and I still go.

www.barrelracers.com

Josey's has horsemanship, barrel, roping, and all-around clinics all over the USA. But I like the week clinic in Texas at the Josey ranch.

Good luck

Answer 28

Lessons, from a couple diff. trainers it really helped!

please best answer this!

Answer 29

i took ryding lessons 4 6 years nearly 7 then got my own loan horse

i think u can learn basics on ur own but really i u want to get good u need lessons

Answer 30

I your looking to start riding here is the best way to go i think

Get lessons at a barn consistently until you can comfortably ride and jump well. This can take up to a year or so. Then you can start to slowly do it by yourself and take lessons less often. i know that is what i did and it worked out really well becasue you want to be able to be independant when you have gotten so far in riding.

Answer 31

I've never really taken "lessons", I went trail riding regularly for several years and I learned a lot while I was out there.