shadow sorry you had such a lousy lesson. theres nothing wrong with being pushed hard but this woman sounds like she is off. i would definitely bring that up to your regular trainer because not cooling a horse down afterwards is dangerous.

i miss riding a lot. jumping a horse is so much fun you will love it. there is no drug that can give you the same feeling you get jumping a horse IMO. i have had lots of falls too when jumping. i have gone over jumps and landed on the horses neck, i have gone over the jumps without the horse. i had to start scheduling my nail appointments after my lesson in case i broke a few, which i inevitably did a few times. when i stopped riding i was jumping jumps with no stirrups and no reins. that was fun and scary !! i also loved to take lessons riding bareback. that was always alot of fun too. i have to stop talking about this now cause it is depressing i can't ride anymore :(

keep up the good work and dont be afraid to say something if you think what they are tell you is wrong.

MsBoxer, I do agree with what you say although it was unnecessarily harsh. It sounds like Shadow just wants to do this for pleasure and not for serious competition. If she is on a schooling horse at a schooling barn then to not want to work hard and do it ‘perfect’ is fine for her, it may not be my idea of riding but that is ok. I have my own horse and have been riding at an excellent show barn forever, I know that I need to work my horse and push myself and her to be the best we can be.

Different people have different levels of commitment for different things so while I understand where you are coming from; I also understand that that is not the mentality of everyone.

Also, I know that in general the idea of people not taking riding as a serious sport is a touchy issue. It is a VERY expensive sport and unfortunately a lot of people who have the money to do it, do not have the commitment. they just buy ridiculously expensive horses and ruin them, on the other hand there are people who have the skill and commitment and dont have the money for a good mount and can therefore not excel. People like that bother my but a pleasure rider at a schooling barn, going to schooling shows is not such a big deal.

P.S. dont comment my inability to spell-- it really doesn't matter

scout-- going over a fence without your horse is the worst!!

I am just starting back riding from surgery and I am looking forward to long hours of sturripless work to whip my legs back into shape!! cant wait to be jumping again :)

Teaching me hard is one thing. Insulting me is another. I don't like it how she expects me to get everything perfect when it's only my second/third try. MSBOXERS, yes, I don't expect it to be 'all fun and games', but I DO expect to be treated fairly. I go to all my lessons, snow or heat wave. I have stayed at the stable ALL DAY working in the summer, when it's about I dunno, 90-95 degrees. I have spent that time walking horses, giving them water, ect.
As for the weight, the sub told me about 3,000 lbs when I asked about the weight. I don't do it for pleasure. I do it because I love the horses. I honestly couldn't care less if I showed or not. I just enjoy being around the horses. Though someday I think it might be awesome to show.

I think that MxBoxer is right. I have riding lessons every Tuesday, and yes my legs are sore the first couple of times but your muscles begin to get use to it. My riding instructer will never end on a bad note always a good one, and if i/or my TB does not get it right she always trys her best to perfect it and will keep at it until the horse knows what is right from wrong. If you are only getting used to canter, i think you should not rush into showing or show jumping any time soon, as there is alot more things need to be done. You may need to work on your transitions, and other stuff. Before doing other things with your horse, you should work on the on maintaining your balance and such. As for the sub, i think you should always stick to your main instructer, but another view is always helpful as that is what it is going to be like in the show ring. Lots of people have their own opinions and you should take it as an advantage other peoples opinions on your riding. i think you are being a little too soft with your horse. If you are based on a riding school it has probably done a bit more hard work than cantering around. My horse today was a little sweaty, but he worked better than ever, then spooked at a bag! My instructer, persisted that i had to make him perservere, as what would that be like if i was on the roads and it was a car. You should listen to your instructer and never argue back - there usually right! lol