Starting to ride again at 27

#46
VanessaJean said:
I had my first lesson last night and I am sore! I expected that though. We walked and trotted and I worked on my posting and forward seat. Its been a while so trying to get back in the rhythm is tough. I had fun though! My horse was great and very patient.
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i saw super sore after my first one too. not too bad for the next few but the most recent one has left my inner thighs a bit sore (not as bad as the first lesson though!).

AlinaRose said:
Well one thing I can say for sure is that you mustn't be disappointed with yourself if the first few months of your lessons involve doing the same things over and over and over again.

Riding a horse correctly involves doing lots of things at once, and it will take some time to develop the muscle memory which will eventually allow you to do the following: keep your heels down, use your various aids (feet, legs, body weight, arms, voice, etc), keep a steady feel on the reins without going too slack or too strong, keep your legs from swinging around, keep yourself from slamming down into the saddle during posting trot and the canter, and some other things that I can't think of off the top of my head. There's a lot to do at once, and it will take some time to get it all down pat, but as they say, practice makes perfect!
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that's what i have trouble with, trying to remember to do everything correctly at once. so much to remember and make sure i'm doing lol.
 
#52
I'm glad you're enjoying your lessons!!! :smile:

I just cantered my horse for the first time in months last week (he's been off that long), and I was leaping for joy. Nothing in the world does as much for your soul as a horse!
 
#54
VanessaJean said:
I'm a bit scared but I have decided to try riding again. I rode competitively from age 6- 16 then quit because I was more interested in partying then getting up and going to the barn at 6am. I'm 27 and haven't rode seriously in 10 years. Over the years I have gone on trail rides a couple times a year and rode friend's horses here and there. I am looking for support and advice from all the lovely equestrians on tPF.

I love horses and have never stopped but I had a few bad experiences when I was riding that make me nervous to try again. It really was a passion of mine and I feel lately that my life is passionless. Hoping to really love it again.
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I can relate to your situation. I also use to ride competitively from the age 7-16, but stopped when I started taking more of an interest in competitive tennis. I have done some occasional ridding since then, I even participated in a fox hunt in college, but nothing too serious. I am now 30 and would love to get back into ridding and take a few lessons. There are some stables near where I live, but most of them teach western and I rode English.

I am so happy to hear that your lessons are going well! It sounds like you are back in the saddle! :P Keep us posted about your progress!
 
#57
I'm so glad you've got back into riding! I had a terrible fall 10 years ago and I've been riding on and off ever since, last time I rode was 2 years ago and only gave up because my stables kept putting me on this horse that kept throwing me off so I just stopped going.

It sounds like you're really enjoying it though! Keep going!
 
#58
I hope you try again someday. I was very nervous too and still am a bit but my horse is amazing and so is my instructor. I had a bad fall right before I stopped and it made me really afraid. I am getting over that slowly with every positive ride.
 
#59
It's so encouraging to read your positive experiences.

I'm in the same situation: I had a nasty fall years ago and couldn't get back in the saddle for a while because of the injury. When my knee had healed I was too scared.
In the last two years, I slowly tried to start riding again. The first time was hacking out with friends on a really sweet horse, but I felt terribly insecure. The next time was last year during a holiday at the Baltic Sea where I had a lovely time riding an Icelandic Horse on the beach. And a few weeks ago, I was out hacking with a friend and had a really good time. It seems like my confidence is coming back and I'm really thinking about taking lessons again.
 
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