Knowledgeable horse people- Please help me classify my riding level?

Question

I have oficially had riding lessons for a year. the last two months of the year, I had two a week. I doný own my own my own horse unfortunetly. :(

I can walk, trot and canter in 20 and 10 metre circles. I have started jumping in a canter at about a height of 90 cm.I want to know if I am intermediate or whatever, and what you have to be in each catagory.
I would really appreciate a detailed response, but from someone who knows what their talking about. Thank you so much!! I will answer any othe questions you have about my ability :)

I can lengthen and shorten the horses stride, judge the distance and that kinda stuff aswell :)

Answer 1

Riding level is extremely difficult to tell just based on what you say you are doing. It is one thing to be able to point an old push-button horse at a jump and be able to hang on while they jump over, and a completely different thing to direct a horse to a jump, control is stride as he approaches, spring up and get out of the way while he jumps, and then direct him away, still controlling his stride length, pace, etc. I say this as an assistant instructor who made the mistake of giving the student the benefit of the doubt and letting them do something they were not capable of doing just because they had managed to hop over a couple of jumps without crashing (or at least claimed they had. Or their parents claimed theyt had Now I judge based only on what I see the student do in front of me). Same thing with a 20 m circle. Now if you're cantering a 10 m circle /well/, good for you :-) that's a tight turn.

Truth be told, you're still a beginner any way you look at it. You're still getting the basics down. The "beginner" phase can last several years, and much longer, depending on how liberally you apply the term.

It's a great sport. Keep it up and have fun :-)

Answer 2

All depends on the level of horse you are riding. If you are jumping on a calm easy beginner lesson horse that rarely puts up a fight, still a beginner. If you have to fight with the horse to get them to do what you want (with them being stubborn the whole way) AND you get your way every time, I would say intermediate.

Riding level has nothing to do with the years you ride (to a point). An intermediate rider is one that has fought battles with a horse, and won, can ride most horses and rides a lot of different horses, etc.

I would classify you as starting to be advanced beginner, possibly- it is hard without seeing how you ride, which is someone who knows the basics and has a good seat, but really does not have a lot of experience on other horses.

I consider myself and advanced beginner yet, and I have been ground breaking horses for 10 years, riding for 7 yrs, mostly 3-5 times a week. I am competing at first level dressage (can do shoulder and haunches-ins, leg yields, 10 m canter circles , etc) on a mare I trained myself since 3 months.
The reason I do not consider myself an intermediate is because I do not ride other horses that often. I have ridden a couple and have my share of broken ribs and scars, but not quite the experience riding other horses to consider myself intermediate.

Answer 3

One thing I have noticed about every single answer here is that they are all based on English saddle and English riding style. I would answer this question slightly differently because I ride and train western.
I know many many people I would class as advanced and advanced-intermediate who wouldn't have the first clue about dressage (among other things), and those that you might class as an advanced rider because they can do top-level dressage, have no clue how to handle a horse on the open trail in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, when their horse reacts because they see a bear or negotiating a path through wind blown debris.
From my stand point these are my definitions:

Beginner - from someone who has never been on a horse, through someone who can ride and control a well-trained horse at a walk, trot and canter

Advanced Beginner - from beginner to someone who can do the same thing on several horses or a more advanced horse

Intermediate - someone who can get on most horses and ask them to do most things, has very good control of their horse at all times

Advanced - someone who can get on any horse at any time and get the job done with efficiency, can start and train a horse and can isolate and work through problems

Answer 4

It is really hard to classify a rider without seeing them. And some riders are great on broke lesson horses and fall apart on something that has a little more go. Since you are already taking lessons, I would ask the person who is giving you lessons what they think. They are the professional and that is what you are paying them for. It seems that you may have already been told what level you are and did not like the answer. Maybe that is why you are looking for other opinions? It is kind if hard to believe that your trainer would have not discussed this with you already. Any good trainer or instructor tells their students (honestly) where they are in their riding like it or not. And most students accept the opinion and either A. Find someone who will tell them what they want to hear or B. Work harder to improve to a higher level.

