How to Take a Lesson

If you’re reading this blog, you’ve probably taken dozens or even hundreds of lessons in your lifetime.  But are you getting the full benefit of your time under instruction?  Here are ten tips to help you get the most out of your lesson time

1.  Arrive early enough to properly groom and tack your horse.  Your tack should be clean and your horse should be properly turned out for the lesson.  Make sure you give yourself enough time to catch the horse from the pasture, groom and tack up, and get to the ring on time.

2.  Be in the ring mounted and ready to begin at your assigned lesson time.  In my lesson program, if your lesson is scheduled for 4pm, you should be in the arena mounted and ready to go at 4pm, not just arriving at the barn or in the middle of tacking up your horse in the crossties.  Being on time helps your trainer stay on schedule.  If you are late to your lesson your trainer either has to cut your lesson short or start the next lesson late.  Many of my college riders take their lessons between classes and if I don’t keep the lessons on schedule they may be late for class.   

3.  Be prepared with the proper tack and aides.  Confirm if your horse wears any special tack or if he needs spurs or a crop, and have everything you need when you enter the arena.  You don’t want to waste valuable lesson time running back to the barn because you forgot the horse you are riding wears a standing martingale or needs spurs. 

4.  Follow the left shoulder rule.  If there are other riders in the arena during your lesson, use the left shoulder rule when passing, which means that you pass a rider going the opposite direction such that your left shoulders are next to each other.  Another way of thinking about it is like driving a car; you should always pass on the right.

5.  Don’t break gait.  You should always maintain the gait you are doing (walk, trot, canter, etc.) until your trainer says otherwise.  For example, if your trainer asks you to do posting trot, you should keep doing the posting trot until she gives you a different instruction, like playing ‘simon says.’  One of my pet peeves when teaching is when I’m working hard to help a rider create a balanced, forward trot and the rider suddenly breaks to the walk.  If you stop trotting abruptly you lose the quality we were working towards and have to start over to get back where you were before you broke. 

Sometimes students break gait because they can’t hear the instructor or don’t understand something she told them to do.  I tell my students to try to keep going while asking for clarification.  It’s much easier to fix a problem if you keep going, than stopping to ask a question, then having to completely reestablish your gait and start again from the beginning.

If something happens and you need to stop (you feel sick or dizzy or another rider in the arena falls off), it is best to perform a correct downward transition to a forward walk.  Don’t just slam on the brakes and drop the reins.

6.  Remember that the walk is a gait.  It’s easy to think of the walk as a time to rest or stretch out your legs before resuming work, but the walk is a gait that should be ridden correctly.  If your trainer instructs you to walk, come down to a working walk and continue riding with purpose, maintaining connection and forward rhythm.  Your trainer may then tell you to relax and “go to the buckle” (lengthen your reins so your horse can stretch), or she may tell you to transition to another gait.

7.  Don’t interact with people outside the arena.  Other people from the barn or your parents may be watching the lesson, and they may try to engage you in conversation.  It may be tempting to talk to them, but you should always keep your attention focused on your trainer and the lesson.   You can’t get the most out of your lesson if you are distracted. 

8.  Watch and learn from the other students in your lesson.  I would argue that riders can learn as much by watching as they can by their own riding.  Watch your lesson partners as they take their turn jumping and note things they do well or not so well, then apply that knowledge when it’s your turn. 

9.  Communicate.  Ask questions if you don’t understand.  It’s better to ask a question before performing an exercise than to do the exercise wrong.  Your trainer is there to help you, but she can’t answer a question that you don’t ask.  Also, let your trainer know if you are uncomfortable performing a certain exercise or jumping a certain height.  As trainers, we want to help you reach your full potential, but we also want to work at the right pace for you. 

10.  Cool out your horse properly and clean and put away your tack.  Give yourself enough time to properly cool out and groom your horse after the lesson.  He worked hard and deserves a good brushing and/or hosing off.  Also take time to clean your tack and make sure everything is put away exactly as it was before you arrived.  Clean up your crosstie space and take one final look around to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything.

By following these ten easy steps, you can get more accomplished in your lesson time and your trainer will thank you for being such a teachable student!