# Older riders



## Princess16 (9 April 2015)

I am in my late 40's and have not ridden since I was 13 but am thinking of taking the plunge and having some lessons eeek!  What worries me is the older and bigger you are the harder you fall !

Just wondered if anyone else has taken up riding at this late age and how it's going for you? 

Feel so envious when I read all your lovely posts of happy hacks and rides


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## Joanne_Stockport (9 April 2015)

Princess16 said:



			I am in my late 40's and have not ridden since I was 13 but am thinking of taking the plunge and having some lessons eeek!  What worries me is the older and bigger you are the harder you fall !

Just wondered if anyone else has taken up riding at this late age and how it's going for you? 

Feel so envious when I read all your lovely posts of happy hacks and rides 

Click to expand...

I started riding over 2 years ago at 44 years old (never ridden before apart from a couple of beginners hack when I was younger). I started with a beginners hack and continued with private lessons. Never had a fall during my lessons in the first year. Then my gelding was put up for sale at the riding school I was going (did not adapt to life as a riding school horse, he was only 5 at that point too and 6 when I bought him!) and I took the decision to buy him and continue my lessons on him. I have to admit it was a lot more difficult then I expected and my riding skills are improving slower than if I would have continued on well schooled horses. 
I am proud of what I have accomplished so far, as we can hack alone (without too much napping and I know how to handle it now) hack in company. Schooling is still works in progress but getting there slowly.
I am planning my first pleasure rides this year and would look at TREC maybe next year. Also would like to start some small jumps later this year.
I fell off him about 4 times so far (all in the school). Only one time was painful (for a week or two) but all the other times I escaped any damage !
Being older probably makes me taking "calculated risk", more easy to break something and longer recovery time if you do. I think yest the bigger you are the harder you are going to land but a bit of fat helps cushioning the bones!!
Go for it !!!


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## skint1 (9 April 2015)

I rode a little bit as a child, but not that much. I spent many years around horses as an adult in the form of chief groom and trailer driver as my daughter was a keen rider but I didn't ride myself at all. I started having informal riding lessons at age 42, got the most perfect confidence giving horse on loan and bought her for myself age 43!  

I learned by hacking, initially using a western saddle and being led then building up to being independent and using a normal saddle. I'm lucky that most people I ride with are a lot more experienced than I am so I learn something from each of them as I go along though it has to be said, my technical skills certainly leave much to be desired!

 My horse is older and arthritic and finds schooling hard so we don't do it. I try to remind myself of the basics at some point during every hack, especially if we are hacking alone,  and recently I have learned how to get her to walk in a more collected manner so we practice that on the way home when she's feeling more forward. She is very well schooled and has probably forgotten more than I will ever know! 

My main achievements have been getting my mare to hack alone (with me) because she can get a bit nappy if you let her, and also to have more control at speed, the first year or so I rode her I was really just hanging on and hoping for the best, now I can offer a bit more of an opinion about speed and direction. 

I really need to make more use of my seat and ride with a contact, I've always been afraid of the contact because I didn't want to be pulling on her mouth and I couldn't "feel" the difference, but that's coming along.

I don't regret it one bit, so I would say go for it!


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## View (9 April 2015)

I rode regularly as a child, but had a 30 year break and returned to riding 18 months ago.  Started sensibly with a couple of lessons, now sharing, sat Riding & Road Safety last year (to reassure OH that I won't do anything silly), Stage 1 before Christmas, and Stage 2 later this year.

Aim is to qualify BHSAI and then quit my current job (by then children will be through uni and I will be able to cope with reduced income until I can draw my works pension).  Oh, and OH is resigned to us owning our own horse in a couple of years.

Go for it!


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## Princess16 (9 April 2015)

Thank you all! You have given me incentive . Will get those lessons booked &#55357;&#56832;


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## oldie48 (9 April 2015)

I did a bit of riding as a child but only at a riding school, in my late 40's my daughter got interested in ponies and I started having lessons, initially so I could share her hobby. I bought my first horse at nearly 50 and have owned several since. I think the biggest issue as an older rider is confidence or rather the lack of it! Give it a go, I can't imagine my life without horses and I'm 66 now. I bought a new horse last year and I'm finding him a huge challenge but when I look around at what most women of my age are doing, I'm glad I'm still pushing myself and although I get very frustrated at times, I'm not ready to hang my boots up yet.


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## KEC (9 April 2015)

Keep us informed of your progress!!!!


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## Sukistokes2 (11 April 2015)

I am nearly fifty and still riding....invest in an air jacket to soften your falls......?Everyone comes off now and again. 

Hope you have fun


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## Burmilla (11 April 2015)

Dare to do it!  It takes years off the mind, inches off the figure and £££ off the bank balance, but the first two make up for the last one!


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## tinafletcher1 (15 April 2015)

hi, you are but a youngster !! I will be 67yrs young this year and ride most days, not always gentle hacks, plenty of fast canter work, and my favourite is going cross country hunter trials. didn't start riding til nearing my 40,s. have my own horse and have lots of fun , joined the local riding club. go for it, . people think you are very rich if you own a horse, truth is you will be poor if you own a horse.but so worth it.


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## Princess16 (15 April 2015)

OK I'm convinced lol . Now as it's been so long since I learnt when I was young what should I wear for my lesson? I understand jeans are not ideal and I don't have any riding boots only muck boots?


