Riding Lessons (Beginner English)

[Katherine Carr]

Katherine smiled at the tall, bay Wielkopolski gelding as she fitted his nose band into place. She didn't normally take a mount with her to the novice riding class, but today she was going to work on the students' position in the saddles as their horse moved, and she might just need Percy to give them a little help.

She threw a fleece rug over the gelding's back and led him out of the barn and down toward the indoor arena with her helmet clipped onto the run up stirrup iron. She smiled as the fifteen year old gelding gently bunted her in the back.

Once in the arena, she removed the reins off the gelding's bridle and left him to his own devices, knowing that he wouldn't do anything silly like roll with the saddle on his back and she set to work getting the arena ready. Walking over to the equipment cupboard she took out four cones and set them up down the left side of the arena, in off the track so they wouldn't be in the way while the riders warmed up. She then polled out four trotting poles, carrying two at a time, and set them down the right side of the arena, again off the track. She set them at a walking distance for the 17 hand mare that @ryan rode, which meant that Ria and Rory's mounts would just take more strides between the poles. After they had been over them once, she would know if they needed adjusting to suit the smaller mounts,

The main part of today's lesson was going to be maintaining balance and rhythm while moving over or around obstacles.

As the students arrived, she asked them to mount up, giving the assistance that was needed, and get their mounts moving around the track, giving them - and their rider - time to have a good look at the poles and cones.

@william

[Monique Chambers]

Aurora danced her way into the barn. She loved riding lessons - it was the only time when she went riding that her mom didn't fuss over her as though it were the last time she was going to see her alive. She hurried down to Globe's stall, smiling and waving at the barn hands as she passed them, shaking her head when one offered to get her things ready. She had arrived at the barn with enough time today to make sure that she wasn't going to be in a rush.

Closing her hand around the sky blue halter and lead, she slipped into the dappled grey's stall. She grinned as he walked up to her and she wrapped her arms around his neck, enjoying the close proximity before she stepped back and put the halter over his nose and fastened the poll strap. Clipping the lead rope into place, she led the gelding out of the stall, laughing as he pranced his way down to the grooming stalls.

After she had groomed him all over, taking care to check each of his shoes as she picked his feet out, and then tacked him up, she put her helmet onto her head and led the gelding out into the bitter pre-spring air and then through to the indoor arena. "Hey Ms C." She said brightly when she saw the woman. "Hey Perc." Yes, even the gelding got a greeting.

When she was given the instruction to mount up, she led her gelding toward the mounting block where she tightened his girth and pulled the stirrups down. Positioning the gelding beside the block, she stepped up onto the wooden platform, placed her foot into the stirrup and pulled herself up into the saddle. Finding the other stirrup, she ended up having to look down and using her hand to hold the leather, she squeezed the gelding forward.

[Deleted]

The first lesson had come around. It really hadn’t been that long since Ms. Carr had assigned Donovan to him. Noah had formed some sort of short-term bond with the gelding. At least for now he and the horse were on good terms. Walking to the White Oak barn, Noah greeted the gelding with a halved carrot. ”How are you today, buddy?” Scratching Donovan’s forelock, the gelding towered above him. Taking a deep breathe the brunette walked into the tack room. Gathering the tack that he was instructed to for the class, he really didn’t know how to go about it. Finding one of the barn hands, Noah had all the tack in hand when he did.

”Could you help me? I’m kinda new to the whole English riding.” With a slightly awkward smile, Noah chewed on the inside of his cheek, something he did often when he was nervous. ”Of course, led the way.” The smile on his face grew when the hand agreed to help. Walking to the stall, Donovan stood there as the barn hand instructed Noah what to do and corrected him when it was needed. For the most part it was almost like the Western saddle, but smaller.

”Thank you.” Waving at the hand as he turned and left the stall. Looking at his mount Noah sighed once more, ”Are you ready boy?” Walking to the indoor arena, Noah saw Ms. Carr with a mount and a younger girl with a horse.

[Deleted]

Ryan hurried towards the barn, hoping that Ms. Carr had been right about the barn hands grooming the other horse that he would be taking to class. If they hadn't gotten out the pony, he had misjudged his time, and was headed towards arriving late. However, after he had haltered Daredevil with her coral-colored gear, and was leading her towards the cross-ties, he saw one of the now-familiar barn-hands grooming the pony that Ms. Carr had pointed out to him before. Smiling at the barn-hand, he started with the task of grooming his rather-tall charge.

After he had finished grooming the mare, he started tacking her up. As he bent to buckle the mare, he heard someone approaching and looked up. The barn-hand he had seen grooming the pony stood there, smiling, "Whenever you're ready, I finished up." Ryan nodded, with a grin, "Thanks so much." He bent again and hurried to finish tacking up his own charge. After he had finished his work, he looked over to the pony next door, who seemed to have dozed off. Grabbing his helmet and clipping it to his head, he picked up Daredevil's reins and walked her over to the pony, unclipping the other equine's cross-ties and grabbing the reins as well. Leading both horses, he walked towards the indoor arena.

Grimacing at the challenge of the gate, he stood for a moment, considering how he would manage that. Finally, he shifted the pony's reins over to his right hand as well, opening the gate with his left. As he led the mismatched pair, one far taller than the other, into the arena, he hoped that they would both manage the gate together. Luckily, they did, working it out without any pinned ears. After stopping the pair, he closed the gate again and walked up to Ms. Carr, smiling at the woman, "Where do you want this little one?" He looked at the shorter equine, smiling fondly at the well-mannered horse.

