Do you think some people are just natural horse riders..?
And some aren't?
I'm definitely not arrogant or anything, because I think I'm just an average rider, but my friend Elise (who has been riding for 5 years) says that I'm a really good rider and I'm a natural rider, which is how I pick stuff up so quickly (I started riding in the summer last year, and I can already jump 2 ft and hold a horse in a contact, and keep the contact while switching from halt to walk to trot, all bareback and tacked).
But my OTHER friend Holly, has been riding for about a month, and she can't get the rhythm of the horse yet. She's learning rising trot at the moment and she's not really going with the flow of the horse, it's more a sort of awkward rising whenever she can, and not letting the horse push her up, her staying there for a bit then letting herself gently back down. I don't think she's getting the hang of it at all.
I'm not bragging, and I'm not trying to say that Holly is a terrible rider, I'm just using her as an example.
February 22nd, 2011 - 17:33
Yes i think so, I rode once and was so scared the entire time, I was very young but still..
February 22nd, 2011 - 17:39
Oh yes, definitely. Strange, though–sometimes the natural ones are not as good as riding instructors, because they really don’t know what’s involved in learning the hard parts. They didn’t ever have any hard parts.
I have seen a four-year-old child seated on a pony for the first time immediately choosing to sit up straight, heels down, looking seriously forward. Other children of the same age might slouch, bounce, or tuck their legs up. Or just be terrified.
Gymnasts and dancers sometimes pick up riding instantly.
February 22nd, 2011 - 18:02
I definately think some people have a much better natural facility for riding- I know a few people like you who were just good straight away. But that doesn’t mean those people without natural talent can never be good in time, they just have to work harder at it.
I think the majority of it comes from attitude anyway- someone who thinks they know best and doesn’t listen to their instructor will never be a good rider. And some people are too impatient and get frustrated if the horse does any small thing wrong- they’ll never learn either.
Maybe 20% comes from natural ability (which some people definately do have in abundance!) but the other 80% is all down to effort and attitude.
February 22nd, 2011 - 18:03
Yes, I believe that people are natural riders.
From watching other people ride (I gave lessons for a while, and watch other people ride in shows at the county fair) I know that there are natural riders. Some people will naturally have a solid seat and good posture, others will bounce around and hold onto the horn for dear life.
From my personal life of riding (I am not bragging) I have been called a natural rider. eg: when I was four my parents sent me away to horse camp. I was the youngest kid there, the rest of the kids were all about 9-12 and we were doing bareback riding to gain balance and they had set up poles to turn through, a trail course, and jumps. I was riding while instructors were watching and they called me over and told me to stay after because they thought that I was ready to trot and lope.
(Its been a while now though, I don’t think that they consider it safe to let children learn to ride bareback, nor do I think that four year olds are allowed to go to camp anymore?) I hope that this answered your question…
February 22nd, 2011 - 18:49
I don’t think you can be a natural RIDER, you can only really be tought that, either by a horse or a teacher or previous experiences. However, some people can ride horses really well, but only because off years of lessons and staying on the same horse 24/7. Someone else, could be an equally good rider but of had less lessons. Some people can think like a horse, e.g if a horse sees something scary, instead of working against the horse, working with it to solve the problem, by thinking what could be scaring the horse. People who can connect with the horse, instead of with the people teaching them, they’re the closest people you can get to natural riders. E.g if you started riding, not for the riding, but for the horses, then I think that makes you one of those people♥
February 22nd, 2011 - 19:17
I think some people were born to have horses in their life. They just love riding and pick it up quickly, while others don’t seem to get it. However, this doesn’t mean that people without natural talent will never be good riders, it just means they might have to work harder.
February 22nd, 2011 - 19:26
Yes I do believe that, many say I’m a natural ride (im not bragging just giving example)
I rode for 8 years (from i was 5 till 13) and was jumping 1.20 courses (3.9ft) on ponies and people riding longer were still at 1m-1.10 courses, because of personal reasons, I stopped riding for 2 years and i’m only now getting back in the saddle, I have rode two times so far and i’m already jumping 1m course (3.2ft) I found it so easy to get straight back into riding again, it felt right and (corny as it sounds) i felt like i had finally ‘come home’ and i now know i should never have stopped riding and I can never see myself stopping again. now i’m not saying i was perfect straight away, things like my canter and sitting trot needs more work but the point im making is that some people can just get it, like a duck to water (wow im in the mood for bad sayings) and some find it difficult and need to work hard to achieve something
some people are born to ride horses, some aren’t, doesn’t mean there any less the rider, just that they need more work
February 22nd, 2011 - 19:58
Unless it is possible to see you ride then no one can say whether you are a natural rider or not.
I have had several children who find it easy to understand and do what they are taught, others have to work harder at it.
The fact that you are doing all you are is not unusual. I would expect most to be popping over a 2′ jump after 6 months of riding once a week.
February 22nd, 2011 - 20:07
I know for a fact that some people are just natural great riders, they have great balance, great timing and a comunication with a horse.
I have given a lot of lessons and I have had a few kids and people that just seem to have a nack for handling and riding a horse correctly.
I have used well trained horses for lessons and some of the riders just handle them as if they had ridden for years while others I do not think could ever learn to ride right no matter how many years of lessons they took.
February 22nd, 2011 - 20:19
Yes some people are a natural and are made for riding.
I’m not bragging but I Have been told several times that I’m a natural and I seem to pick up things really easily. It only took me 10 minutes to learn how to post to the trot and learn diagonals but then I read that other riders take about 1 month or longer. I have been riding for 3 years and I have already trained one horse from not being able to trot in a circle to jumping 1 meter and at the moment I am training an OTTB by myself with out a trainer or anything.
February 22nd, 2011 - 20:32
Holly is doing absolutely fine. It takes MUCH longer than a month to become to get basic understanding of how to do the rising trot. I think there are some natural riders, but it’s rare, and even those get hung up once and a while.