Getting the Most Out of Your Riding Lesson"
By Suzin R. Daly

     Why do you take riding lessons?  At first it may be simply to learn how to ride.  Once you have learned the basics, lessons help to improve your skills and perhaps to prepare for competitions.  You may want to become a professional instructor or rider, or perhaps you would just like to ride with the skill of an advanced rider.  To get there you are spending your time and your money, and I think it is important that you get the most you can from the lessons you take.

     As an instructor I want my students to be successful, so I have carefully examined the reasons why some riders advance quickly and others make little progress.  I have found that how you approach your lessons makes a big difference in how much you get out of them, whether they are every day or, like most of us, once a week.

     The first part of success is consistency.  You will learn more and learn faster if you take a lesson every day, but that may not be possible for you.  Time and economics do not allow most of us that luxury.

     If you can be consistent on a weekly basis you can do well if you make the most of your lessons.  Be aware that hourly lessons once a week is a very short amount of education time.  One hour a week is four hours a month, which comes to forty-eight hours a year.  You are putting in forty-eight or fifty hours a year of instruction into your equestrian education.  Compare this to the amount of time you spent getting an academic education, or learning your job.  Riders that advance quickly are aware of how precious their riding time is and look on each lesson as a building block for their riding skills.  They know they must consistently make the most of each lesson.

     Successful riders focus on their riding.  You have picked your instructor because they have something to offer you.  Do not turn your educational time into a discussion or friendly chitchat.  Just ride and do what the instructor tells you. If you do not understand or have a question than ask that's fine.  Ask it, get your answer, and do it.  Your instructor is not your analyst, parent or buddy.  The instructor is there to give you a riding lesson.  Ride and listen.

     There are many ways to lose focus.  When things go wrong some riders may say, "Oh, it's my fault", or they make sounds, or go into a long discussion over it. This distracts you and it distracts your trainer.  Things go wrong; everyone has a bad hair day, get over it.  Take a deep breath, and give more attention to the instructions that are given to you.  You might find if you let go of what is going wrong and listen, things will get better faster.

     It's funny, but riders are also distracted when things go very, very well. It is great when everything comes together, and I always tell my students, remember these days.  But, when they do go well, do not go into a discussion over that.  That too, distracts you from keeping what you have just achieved.  Keep on focusing on what you are doing and keep listening as you are doing it.

     Riders that are successful know that riding lessons are about change. You are exploring things with the suggestions of the instructor.  This is going to make you feel awkward at times.  It may be more comfortable to practice what you are already doing wrong, but that will not make you a better rider.

     From the ground, the instructor gives the rider their opinion and suggestions.  Do not ride passively or listening to instruction sheepishly.  Make sense of the information and work to feel the suggested movements.  Then do something. Nothing that the rider does because the instructor suggests it is as valuable as when the rider takes the initiative.  By taking the initiative the instructor does not have to make repetitive corrections.  The less repetitive the corrections that have to be given the more advanced work you will be doing (get the point?).

     Be ready and prepared.  Instruction is expensive, owning a horse is expensive and equipment is expensive.  You do not do your investment justice if you approach your equestrian education with a mediocre attitude.  To get the maximum for your investment, be ready and prepared.  Preparation for a lesson is very important, as important as the lesson itself.  How you show up at a lesson tells the instructor who you are, how serious you are.

     That means, be on the horse and ready for your lesson.  If you lunge your horse before riding, take that time into consideration.  There is nothing worse than a student who has a lesson time at 10:00 a.m. then shows up at 9:55 a.m. for their lesson.  No way can you tack up, lunge your horse, or unload your horse from the trailer and be ready by 10:00 a.m.  This happens all the time and it is not appropriate.

     Your equipment has to be ready too.  When riding your horse, or using a school horse, it is important that the equipment fit the horse correctly.  Do not waste instructional time having to replace or readjust tack. A very important part of tack preparation is to be sure you have measured your stirrup length. Uneven stirrup lengths will produce incorrect balance on the horse and create crookedness in your riding.  I use a measuring stick everyday and measure my stirrup daily before I ride. I recommend that you have measured half holes punched.  This way if your instructor requests for you to go up or down with your stirrup length you can so easily.

     Always go to your lesson prepared with a short and long whip.  This way if you do need a whip it is available.  Brings spurs if this is appropriate for your level of riding.  This is unskilled labor; you are not paying an instructor to fix your equipment, run to the barn to get you a whip.  This is the job of the rider to be prepared with the tools needed.

     Last but not least is how you dress.  Dress appropriately for your lesson. How you dress allows your mind set for that lesson.  This means dressing in boots, britches, gloves and helmet. Weather permitting a simple polo shirt is appropriate, and please tuck in your shirt.  If you come prepared to learn, look like someone who is prepared to learn.

     If you follow these basic steps, your lessons will be more rewarding, and your riding more successful.  Be consistent; let your lessons be building blocks, one upon the other.  Focus on your riding; do not let anything distract you from riding and listening.  Be eager to change, you are in each lesson to learn new and better skills.  Be prepared; do not waste valuable instruction time getting ready to start. Pay attention to your equipment, the right tack and clothing are tools that allow you to ride well.

     A rider who cares about these things, who comes with a serious attitude as a student, is an instructors dream.  Do these things and you will be the kind of student every trainer wants to instruct.  Remember the most important fact about your riding lesson "No one cares as much as you do!"

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