After Ms. Carr had let him know what to do with the pony, and he had complied, he walked Daredevil over to the mounting block. He checked the mare's girth, tightening it another hole, then mounted up. Gathering his reins in his hands, he squeezed the mare forward, doing his best to move with the horse's motion as they had learned. He kept the bay mare around the edge of the track, letting her walk on a loose rein as he looking into the middle of the arena, contemplating all of the things that had been set up.

[Deleted]

Thankfully her father had taken her out directly after the meeting with Ms. Carr and got everything she needed, even her boots. The paddock boots were much lower than was she was used to and they were basically connected to her jodhpurs, which was also a completely different word than she was used to. The six year old wasn't even in the saddle yet and she could list a million differences between English and Western riding. Almost skipping the indoor arena, she was there in no time flat. The little girl's stomach was doing flips and tumbles as she walked into the arena. As she had learned from her Vaulting instructor, before she knew she who she was Mia let her presences be known to all who were in the arena, "Gate!" She said it loud enough so that the horses that were already mounted knew someone knew was coming in.

With her gloves and helmet in her hands, she felt like a professional rider, even though she had no knowledge of being one. Making sure she didn't get trampled by the two riders already moving their mounts around, Mia made her way over to Ms. Carr. "Hello Ms. Carr." There were two equines in the arena who didn't have a rider, the smaller one Mia had already convinced herself that that was the one who she was going to ride. Trying not to bounce she smiled and waited for further directions.

[Katherine Carr]

Katherine smiled as Rory entered the arena with her gelding. "Good Afternoon, Rory." She greeted the girl. "If you mount up and just get Globe walking around, he can get used to the arena before we get started." She then supervised as the girl mounted. "You'll get there in time." She commented as the girl glanced down to find the other stirrup. "It just takes practice and it can't be easy when you know you're being watched." She gave the girl a warm smile as the preteen asked her horse to move off.

She turned to the gate as it opened and Noah walked in with the Bay gelding. "I'll just ask you to stand to the side, Noah." She said as she pointed to a spot a slight distance away from the mounting block and so that he wasn't in the way of the rider and her mount.

She looked back at the gate as it opened again and this time admitted Ryan who was not only leading the horse he rode, but also the pony she had asked him to bring. "Thank you, Ryan." She said as she reached to take the sweet bay mare's reins. "If you mount up and walk Daredevil around the arena, we'll get started soon." She observed as he mounted and got the mare moving.

A small voice on the outside of the gate drew her attention and she shook her head as Mia walked in and greeted her. "In future Mia, if you don't have a mount, just enter the arena. You don't need to open the gate wide enough to cause a problem, and that's why we announce our arrival to others." She led the mare she was holding, Wisp, over to where Noah stood with Donovan. "Mia, this is Noah, he has also joined my class today." She rubbed the Welsh Pony's nose. "And this is Wisp. She is a nineteen year old Welsh pony who stands a finger under twelve hands, though probably only half a finger as she has shoes on." She raised her eyebrows. "Shall we begin?"

"We will work on mounting from the ground in a later lesson, but for today, we're going to use the mounting block." She gestured toward the mounting block. "Noah, you're up first." She waited for the boy to walk the horse forward. "Ok, line your mount with her left side nice and close to the block, now you lower the stirrup on the off side of the saddle, that's the right-hand side, rub his nose and ask him to stand." The woman walked up to stand at the gelding's right so she could hold the stirrup and stop the saddle from slipping slightly. "Now, step up onto the block, tighten the girth another hole, if you can, and pull the left stirrup down. Gather the reins in the left hand and, grip a bit of mane and tuck your right hand around the other side of the pommel, not the pommel itself though. Put all of your weight into your right foot and place the ball of your left foot into the stirrup. Now shift your weight from your right foot to your left, and swing your right leg gently over your mount's hind quarters. Be sure not to kick your mount while doing so! This could cause her to move forward and unbalance you, and at the moment, Donovan is standing like a trooper. Slide your right foot into the stirrup, you need to try and do this without looking down as looking down knocks your balance off. Make sure the balls of your feet are centered in the stirrup and your heels are down and close to the horse's body. Put your reins in your hands to hold them, make sure that they are not twisted, and put them inside your closed fists with your thumb folded over your reins, also, the reins should flow between your ring finger and pinky. Place the excess, or bite of your reins, to the right side." She patted the gelding's shoulder. "Squeeze his sides with your legs and loosen your hold on the reins, asking her to walk forward. In the middle of the arena, sit deep, squeeze with your legs, but close your hands on the reins and ask him to halt again. Once he's standing, as him to walk forward again and join the others walking around the track." She looked over at Mia. "Your turn."

Once she had both the new riders mounted and they were on the track with the others, she decided to get things moving. She knew that she was still lacking a student, but before she had come to class, she'd had a call from William explaining that Ria was working on her home-schooling things and might be a little late.

Moving into the centre of the arena, she stood so that she could see each of the four riders. "Just to be boring, most of today's lesson is going to be done at the walk." She told the students. "As you have been moving around the arena, you will see that I have set up a few things for you to work your mounts around and over. I don't care which one you start with, but I want you to wind your way through the cones and then go over the poles. The idea of the poles is to get your mount to walk confidently over them, but not to rush so that they end up clipping the poles with their hooves - front or back."