# Beginners Exercises



## kirstieg (2 April 2007)

Has anyone got any websites or templates for riding exercises for beginners e.g - Learning to walk, turn ect - Circles, figers of eights ect ect???

Not for me! 
	
	
		
		
	


	





Am teaching a little girl to start riding

Any help much appreciated xx


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Up to now i have - 

-In and out of cones

-Serpentines 

-Figures of eight

-30m,20m, and 15m circles

-Walking and halting

-Going from letter to letter


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## kirstieg (2 April 2007)

Anyone please???


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## emma69 (2 April 2007)

I'm not sure what you mean by templates?

I don't want this to come across the wrong way, I really don't, but you look quite young - are you ready to be able to teach someone to ride? My concern isn't so much the actual teaching, but knowing what to do in terms of first aid should something happen. Teaching brings responsibilities, and unless you can fulfill those, I would recommend leaving it for the time being. Also, what you learn when you first learn to ride stays with you for a long time, it is far easier to learn things correctly the first time, than attempt to re-learn them at a later date - I know, one of my first instructors was very 'old school', grip with the knees, brush the saddle etc!!!!!

However, I am sure you are looking to do this for the right reasons (helping the child out) so I will make the following suggestions:

- Learning to walk isn't very hard at all - the balance may be if they are really little (and I won't teach a child who can't sit up straight by themselves) Have them hold the front of the saddle until they get used to the stopping and starting. I usually walk a few laps around, then show them how to hold the reins, and do a few more laps, gradually letting go of the horse but still walking beside (it is an absolute must to use a very quiet pony who won't trot, or worse if the child inadvertently kicks them in the ribs!) I show them how to do 20m circles, how to change the rein, both of which they learn how to steer. Depending on the child, I will then lead them on a short trot, me in control of the horse, they hold on (make sure you are looking backwards at the child in case they have difficulties - you should be tall / strong enough to pull the child back into the saddle if they slip) That's the usual format of the first lesson. 

Serpentines, 15 and 30m circles, etc are too advanced at this stage, and I would also leave the cones out for a while, it encourages them to over steer with the reins. Figure 8s confuse young children when they are the 'two diagonal' figure 8s, and I leave them until they are confident about what changing the rein is. '2 20m circle' figure 8s are also a little advanced for this age.


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## kirstieg (2 April 2007)

I am learning her to get her balance and steer thats it!

Shes not trotting ! The insurance is sorted!

She will be getting lead by someone

Then once she has learnt to walk, get her balance and steer she will be going to a riding school - Obversely


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## emma69 (2 April 2007)

It's not insurance, although I agree that is important, if you are teaching you should have liability insurance. 

It's more the 'what happens if...' I taught for a number of years, and have had children fall off doing the most basic of things - it only takes a loud noise and the next thing you know the child is on the floor - we do everything we can to prevent an accident, but you have to know what to do if an accident does happen. I am fully trained in first aid, and even I have to talk myself down when something happens. I have had to deal with some quite serious injuries, even tho an ambulance can be there in 15 mins or so, those minutes count - it's about knowing how to deal with the situation calmly and rationally - and with children that isn't always easy - getting a young child to lie still when they have a suspected neck injury, and all they want to do is run and find their mummy, it's damn hard. We had a wp who was doing lead reins (she was around 17) and had no formal first aid training, but there was always someone in earshot. I head a cry, and hurried in there, to find wp trying to put crying child back on the horse before anyone found out - she was terrified that someone would tell her off for letting the child fall, and thought more of that than the potential injuries. 

As far as teaching the child, I have never had a child who at the end of their first lesson cannot sit up, steer and walk on a horse, so whilst well-intentioned, I am not sure what you can offer that they would not get in their very first riding lesson at a school.


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## kirstieg (3 April 2007)

You know what forget it 

You are all so picky!

I asked for exercises not warnings

I have a sister who has worked on a riding school and shes on my own yard with me and she will be there 


I think you all need to read the topic properly instead of gegging in with why i am teaching her


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## emma69 (3 April 2007)

It would be irresponsible for me to give you the advice without the caveats - and I did give you the lesson plan I follow when teaching a small child for the first time, so yes, I did read your request, and gave you the input (including explanations of why I would do some exercises but not others). As someone who has taught small children, I was trying to give you some idea of the responsibilities teaching brings.

Your response shows that you lack the maturity necessary to teach anyway, so I think, in this case, I was indeed right that you are not the person to be teaching this child.


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## sleepingdragon10 (3 April 2007)

[ QUOTE ]
You know what forget it 

You are all so picky!

I asked for exercises not warnings

I have a sister who has worked on a riding school and shes on my own yard with me and she will be there 


I think you all need to read the topic properly instead of gegging in with why i am teaching her 

[/ QUOTE ]

Come on CK, you asked for, and got, what you requested.
I'm inclined to say that if you don't know what to teach then perhaps you're not the best person to be imparting advice to a young child on how to begin her riding career in the safest possible way. 
And I'm not being picky, just voicing my concerns


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## kirstieg (3 April 2007)

Thanks anyway but you seem to have put me down in every way

She lives at the back of my yard shes 9, shes never going to get a horse, show ect ect. So i dont see any harm in learning her to walk halt turn ect

Thank you for your concern


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