11/01/2026
Copied from another riding school
An open letter to riding school riders and parents.
We know that the vast majority of riders and parents of riders have a deep respect for horses and care for their wellbeing.
We also understand that paying for riding lessons is a considerable expense, especially when compared to some other activities which don’t involve partnering with a 1/2 tonne of sensitive prey animal.
We also understand that riders and parents want to feel that their time and money is resulting in tangible ’progress’. We desperately want that too. One of the biggest welfare ‘wins’ for our horses is to get riders as quickly as possible to the point where they can move with the horse in balance whilst giving clear, light cues (signals to the horse sometimes referred to as aids). The reality is that, whilst riders are still in the ‘messy middle’ of developing balance, body awareness and understanding, the experience for the horse can be mentally and physically challenging. Add in the additional challenge of carrying multiple riders per week who are all at different stages and applying cues differently and it becomes very easy for horses to have a negative experience of being ridden. We know that you don’t want this and neither do we!
The reality is that getting to the stage where riders can ride independently, with understanding and softness takes a significant amount of time for the vast majority. Riding is:
A sport (the physicality of balance and suppleness)
A science (understanding how horses learn and the biomechanics of horse and rider)
An art (uniting in harmony with the horse to create beautiful movement)
A responsibility (ensuring that the horse’s experience of being ridden comes ahead of the rider’s experience of riding)
A commitment (riding is a lifelong learning journey which has no end point)
Our coaches are balancing the sometimes conflicting needs of ensuring lessons are safe for riders, avoiding as much discomfort for horses as possible AND making lessons fun, challenging and tailored to individual needs. Safety and horse comfort HAVE to be the number 1 priority (an uncomfortable horse is an unsafe horse).
You can accelerate progress between lessons by:
Learning anything and everything you can about horses. The more you understand them the better partner you will be.
Spend time preparing your body for riding. Yoga is brilliant for developing balance, suppleness and body awareness.
Utilise mechanical horse lessons. They are the ideal way to develop correct movement patterns in a welfare positive way.
In those lessons where you may feel not much progress is being made, consider this: the rider is learning to respect the needs of their partner and put their needs first. They are learning patience. They are learning kindness. They are learning to be a trusted partner and friend. Surely that’s worth investing in?