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## Spot_the_Risk (15 April 2015)

OP if you can find leg wear with minimal inside seams it will help, I do ride in jeans but they would maybe rub if I was schooling properly.  Any well fitting footwear with a heel and with a smoothish sole is fine, probably best to ask at the riding school when you book your lesson!  Good luck, let us know how you get on!


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## Princess16 (30 April 2015)

Lesson booked eek ! So is there anywhere on the High St that sells jodhpurs or will I have to buy on-line? Thanks


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## Kungfoo-hamster (30 April 2015)

Sports Direct usually have some reasonably priced ones in their ladies sections, not a wide range of choice, but perfect for a first foray   Good luck! 

I started riding at 40, and 3.5 years later have just bought my own horse, after riding at a riding school and then sharing - despite the ups and downs, its the best decision I ever made and I hope to be riding until I'm 100


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## Mrs B (30 April 2015)

Princess16 said:



			Lesson booked eek ! So is there anywhere on the High St that sells jodhpurs or will I have to buy on-line? Thanks
		
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Go for it! My Mum rode as a child then started again when I was 3, cos I said 'I want to sit on a pony' (probably the most expensive 7 words she ever heard me say  ) 

At that point she was 44 with 4 kids and she then rode for the rest of her life. In fact, she was talking about getting another pony just before she died aged 80, having lost hers 18 months before (aged 29) ...

Look forward to hearing how you get on.


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## Morag4 (30 April 2015)

Hadn't ridden for a few decades, decided to give it a go again, 5 months later I was the owner of a fantastic youngster, I was in my fifities and a year after getting the wee guy I haven't looked back, though there have been a few road bumps along the way!


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## cally23 (2 May 2015)

Gosh, thank you so much for this thread. I am 53 and started riding two years ago.
I now have my own horse, it is a massive learning curve and has completely changed my life, for the better. I hack out a lot, sometimes on my own. I have come a long way with my horse over the past 5 months, making big improvements. Thankfully I am with brilliant mature people who are willing to help and give me good advice. I try not to think about a fall, I am a big lass, so when it happens it will probably be nasty. I have had Cancer and 2 years of chemo etc. Life is for living, I will take my chances.

My biggest bug bear is my poor memory and frustration when I either cannot remember what I have been taught in a lesson or when my old joints work against me but I will not give up.


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## MyBoyChe (2 May 2015)

Definitely go for it.  I rode as a child and owned horses on an off from 16 to 27 yrs old.  Then I had an enforced break until I was 44, single Mum, no spare pennies    I now own a fab Highland pony, having started off again at 44 with an ex racer who I owned for 4 years, before downsizing to a slightly smaller model.  For the first time in my life I have the pony I always dreamed of and a little horse box so we can get out and about.  Sometimes my OH comes along with our JRT and we can explore the local woods as a foursome.  Now in my 50s, I feel happier than I have done for years and hope to keep riding until I can no longer get my leg over!


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## Princess16 (2 May 2015)

Got my Jods from Sports Direct so thank you, they were in the sale too! 

Will let you know how I get on


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## Princess16 (2 May 2015)

cally23 said:



			Gosh, thank you so much for this thread. I am 53 and started riding two years ago.
I now have my own horse, it is a massive learning curve and has completely changed my life, for the better. I hack out a lot, sometimes on my own. I have come a long way with my horse over the past 5 months, making big improvements. Thankfully I am with brilliant mature people who are willing to help and give me good advice. I try not to think about a fall, I am a big lass, so when it happens it will probably be nasty. I have had Cancer and 2 years of chemo etc. Life is for living, I will take my chances.

My biggest bug bear is my poor memory and frustration when I either cannot remember what I have been taught in a lesson or when my old joints work against me but I will not give up.
		
Click to expand...

Wow Cally you are an inspiration! Thank you for posting you have given me hope


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## SallyBatty (6 May 2015)

I'm 59 (60 in September).  When I was a kid I had riding lessons (never owned my own pony) and then I had a very long break. Decided I really wanted to get back into riding when I was 41 so started having fortnightly lessons. After about 4 years I started sharing horses 3 days a week that were kept on DIY yards which was a great way of getting in to having to muck out, groom and feed and learn general care but without full responsibility. Then after 5 years of sharing I eventually bought my own horse who I have now had for 9 years.  We go out hacking, do a bit of prelim dressage and sometimes do a bit of jumping up to about 2'6" to 2'9".


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## flirtygerty (8 May 2015)

Had my first pony at 17yrs old, life then got in the way, in my late 40's met my lovely OH, got a CBxTb nutty mare, Oh rode her, I did the groundwork and general care, being too scared to ride her, Oh bought me my horse of a lifetime, apita, but all mine, fast forward to being late 50's, I now have 4, my original boy, a WB mare, a 4yr old cob and a 17hh TB, we still ride, my OH being mid 60's, you have one life, live it


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## Princess16 (12 May 2015)

Well tomorrow is the day! First riding lesson eek ! 

Any tips would be gratefully received


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## View (13 May 2015)

just relax, enjoy yourself and accept that it will take time for all those muscles to remember what they used to do without you telling them to!

And a long radox bath afterwards


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## Princess16 (13 May 2015)

Have posted in another thread but suffice to say I absolutely loved it


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