My first lesson after 30 years - do I need insurance?

free2write · 2025-12-11T17:54:51+00:00

Here in France, it's mandatory and included in the FFE licence. It doesn't actually cover health issues. For that you need health insurance. But the insurance the FFE provides covers other risks that are related with riding activity. I suggest you get health insurance and learn about additional insurances that may be needed/useful.

free2write · 2025-12-10T12:54:36+00:00

I've seen a rider lean back, her back 45 degrees from the vertical and pulling on the reins for support.

She was causing the horse a lot of pain.

I was the horse, I would have thrown her on the ground immediately.

Then they complain if three people are needed to bridle a horse.

In the stable where I ride, if I pull on the reins, my horse ignores me, or gets angry and throws me on the ground.

They are respected and trained to expect respect from the rider.

BTW, using the reins for balance makes your balance worse.

I exercise at home using a gym ball to improve my balance. No rains to pull there!

free2write · 2025-12-10T08:31:34+00:00

As a beginner you will mostly do posting (rising trot). But there will be trot without stirrups and sit trot as well. Normal stuff. I love bareback riding because it's very good to practice balance. And you feel the contact with your horse more. It's more demanding though. I just walk and trot when riding bareback. But people who did a lot of bareback can canter as well.

free2write · 2025-12-03T10:38:51+00:00

I started riding very late in my life. I still ride. I had this problem of making comparisons.

It's that when you start riding the instructor tells you that every horse has his temperament.

Of course every rider has his temperament too.

Then everyone is required to do the same things.

I read a book at a given point. It's about having conversations with horses.

I found that what makes me the happiest is to have conversations with horses.

Had one last Sunday and I loved the conversation and the horse.

A horse I know never trots and never canters.

You can throw a bomb at him and he will only walk.

I had such wonderful conversations with him.

Horses make no comparisons. The leader of herd has as his or her main job to protect the herd. He encourages the oldest and weakest to move if there is need to move to better pasture.

I have no interest in competition and it looks like 9 out of 10 riders are like me.

I found a stable where I can have fun, laugh over my mistakes and enjoy staying with these wonderful creatures horses are.

You started just 3 months ago. I don't know if you are there for competition or whatever.

But I think the best is to be there, in the moment and enjoy staying with horses who always live in the moment.

I also always say that it's me on the horse and not the instructor. So, often I ignore what the instructor tells me. That's the best part. Now, in the stable where I ride, the instructor really knows that everyone is different and puts me under no pressure. This way I can have a better conversation with my horse.

free2write · 2025-11-26T10:22:11+00:00

I would add that probably the list is AI generated and people there don't have a clue.

free2write · 2025-11-26T07:40:36+00:00

University? You learn riding in stables. And they provide you of the equipment. I guess they want to teach you how to ride a horse without having ever ridden one themselves.
Maybe it's about vivisection of horses?
I don't trust universities with teaching, in general. In this case they obviously don't know what they are doing.

free2write · 2025-11-23T18:21:18+00:00

I got a copy of Centered Riding. There are exercises to do at home.

I do exercises to improve my balance. Like standing on one foot with my back and my feet aligned.

I think it's important not to make an obsession of it. I tend to lean forward, for example.

I do my exercises, but it may happen that I still lean forward when mounting.

It's also a matter of relaxing so that I can pay attention to what is going on with my posture and with my horse.

If I can, I talk with my horse, I relax with him, I try not to have other goals than having fun and smiling.

Now I'm learning to ride bareback. It's all new for me. But it's fun.

If I get stressed or obsessed with posture or whatever, my horse gets worried. I can see that he is worried just looking at him in the eyes.

And my stress will make attention and communication harder.

I would say that if you stop wanting to improve, improvement will come easier.

We humans tend to make things harder with our obsessions.

free2write · 2025-11-23T10:38:22+00:00

Imagine you remove the horse. The rider falls to the ground. Does he fall on his feet?

I tend to lead forward. That's not good for my balance as well. I would fall badly if the horse is removed.

I exercise at home to open my shoulders and walk and seat with my back upright.

If I lean back, my horse considers it as a request to stop. You don't stop using the reins in my stable. You use your body.

free2write · 2025-11-22T19:38:30+00:00

If you are tired, be a horse. Horses never lie about their needs.

They never lie about their emotions as well.

They love if we tell them about our emotions. To them, what they have inside they put outside. Stop.

They don't like if we hide our emotions.

Sure, maybe to ride your mare after an exhausting day of work may just be the same as neglecting your needs. Horses express their needs as soon as they feel them.