Answer 5

I have been around horses all my life and I'm 52 years old.
I train draft horses as a hobby and have done so many years. I see people from all walks of life getting into this hobby without any knowledge what so ever. Here's what I have to say:
First off, one year is basically nothing! You have a long way to go!
Secondly, with all my experience, I still learn something everytime I take a horse out nof the barn!
NO two horses are ever the same! So, when you think you're proficient on one horse you might not be on the next one!
It takes YEARS of practice and your "EGO" should never stand in front of you when it comes to horses! WHY??? Because you will let your guard down for one split second and that could be fatal, with all due respect!
These are very large and powerful animals to which you must always be respectful of! In the same respect, you should always be in control of the horse and not it in control of you!
I'm 52 years old and I still learn something everyday! When you think you have passed that stage, you had better hope the good lord is looking over you!
My recommendation: Forget about what "level" you're at because two different instructors will have two different opinions! Just keep on learning, be open minded to learning, and always remember, you still and always will have much to learn!!!!!
Best of luck to you!
PS: I'm not trying to be disrespectful but rather placing the facts before your eyes to make you a better horseman or woman!!! I have personally witnesses so many catastrophic events because people let their ego take over their common sense!

Answer 6

I am a BHS Instructor, so I am used to assessing and categorising riders.
From the information you have provided I would class you as an advanced novice. The term 'intermediate', when related to horse riding usually indicates quite an advanced rider, capable of riding Elementary Dressage, Novice Horse Trials and Newcomer Show Jumping level.
Keep up the good work, and I'm sure you will get there!...

Answer 7

What is your riding level? Answer this, have you ever rode a horse somewhere than other than inside an arena or ring? I grew up in Va, rode and showed horses extensively. I knew alot of people who showed that had no idea how to saddle or care for a horse, or have never ridden out in the open. Even though they could ride well in the ring, jump and all, I still never considered them a rider.

Answer 8

I agree with the above poster in that's hard to classify riding level just from a description without actually seeing you ride. However, from the descriptions here I would say you're probably an advanced-beginner. Sounds like a bit of a contradiction, no? The reason I say this is because I tend to classify a huntseat rider as an intermediate once they've ridden a variety of horses and can ride them well, they've begun to think about collection and bend, and they have at least a basic idea of what a judge looks for in competition. Intermediate riders will have a good idea of anatomy and how the horse's body works at the various gaits. For instance, they should know the trot is a two-beat diagonal gait. That means their legs move in diagonal pairs (right foreleg moves forward at the same time the left hind moves forward). When you understand the movement of the horse, you can better understand how to harness that movement and collect it, make it smoother and more balanced. I like to see intermediate riders beginning gymnastic exercises over fences. They should be balanced over a jump and have enough experience to be practicing a short crest release. They're basic position should be stable. The trainer shouldn't have to call out multiple reminders to keep shoulders back or heels down. Furthermore, and intermediate rider will be comfortable on a variety of horses. I wouldn't yet put them on green horses or those with severe behavioral issues, but I would expect them to handle horses that misbehave from time to time. For instance, I would expect my intermediate riders to be able to correct a horse that pulls or star-gazes. I classify advanced riders as riders who can handle green or young horses, who can properly ask for these horses to collect and can stay firm and gentle for as long as it takes to get the message across, who can solve many of their own problems on horseback without being instructed, who can keep a horse balanced and collected throughout a course of fences, and who can adapt their style significantly for the different horses they ride. An advanced rider should intuitively know how to ride different horses. There will be differences in the way they ride a green, skittish horse compared to the way they ride a horse that tries to pull or bully it's rider. But the results should be the same. Both horses should soften to the rider. Advanced riders are comfortable doing exercises over fences that are not in straight lines or on circles. They can get a good distance even when a line of fences is specifically designed to be either short or long. They will have mastered the short crest release and should be practice an automatic release, also called the flowing hand. They should be balanced and classically correct in the saddle, though they may have begun to develop their own unique style.

Riding is one of those sports that you can never really master. There will always be more to learn. I tend to be conservative with my students. I like to see them demonstrate real mastery of one subject before we add to that, because it's important to establish a solid foundation before you can tackle more advanced exercises. Most people ride for years before they're truly intermediate riders. Unfortunately, there are many instructors who go ahead and allow some of their students to tackle exercises they're not ready for. That's when you see dangerous situations and the formation of bad habits like getting left behind over a fence or allowing the lower leg to swing back in two-point. Remember not to rush yourself or demand too much of yourself right now. Riding is a demanding sport and if you're truly motivated to improve, you will.

Answer 9

If you're unsure what level you are at, you don't have enough experience. Like most things, people can ride their whole lives and still have room for improvement. Trust me, your a beginner (but some people make that sound negative -it's not!)

Answer 10

Well i've only jumped for a little bit but thats pretty good i'd say at least you're intermidiate in english probably NOT in western i've been galloping my horse on a field for years ur good in english okay in western