Starting h/j lessons

[LadyKatie]

Hi all,

I'm starting h/j lessons on the 17th after a year off from horses due to pregnancy. I'm so excited to be able to ride again! I know I've lost a lot of muscle, so it'll be interesting to see how well I can ride now. I have a feeling I'm going to be pretty sloppy at the canter.

I was wondering what it was like for you guys when you started riding h/j? Did you start from a different discipline or was h/j your first? What did you have the most trouble with and how did you fix it? What was your favorite part of learning to ride h/j?

I'm curious because I've never done any jumping before. I rode western mostly and occasionally english. I need to pass the time too, it just isn't going by fast enough for me.

[lesson junkie]

Hi Katie-I started with hunters, and it was a long time ago. I don't remember anything being hard, but when you're 14 and horse crazy, none of it is hard! My favorite part of riding hunters is being able to go fox hunting. The lessons make sense when you can see the theory practiced and applied-I hope you get to ride out of the ring as you get your legs back underneath you-good luck!

[KateKat]

I started H/J lessons almost 3 years ago. Started from scratch (other than the occasional trail ride and week long riding camp when I was 11) when I was 25. The hardest thing was...everything! LOL. But the thing that has really stuck with me is sitting back. When I get tired, my natural tendency is to lean forward and just curl up into a little tired ball. The best thing though is everything! I wouldn't trade all the aches and pains and frustration for anything. I have always loved horses and it took 25 years for me to finally get the time and money to be able to pursue it as a hobby so someone is going to have to pry this from my cold dead hands if they want me to stop!

[LadyKatie]

I have always loved horses and it took 25 years for me to finally get the time and money to be able to pursue it as a hobby so someone is going to have to pry this from my cold dead hands if they want me to stop!

I know how you feel, I was so glad when my hubby gave me the okay to start lessons. Thankfully he's a horse person too, so he's nearly excited as I am!

I used to have problems with leaning forward too, but I was able to fix that when I was taking training classes at a local college. They told all of us to sit just behind the vertical to make it easier to stay on if someone started bucking, so I ended up riding on the vertical thinking that I was behind it.

My favorite part of riding hunters is being able to go fox hunting.

I don't think I'm brave enough for fox hunting. I always liked nice, sedate trail rides with no more than an occasional canter up a hill.

[jaslyn1701]

I started H/J lessons at 50. The hardest thing - as KateKat said -everything - hand, heels, leg, seat, balance. The next hardest thing - turning my brain off and understanding that sometimes opposite is good - example: feel like you are "running away" - instinct is to pull - pull means whoa right? - when loosen is the right answer. Am also having some issues with sitting down while pony is going up - up is up, right? But am getting there. Have fun with it and good luck!

[Quin]

I came back to h/j after an even longer 'gap'. I don't care how good of physical shape you're in: you are going to hurt. Riding uses muscles that are only developed by riding.

Start once a week. Once every TWO weeks if you need that long between lessons to recover. But once you have enough muscle that you can comfortably walk after a lesson and are not sore the next day either, the best thing to add is more saddle time.

Two lessons a week if you can swing it. If not, see if you can beg/borrow rides on anything. Half an hour of trot work a couple times a week between lessons will do WONDERS for you.

On the other hand, don't buy or even get locked into a long-term lease on anything too quickly. Your own interests and abilities are going to be changing a lot in the first 1-2 years back.

Enjoy!

[vacation1]

I started from scratch, choosing h/j mostly by chance (and possibly under the influence of waaay too many C.W. Anderson books as a kid). I had a horrible time learning to post, and it took 2 things to get the hang of it - time and a lesson horse whose trot was so uncomfortable to sit I had to learn:lol:
My favorite part is how the jumping part cancels out all the OTHER fears I have labored under - Canter? Terrifying. Canter to jump? Hell, I can canter, it's that (cough) huge 2" crossrail that's scary. My other favorite part is how going over that eeny crossrail makes me feel like Superman.:)

[tcgelec]

Started riding at age 44. H/J was just by chance. I knew a BO/trainer and his barn was H/J. If it had been a reining barn I would be wearing large belt buckles and string ties right now.

Everything was hard...much harder than I had expected, and there was much more to it than I had ever imagined. After I could post the trot and sit the canter, I wanted to jump so badly I could taste it. But that wasn't to be, not then anyway. My friend/trainer was definitely of the "two years in the saddle before jumping anything" school.

Anyway, it's 12 years later now, and I have my own barn. DD went all through the H/J shows and is now on a college team. I became a halfway decent rider I guess and I did some low level eventing and eventually landed in the jumpers, which is my passion now. Our first horses were schoolmasters, but now I have young ones.

I credit that first trainer with forcing me to develop my seat before doing fences, even though I was as impatient as a teenager about it at the time. Even thought about switching trainers...but I didn't...not until the first one sold the farm and moved away.

[rmaryman]

I started riding at the tender age of 45, taking lessons at a local h.j barn while the Mrs worked on Sunday afternoons. (It beat napping on the couch which was the alternate activity.) It took me quite a while to get rising (posting) trot to where it was mostly automatic, I didn't canter for a LONG time, and when I started taking lessons, did not intend to jump at all (of course I was hooked after the first cross-rail!!!). after 5 years of lessons on some great schoolies, I got 'permission' (more a acquiescence) from the Mrs to acquire my own mount, and there has been no looking back.

Rick in VA

[babecakes]

Really fun thread to read, brings back memories :D.

#1 thing - really focus on developing a good strong lower leg. Everything else will build and come easier from that.

Any western experience will be very helpful in your crossover b/c you already learned how to follow with your seat. But build the lower leg first and then add the seat.

And most importantly relax - and enjoy!