Dressage lessons!

[thara96]

Hello and welcome!

I am new to dressage. What are the different dressage levels? How do I find a good instructor? Any tips will be appreciated as well. I want to take part in dressage tests too at some point in the future if possible. I have ridden a horse before on vacation only. Are there any dressage clinics in England or not? I am thinking of taking proper lessons additionally so that I can hone my skills, make new friends and develop my technique plus ability at the same time.

I am a horse lover. I used to ride horses but only when I had a spare hour or so to myself. I could not afford to pay for lessons until fairly recently. What I am after is information on all aspects of dressage really.

[Scribbler]

This is a huge topic.

Since you are a total beginner rider I suggest you find good basic lessons nearby and enrol in those. At this stage jump seat lessons will be just as useful as dressage lessons and probably easier to find.

You can’t start specializing in dressage until you have independent hands and seat, which can take up to a year. Once you are in a lesson program your coach can answer all these questions as they arise.

You can attend a dressage clinic as spectator but typically people don’t ride in them unless they have their own horse ( or a long term lease,). Clinics are for more advanced riders.

Find a good affordable lesson barn nearby and work on the basics for now. ”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹

[thara96]

Thanks!

[MegBackInSaddle]

I love your enthusiasm! I hope you find the journey incredibly rewarding.

I’m with Scribbler. At the lower end of things, good riding is good riding. Look for a barn with lesson horses that suit your level and abilities. Talk to the trainer about your goals (eventually dressage). Talk to him/her about what you need to learn to work toward that goal. As Scribbler mentioned, you’ll definitely want to hear the trainer respond with something about working on independent hands and seat. Ask how the trainer would help you develop those skills.

Don’t be resentful or afraid to go backwards to move forward. Sure, once you can w/t/c on your own, it seems a step backwards to have your trainer lunge your horse while you ride. But you can learn a lot on the lunge, as it frees you up to work very specifically on one or two things at a time. Once you can jump, pole work can seem too easy (I know you’re interested in dressage; just giving another example). But riders and horses at every level (I’m talking up to GP jumpers) can benefit from pole work.

Ask potential trainers about their attitude toward you lessoning with others while you lesson with them. In my experience, good trainers encourage their students to ride with other trainers from time to time. We all teach and learn differently, and it is of great benefit to get different perspectives. It took lessons and clinics with a total of 5 different trainers to finally get me keyed in on fixing some long-standing problems with my position and seat. If a trainer says you can only take lessons with them, run away. They’re either money grubbers or they’re sure they have a unique handle on all of the correct answers (no one does!).

You say you can afford lessons. Once you get into lessons, or as you check into lesson barns, you may want to ask about half-leasing opportunities. Once-weekly lessons sound like a lot, but in my opinion, especially as a beginner, you need a lot more time in the saddle than that. Another ride or two a week working on things from your lessons is really valuable. Plus then you can do some fun and relaxing things that can also benefit you and the horse, like trail rides or playing around with barn friends riding bareback.

Best of luck to you in your exciting new journey!

[NJRider]

The USDF website has a lot of basic information for people new to dressage. https://www.usdf.org/about/about-dre…todressage.asp

[Willesdon]

From your post, I suspect you are in the UK. If you go to the British Horse Society (BHS) website, you will find a section “Where to Ride” which lists BHS approved riding schools across the nation and will give information about any specialist training they can offer. However, at the start, any good lessons will be dressage lessons because that is what basic riding is about. As you advance, you can then specialise in dressage for the higher levels.

I hope that helps you. PM me if you wish

[thara96]

Thanks. Sorry for not updating sooner. I emailed my local riding school Wildwoods in mid December a week before Christmas Day to find out if they were willing to teach a adult rider. Since then I went in during early January to take a look at the horses there and see over the place too. I even spoke to the owner as well about the lessons last month. I mentioned that I have done dressage in the past.
We then discussed lesson prices and dates.
I made some brief notes on the horses which I saw during my second visit last month for future reference in case and also asked them some questions about the lesson cancellation policy. Unfortunately earlier this month I got the dreaded yet expected closure email from the owner of the stables in my virtual mailbox. But they said that I was on the waiting list. So that is good. I will try to find out more information next week if possible.
Thanks for all of your helpful advice and tips as they certainly were useful. Yes I am in Britain.