hey I’m so sorry I just saw this, I have no idea how long this has been sitting in here! And thanks so much! :)

Riding is kind of tough, because depending on your situation everyone progresses at a different speed. If you really want an answer, I would say that for only riding for 6 months I think you are almost ahead of where I would expect you to be, so congrats for that!

I know it’s super tempting to, but try not to compare yourself to the progress of others. Riding is all about how you and the horse feel, some pairs may take months or years to accomplish what another pair can do in a single lesson. It can be frustrating, but it just depends. As long as you, your horse, and trainer are all happy, having fun, and comfortable but are still challenging and pushing yourselfs to be better - then you are exactly where you should be :)

Hey! :) Thank you! I’m so sorry I didn’t answer this sooner! I think this is really kind of a personal preference. If it were me, I think I would stay, but it really depends on you, your personality, and how you want to be treated. So without knowing you, this is kind of tough, but I’ll try my best! 

I think you have to do whatever you think is best for your riding. If it were me, I think I would stay. I thrive under pressure, so I need to be yelled at occasionally. However, if you are the type of person who doesn’t take it well when they are yelled at, I would talk to your trainer about it. Tell her that you don’t feel comfortable when she gets upset with you, honesty is always the best policy.

Another thing is, I just want to know that you are not alone! If you are having problems with jumping, don’t feel bad! Getting a half-ton beast to willingly go over a solid obstacle is not something that is easy, and I’m sure every single rider has had a problem with it at one point or another.  

All that being said, I still think it comes down to your personality. I think I would do well there, but I also know people who would not. I think it would be best for you to just sit down and have a heart-to-heart conversation with your trainer about how you are feeling. I know that might seem really hard and awkward to do, but I can promise it will feel so much better knowing that you are both being honest with each other. Maybe she doesn’t realize her yelling at you is doing more harm than good, or maybe that is just how her style changes as you get more and more advanced. Riding is supposed to be fun, so if it is affecting your self esteem where you are now that is obviously not a good thing.

One more thing to consider! Is it just you that she yells at, or does she raise her voice with other advanced riders too? I know a lot of trainers who start of really sweet with the younger and beginners riders, but as they start to move up they get tougher. It could just be her style of teaching and not just you!

Sorry this makes no sense! haha whenever I try to give advice it always turns into this huge messy paragraph that doesn’t make any sense. But any way, good luck, and feel free to message me again and let me know how things work out! <3

Thank you, I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on it! It’s from rue 21 :) 

I’m not sure if this was asked for a blog rate, but I’ll give you a 73/100, only because it isn’t 100% horses :)

ehh a little bit! I have a pretty bad glove tan line hahah ;)

85/100 - I’m not a huge fan on your theme, however I really love all your posts! I also love your mare’s name, it’s so cute! And I also really love the quote in your heading thingy haha Keep up the great work! :)

haha thanks, it was a total party ;) I honestly have no idea, I can’t pick just one thing! I love competing because I get to see all my hard work pay off. I like lessons because I love to learn. I love jumping because it’s like flying but I also love flatting because I feel so connected to the horse. I love galloping out on the trails because that is the definition of freedom. I love just sitting in the barn and listening to the horses breathe. I can’t pick just one thing hahaha

blog rate: 1567892736/100 You, your riding, your blog, everything is literally perfection. You’re my favorite blog :) 

Thank you, it did go very well! :) Framing up is something A LOT of people (including me!) have problems with, so don’t feel too bad! I like to start the first couple laps around at the walk, trot, and canter on a really loose rein so the horse can stretch and kind of have an easy start, kind of like when your going for a run, you don’t want to just start off sprinting right away. Then I do a lot of transitions, turns, halt/backing up to get them listening and responding to the bit. I also like to do a lot of inside and outside bends. Once you’ve done all this, you can start to try to ask for a frame. Make sure you really push them into it with your legs, thats where most of it comes from, not really from just your arms and hands. You really need to be thinking about riding hand to leg. A huge myth/pet peeve of mine is when people think low hands create a low head. This is completely false. If anything, you should lift your hands and separate them a little to really invite the horse onto the bit. Then you can slowly begin to try to work them into the bit. You can gently squeeze your fingers on the reins like they are sponges, you shouldn’t really be pulling back. Also, once the horse is in a frame, make sure you release a bit of the pressure and so you aren’t “holding” or forcing the horses head in place. If your horse is being really stubborn with it, I think it is okay to give a little wiggle of the hands, but ONLY if the horse is being really stubborn and purposely avoiding contact. I’m sorry if this doesn’t really make sense, it is so difficult to put this into words! The next time you can get a lesson, I would tell your trainer that framing up is something you want to work on!  haha but hopefully there is something helpful in there ;)

blog rate: 95/100! I really really really like you theme! Your posts are also awesome, there are a lot I haven’t seen before which I love!  and your URL is perfect too :) the only thing I’d love to see is some pictures of you and your horse, I love seeing people’s riding and progress and putting a face to the blog!