Jun
05
At what point in lessons will they teach you to saddle up your lesson horse??
ByAnd learn how to brush the horse and care for it?? Just a general timeline.
In all of my experience, from child to adult- with 25 years out of horses in between, I have ALWAYS been taught to retrieve groom and saddle and bridle the horse I am to lesson on. Even the little kids that lesson at the stable where I board my horse learn all of this first then have their lessons. I don’t believe that this time counts towards your lesson time. Ask your trainer if you can come early and learn to do all of this. Good luck!
14 Comments
June 5th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
That would have been lesson number 1! At least from the trainers I know. That way you can be getting the horse ready while they are finishing up with someone else. Makes the whole day go smoothly.
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June 5th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
If your just having riding lessons they may never teach you this. You could gain this experience by offering to help out on the yard (some yards do work for rides). Some yards also do Pony/Horse for a Day where you ‘own’ one of their horses for the day, care for it, tack it up and have several lessons on it. I would inquire and let them know you are keen to learn more. Good luck! x
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June 5th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Sadly many stables never do this. However, this SHOULD be the very first lesson you learn. It teaches you to be a better rider and gives you the chance to learn about the basics of horses. I would change your stables/instructor if you find horses already tacked up for you every lesson. Good luck!
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June 5th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
That should be one of the first things they teach you…the proper way to lead, grooming, tacking up, general safety around horses…at least that was my experience way back when I was a beginner. Stall cleaning didn’t come until later :-)
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June 5th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
That should have started at the beginning! Just ask, and show up at the barn an hour before your lesson so you can do it yourself. You may want to get there earlier as you are learning, though. You may not learn how to outright care for a horse until you actually "get" one. By this, I mean that you should do a partial lease on a horse so you can still have it boarded somewhere, but you have the option of taking on a larger portion of the lease as you learn more about caring for the horse. I would try picking up some books on horsecare, do not trust the internet to give you all of the information you need to care for a horse.
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June 5th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
Depends on how rich you are. the rich girls and guys always usually have someone saddle and all that for them. But I know when I teach lessons the first thing I tought my nephews and niece was how to brush each horse and saddle them.,
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June 5th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
They tought me that on my 1st lesson!
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June 5th, 2010 at 4:23 pm
Often never. riding teachers teach very little about ground skills. This means that though you could be the best rider ever, if you go and own a horse then the odds are against you. Pony camps and training days are great, as are BHS teachings. Also becoming a stable hand is invaluable, but make sure you find one where you get something out of it. Unless you specifically ask though, then you’ll probably just find the horse tacked up and ready to ride. Good luck. It’s great to hear you taking an interest in the horse’s well being as this so often gets put aside.
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June 5th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
My daughters first 15 minutes of her lessons for a long time where about ground work and care of the horse. Ask your trainer. Get there early and show you’re interested. If a lesson gets canceled because of inclement weather, ask if you can come out anyway for a ground lesson. Those are so much fun.
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June 5th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
That would be lesson numero uno. I have pictures of me from my first lesson ever being shown how to saddle the horse; I was too little to lift it up, but I put the saddlepad and the girth and fixed the stirrups. Old pony dropped his face right down for me to put the bridle on.
Brushing? First lesson. But learning to do this right takes a while, fyi.
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June 5th, 2010 at 5:32 pm
First day.
At least that is the way it is at my barn. You start learning how to brush and saddle right away. Its important to check your own tack because you never know when someone else might accidently adjust a piece incorrectly.
Normally you would be supervised while brushing and saddling to make sure you are learning how to do it correctly.
At least that the way it works at my stable.
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June 5th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
it should be lesson number one. some places dont do this until the rider has been taking lessons for a while, and someone does it for them. it is important to know how to do and if you arent taught, ask.
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June 5th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
In all of my experience, from child to adult- with 25 years out of horses in between, I have ALWAYS been taught to retrieve groom and saddle and bridle the horse I am to lesson on. Even the little kids that lesson at the stable where I board my horse learn all of this first then have their lessons. I don’t believe that this time counts towards your lesson time. Ask your trainer if you can come early and learn to do all of this. Good luck!
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June 5th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
If you are taking lessons know and haven’t learned, then switch trainers!!! You should learn that before you even touch a horse.
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