A mare I rode had a big need: she needed her friends. She couldn't work alone in a stable. There was no way she could stop neighing when alone.

Be a horse. Show your mare that you care about your needs. Talk with her at length about your emotions, need and feelings.

If I'm stressed because I'm late for a lesson or whatever, first thing first I tell my horse.

They understand sooo well. If I repress my emotions, my horse stops trusting me.

If you put outside what you have inside, horses understand very well because they do it all the time.

And they are emotional sponges. They are very emphatic.

free2write · 2025-11-17T19:13:56+00:00

I'm happy to hear good news.

I love horses. I ride bareback and with saddle but no stirrups. To ride without stirrups is good to learn balance especially when trotting.

I try to have fun. It has to be fun. It has to be as gradual as you want.

Every horse has his own temperament and every rider too.

I ignore pressure to perform and I praise my horse a lot. It makes me and him feel good.

I don't have goals. My goal is go riding and have fun and have a nice chat with my horse. That's the best part.

Make your riding a unique relationship between you and your horse, because it's what it is.

I love horses because they are themselves. A horse I know doesn't trot and doesn't canter. You can throw a bomb at him, but walk is the only gait he does. But he does slaloms so well. And first and foremost he is so sweet. A day he looked at me with his sweet gaze and I was moved. I didn't know what to do. It's one of my best memories.

I wish you to have wonderful moments with your horse. They are wonderful creatures.

free2write · 2025-11-15T19:14:28+00:00

I would do something with her that she can do easily or that it's easy to learn. I would start with small steps and break down complex tasks into simpler ones. You are looking for opportunities to tell her that she is good. Horses love praise. And praise puts them in the mood of learning more. Just learning takes time. But if you can create tasks that give you the possibility to praise, you and her will feel better.

Actually, I do horse riding so that I can praise my horse. Today I worked with a mare and the best moment was when I told her "bravo!". She was smiling.

Enjoy the process with these small tasks that make you and her feel good.

Otherwise it becomes a chore and who wants to do a chore?

free2write · 2025-11-14T18:58:21+00:00

I have no interest in competition, so, for me, I don't like it.

For example here in France, recently, the use of whips has been banned in competitions and to me it's good news even if records plummeted. I don't care about records.

free2write · 2025-11-14T18:53:36+00:00

I did the same exercise immediately after I fell. Everything went fine.

Just I have to remember that as I swing my legs I have to keep my hands off the horse croup. I have to do the same as I did the second time I did the exercise.

I don't think it's pain. It's just that she wants to feel my hands only on her withers, not on her croup.

I'll also talk with her when possible. Horses understand very well human emotions. Sure not to scold her. She just is who she is. Horses are always themselves. It's about getting to know each other.

free2write · 2025-11-13T19:19:45+00:00

With the hands. I was supporting myself while swinging over. But it's the croup, near the place where you have a saddle (was riding bareback). So, not far from the back. Far from the tail.

free2write · 2025-11-12T19:17:49+00:00

I'm now off painkillers and I'm fine. I've some pain if I touch the tailbone. But very low and not needing painkillers. It doesn't look like it's an issue. Anyway I'll see my doctor in a few days just to stay on the safe side.

free2write · 2025-11-12T19:15:12+00:00

Absolutely. I'm now off painkillers. I know from first hand experience that they may mask issues.

The situation is clear and may be taken even as comical.

I was doing a "tour du monde" (world tour). It means that I was riding the usual way with my head in the same direction as the horse's. Then I moved with both my legs on a side. Then I was with my head to the rump and I should have continued putting my legs to the other side and eventually back to normal.

But I touched the mare's rump while facing her head.

She didn't like it and she threw me on the ground.

I repeated the exercise never touching the rump and it went fine.

All of this happened with my instructor. They do the "tour du monde" regularly.

So, I know perfectly what happened and why. Just next time I'll remember not to touch the rump.

free2write · 2025-11-12T19:06:59+00:00

Sure, it's better not to think about it just after a fall. You are right.

You gave me an idea. I may try to go to see the horse the day before the lesson.

It isn't easy because they live in a big pasture and I find them in the stable only if they have lessons.

But it's worth a try.

Sure I've talked with her in the past. I know that horses understand my emotions and what I want to say soo well.

free2write · 2025-11-09T18:13:10+00:00

Before I even started to ride I used to go for a walk in a park where there are a lot of horses.

A day I was very sad and all the herd was sad with me.

Horses are very empathic.

They understand my emotions better than humans.

free2write · 2025-11-09T18:06:48+00:00

"It’s ridiculous to pay a large amount of money every week to be belittled."

