Congratulations, you have intelligently chosen a qualified instructor, and you are ready to take your first official riding lesson.  Good for you.  If you own your own horse, or if you are using one of the trainers lesson horses, please arrive at least twenty minutes early.  If you own your own horse ask the trainer ahead of time if you will be riding first or doing ground work.  Sometimes trainers want to work with students on the ground first to see how competent and confident he or she is.

Insist on learning to groom the horse yourself.  Do not tie the horse on your own however.  Let the trainer show you how, and where, to tie the horse.  Horses should NEVER be tied below the withers.  Withers are the bone that protrudes at the bottom of the neck, above the shoulders.  If your instructor/trainer instructs you to tie the horse below the withers, maybe this should be your last lesson with this person.  A horse that spooks when it is tied below the withers can pull back and break it's neck.  Wouldn't that be a fun lesson?

If you are riding, learn how to saddle and bridle and groom yourself.  If it takes an entire lesson or two to learn these skills, so be it.  During the lesson, keep your mouth shut and your ears open.  Do not forget to breath!  So many students begin to breath very shallow, or stop breathing altogether as soon as the horse takes it's first step.  If you have taken lessons before, from another instructor, do not say "Well my last instructor told me to do this exercise …blah…blah".  If you are going to doubt your instructor/trainer, then TEACH YOURSELF!  Listen and breath, listen and breath.  Do what you are instructed to do. Do not make the instructor have to tell you eight or nine times not to look down at the horses left or right shoulder.  Beginners tend to do this a lot.  Listen and breath and enjoy.

When the lesson is over, ask questions that you want to ask.  Then learn how to unsaddle and once again groom the horse yourself.  If another question pops up during the week be sure and ask it at your next lesson.  Go over in your head what you learned during the week.  Visualize what you learned.  Or if you took the lesson on your own horse, practice, visualize, practice, practice, practice, visualize and practice.

A QUESTION…Do you think a person can become a competent instructor in just two weeks?

LET US HEAR FROM YOU.

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