What to do to learn more when you can't ride?

Hiya.

I'm in a situation atm where my one option for riding/lessons is pretty flaky. (In the five times I've intended to go out, three times has the trainer been busy/unable to meet with me.) Today I got canceled on because she wasn't feeling up for it. I'm not mad at her, but I am really disappointed, for obvious reasons!!

I want to continue to keep working my way out of beginner horsemanship, and while I assume being at a barn riding and doing the work of caring for horses is the most integral part of that, I want to find other ways to keep learning & progressing, too.

So what are some options you'd recommend for learning more?
Any creative topics you'd suggest googling or areas of 'book learning' suitable for a trip to the library?
Do you have a favorite video channel that's informative and accessible to a beginner? (I usually can't 'see it' when more experience horse people talk about various styles of movement or body positioning, so I'd really love to find some video sources that can help me pick that out.)
Do you do stretches or anything to make you that much more ready to take advantage of your riding opportunities?

Thanks everyone!

The Willing Equine is a great website that's just started up and Your Riding Success is a great YouTube channel.

Thank you!

Honestly, it is definitely difficult to learn without someone teaching.

I learned the most through tonssss of people. I volunteered at a therapeutic riding facility for the disabled for about 5 years, and learned a lot through them. I then took lessons on and off- not only for riding but for on the ground things as well.

If your trainer can't get to you, try to see if you can volunteer at another facility if possible, and just try to get around horses in some way.

It also depends on you and how you want to ride. Do you want "natural" horsemanship? What discipline are you riding? Do you plan to show? Etc etc. You can follow certain trainers or take a mix from a bunch- it's all up to you my friend!

I learned a lot from other members on EV as well, so if you have any questions, feel free to message me c:

Yeah, my biggest fear is that I'll learn from sources that are incorrect. It's also really challenging to learn and retain things with no plan or application of what I learn.

I'm living in an area where the only horse experience open to me is the barn I'm trying to do lessons at. I'm hoping that after a few lessons, maybe I'll be allowed to just hang out out there and do their chores, increasing my learning time even if lessons continue to be difficult to make happen.

I'm very new to riding. In fall of 2014 I was able to ride about 3-5 hours a week from mid-August to the start of December, but since then have only been able to go out for lessons twice. I'm trying really hard to get back into it and make a once a week lesson a thing, but my understanding of all the different types of horsemanship is still somewhat low.

From what I've gotten to do, I know I prefer English to Western and bareback (so far) and that I'd really like to do jumping & cross-country, but that I want to get a lot more skilled at control and balance in my seat first. I don't plan to show unless I get a lot better first. Essentially my goal is to someday have this as a lifestyle hobby.

I'd also like to try and learn to follow horse-world news/developments for areas I'm interested in like training and eventing. What's the most interesting/narrative way of doing that? I tried just reading equine news sites for awhile, but since I didn't understand/know who any of the names were or how prestigious that title or that competition was, it was a bit overwhelming without a guide.

Social media can sometimes be a good source. I'm in several groups of different disciplines, events, people, etc. on Facebook and they all help me learn about certain things. Though a lot of it is either biased or opinionated, you can choose what you think works or is right for you based on what information is being put out- or research it more! c:

Do you have any sources you recommend for further research? Are there well respected magazines, websites, or other sources, or is it really just a matter of everyone says something different and the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle?

Thank you so much for all this input, by the way!

Be careful with social media. A lot of self proclaimed horse experts out there... ;)

I enjoy watching Warrick Schiller in my down time. He focuses on horsemanship and I am always picking up new things to try to better my own horsemanship from him. He does have a YouTube channel. He has clips of clinics too which is nice because you can learn from how he helps other people, too.

I know that when I can, when I am not with my horse, I try to think about how I can do things better with her. Like right now I am really working on sharpening my turn around to the left (she is too heavy on my left rein). Something you can think about as a beginner is feet placement. When you are riding in a car to go to school or what have you, you can think about the placement of your horse's feet in whatever gait you want. Gaining control of the feet gives you access to the whole horse. ;)

Best of luck with your riding. I hope your trainer can start making some time for you! :)

I'll look up Mr. Schiller, thank you!

What do you mean by thinking about their placement while riding in a car? You mean just reviewing what my last ride was like, or actively imagining distances, or? I'm sorry, I don't understand, heh.

Riding in a car was just an example. I happen to usually have time to think about riding while driving so that came to mind first.

Having control of a horses feet is important. If you can control the feet, in theory you can do anything. Knowing how to feel where your horses feet are will help you in all aspects of your riding, no matter the discipline.

Example. The walk is a 4 beat gait. The idea is you start thinking about how it feels when a horse's foot leaves the ground. (It may be easier to think about if you get to ride first to get the idea of the motion.) Learning to feel when a horses foot leaves the ground allows for you as the rider to most effectively ask for different maneuvers that you will learn as you advance in your riding.

Something I also am *constantly* working on when not with my horse is posture. Good posture is invaluable to your riding and your personal health. Being aware of posture, even when you are not riding will help make reemphasize good posture when you do ride.

Hope that helps. Any other questions, shoot me a message and I will happily answer :)

I'm in a different but similar situation.. I sold my horse and I'm taking a break from riding regularly to accelerate saving for a down payment on a house. I was taking private lessons weekly with a 4* eventing instructor, paying board and related expenses to keep my mare in work, and covering living expenses to live in a very expensive major metro area. I miss horses so much it drives me a little crazy, but it'll be worth it when I'm able to purchase my own property.

In the meantime, I am lucky to be able to occasionally ride and drive horses with friends, and I try to consume anything and everything horse-related I can.

I spend a decent amount of downtime browsing the forums on The Chronicle of the Horse. They have a very active eventing section. You have to learn to take things on online forums with a grain of salt (much like with social media), but there are plenty of very accomplished and knowledgable active posters on there that you can learn a lot from. Eventing Nation also has lots of great articles that I browse through here and there when I find myself clicking around on the interwebs.

As far as stretching/exercising goes... my instructor highly recommends doing any exercises that will strengthen your core (crunches, planks, etc). A strong core is essential to ride with an independent seat. Also, you can stand on stairs with the ball of your foot on a step and your heels off the step, and slowly stretch down into your heels. Don't bounce, just stretch. This will help prep your foot/lower leg muscles for a correctly positioned heel while riding.

I honestly haven't dug too deep into finding good videos to watch.. but please share if you find useful stuff 'cause I'd love to check it out. :)

Last edited on 2017-01-17 at 13:39:04 by Aesthetic