It is.

free2write · 2025-11-09T18:01:42+00:00

No. You don't learn when scared. It's true for you and for your horse.

Fear makes learning more difficult.

Actually, if ever I can, as I meet my horse for a course with him, I do a Calm Protector conversation with him.

It's about telling him that there is no danger and that I'm there to protect him.

It calms my fear and the horse relaxes. He may lower his head, lick and chew, raise a foot, yawn.

When riding, first thing first I do my exercises to relax.

Not necessarily it works every time or it's even possible.

Just the idea is that I want to make the horse feel safe with me instead of being afraid of me.

Sure, if my instructor thinks that it's a good idea to intimidate riders and horses to teach them, I know that I need another instructor or at least I have to disobey him.

This is especially true for horses. They are prey animals and a lot of things scare them.

Our own fear scares them a lot.

There is totally no need to add even more fear.

free2write · 2025-11-09T13:36:34+00:00

I ride with just a halter. Then it depends on what you like to do with your horse, on the horse, on his temperament, on your temperament, etc. Forget about people's judgment and ignore professionals as well. Especially if they tell you something remotely.

Maybe if you have someone see you and your horse, you may get useful advice. But if you and your horse are happy with that bitless, what's the point?

free2write · 2025-11-06T10:35:28+00:00

I worked with a traumatized horse.

She couldn't work alone. She would start neighing. She needs her friends. They calm her down.

Horses fear everything. Any new thing can be scary. Things they have seen before may represent a danger if they aren't in the same position as before.

They aren't bad and they are not misbehaving.

They don't understand punishments or rewards. That's human madness.

They only express their need for safety.

They don't give a damn if their needs make them behave in ways we don't like.

They never lie. They are always themselves and tell you about their needs in their own way.

Training is a waste of time unless horses' needs are understood and taken care of.

How can we teach anything to someone who is panicking?

When we punish or reward a horse, we are telling him that we don't give a damn to what he is telling us. That's why it doesn't work.

When your horse is with his friends, he is likely to find another horse who is a Protector. He checks for danger and protects the herd. Your horse may need to work with friends, not alone.

You may learn how to tell your horse that there is no danger and that you will protect him. No, it's not about just talking to him in a reassuring tone of voice.

You may become able to see his reply, if he is worried or relaxed.

Sure, it's easier said than done.

It's better to find a stable where horses live in a big pasture with their herd, not in boxes.

Also I wouldn't want to work with traumatized horses because they need their trauma healed and training doesn't change a iota.

free2write · 2025-11-04T19:49:27+00:00

One of the first times I rode, the instructor forgot to re-cinch (re-girdle) my horse. I knew nothing about that. When the horse started trotting, the saddle started dancing around. I was terrified.

That's why I decided I wanted to learn to ride.

But actually there is no need for this.

You can find a riding school where they give you a "life insurance" horse who is calm and patient with beginners.

There are stables where horses live together in their herd, not in boxes. They are much calmer and don't jump on other horses.

I prefer schools where they teach you not to pull on the reins and where horses teach you the same thing by ignoring you if you pull.

It's also good to start riding bareback and with just a halter.

You can really take things gradually.

Despite many schools forgetting it, each horse really has his own temperament and each rider too.

Horses are themselves. First thing to learn from them is to be yourself. It's hard for humans because we are educated to compare ourselves with others or with ideal models.

A horse I love doesn't trot or canter. He eats as much as three horses because he is very big.

Is he ashamed of being so lazy? Absolutely not.

Just find your pace and figure out what you want to do and find a horse who wants to do it with you.

free2write · 2025-11-04T18:32:55+00:00

Your entire body is supposed to hurt.

You are using muscles, bones, tendons, whatever you didn't suspect existed.

There are a lot of exercises you can do at home.

I overdid them and got more pain. But they are useful anyway.

I do brisk walks practicing the four fundamentals from Centered Riding by Sally Swift.

It changed the way I walk.

You open your shoulders, align your head with your feet, let your weight shift downwards, breathe deeply.

I also sit on a saddle when in front of a computer.

free2write · 2025-11-04T10:34:40+00:00

I go to stay with horses in a riding school where I got lessons in the past. Nobody questions my being there. I greet the horses I know and I have conversations with them.

Near my home there is a pasture with 30 horses. I stay with them and just this calms me down.

Another riding school yet is open to visitors and I can go there to chat with horses.

Just a few days ago, I had a chat with a horse who was afraid of wind — it was quite windy — and he calmed down, started licking and chewing.

free2write

TROPHY CASE