teaching young child to ride

[brittany]

Hi, was just wondering can anybody give me any tips to help me teach my 4year old to master trotting and tidying up het riding. She's been riding properly about a year,she has her own dartmoor pony (which is very lazy) they have an excellent bond together and I trust the pony completely with her. She knows her basic aids and she can rise to the trot most of the time but she does still have her arms and legs swinging about. I know she struggles to keep the pony in trot in a school so this doesn't help but was just hoping somebody had any ideas of little tasks to set her to tidy up get riding. Thanks

[Em5]

I use to tell my daughter to pretend she was carrying two cups of tea in her hands to teach her to hold her hands correctly and stil so as not to spill her tea, worked for us :-)

[Em5]

As for keeping her heels down were still trying to master that one, any tips anyone would be great :-)

[paige1316]

Mu instructor tied my stirrups to my girth to keep my lower leg still then attached the bailer band to some spur straps without the metal bit and tied that to the girth as well. I had to ride like that for a week but it worked well. Lol don't know if its the best was and was definitely funny when the stirrup got all tangled up when I took the saddle off it too me ages to sort it out but seemed to help

[mountainsandhorses]

I always get children to "games" weaving around cones, fetching a cup from one end to the other, "tag" with me on the floor (often exhausting) I find that this gets them enjoying riding and improves balance without barking at them (I am sure you don't bark ) repeating games with no stirrups etc tends to lengthen the leg and often results in a much better position when stirrups are returned. "Uppy- downies" I always teach as a game too- can you do three? can you do four? Both pony and child seem to develop quicker this way along with hacking up and down slopes as much as possible. I remember my lessons as a child were always centred around riding terrain which meant I had to sit up. That said I was made to ride with a stick through my elbows and behind my back, had my stirrups tied together and lots of grid work with no stirrups, reins, saddle which might be a step to far in this H & S world. I also recall sitting on the end of my parent's sofa perfecting my position as a youngster but I was, and am, a saddo ;-)

[brittany]

Thanks everybody! These sound great xx

[GinaGeo]

Maybe popping the pony on the lunge, so you can keep him going and she can concentrate on her rising will help. Keep it short though and include lots of "games" to keep it fun. If she has other children to ride with the mounted games will be great fun and she'll learn without realising

[sarahp]

We did lots of touching pony's ears and rump and child's toes from the saddle, round the world. We played tag with a handkerchief down the back of the neck to be captured - but all on ponies - and lines of cavaletti (that dates me!) with no reins or stirrups - but we were allowed saddles! Never had my stirrups tied to anything though. What about handy pony type things like "go and put this mug on top of that fencepost", or take washing down off the line? The aim of all this is to get an independent seat, the first essential for any rider, the rest comes from that.

[horseboxapp]

I wasn't as young when I learnt the basics but I did it by being told to watch someone good and told to try and do as they do until I got it right.

As for tiding up leg work, I saw some people trying to ride by almost standing in the stirrups , and keep off the saddle as much as possible. To get used to keeping their legs in control. Don't know of it's effectiveness though.

Em5's cup trick sounds pretty good, I'll have to remember it for when other people are learning

[catkin]

Its very hard for a small child to keep a lazy pony going and ride neatly - well at the age of four anyway. So, to teach her the 'tidy' bit, I would put her on the lunge, so you are keeping the pony moving forward and she can concentrate on the other instructions. Once she is neater she will be more effective and be able to keep the pony moving better! Confidence and balance are the key with small children. Once they are confident, they can sit deeper and once they have their seat, everything else follows. They cannot keep their hands still if their body is moving around. Well, thats in my experience anyway. p.s yes, I have tied stirrups down, with an elastic band around the girth. So, if the child falls off, it snaps. Sounds like she is doing v well though

[katealice89]

I always found getting kiddies to say up down up down nice and loud while trotting helped them concentrate on the rythem xx

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