I have been riding since I was a very little girl, and I have been taking lessons for just as long.  I have also been on the other side of the equation as a trainer in the hunter/jumper industry for 15 years.  In short, I have participated in a lot of lessons.  All of these lessons have taught me a thing or two about getting the most out of your lessons.

Be a Little Early

Being early to your lesson gives you a chance to get both mentally and physically prepared for your lesson. If you are rushing into the ring at the last minute, chances are you will spend the first 15 minutes of your lesson getting your bearings and warming your horse up instead of learning something new.

Trust Your Instructor

When I was a kid, I had a horrible habit of questioning the wisdom of my instructor. I would say things like “Well I read in XXXX magazine you should do it this way and not that.” This would lead my instructor to spend half of my lesson explaining why I was doing whatever it was she asked me to do.

As I got older, I realized there is more than one way to skin the proverbial cat. I also discovered that like humans, horses have different personalities and what might work great with one horse, doesn’t work at all with another.

So if your instructor tells you to try a new exercise, trust her and give it your best shot.

Repeat Instructions

If you are working on an exercise that you are not sure you quite understand, repeat the instructions back to your instructor. This gives you a chance to picture what is supposed to happen in your mind and to be sure you understand it.

So for instance, if your instructor asks you to canter a set of 3 poles with 5 strides between the first and the second, 4 strides between the second and third, stopping straight afterward. Take a minute to picture the sequence in the your mind and repeat it back to your instructor so you are sure you know exactly what you are trying to do.

Taking this few minutes will help you mentally prepare for the exercise and give you a better shot at doing a great job.

Write It Down

I have so many notebooks filled with the lessons I have taken and the lessons I have given. Writing down what happened during my lessons helped me see the places I needed to work or where my students needed a little help.

For instance, my mare Delight loves to carry her head sky high. After a particularly frustrating lesson, I sat down to write what had happened during our lesson. I detailed the different things my instructor had me try, most didn’t work that well, but trotting cavelleti poles seemed to get her to put her head down a bit and use herself much better.

My mare and this giraffe had a lot in common

This one little epiphany let me see that it wasn’t her head I needed to worry about, but getting her to lift her back and use her body correctly. Writing about my lesson gave me a chance to really see where I needed to put my focus. During my next lesson, I spoke to my instructor about it, she agreed and we changed tactics with great results.

Do Your Homework

If you have your own horse, working on exercises your trainer has given you will continue the progress you started in your lesson. If your instructor hasn’t given you any homework, ask for a few exercises you can work on by yourself. Every time you sit on your horse you are training him, use that time to the best of your abilities.

No matter if you have your own horse or not, studying theory, reading books and doing physical exercise will go a long way in helping you during your lessons.

Use your time off the horse wisely. Besides, doing horsey homework is much more fun than any other assignment I have ever had.