On the Stephanie Berridge scheme for classifying riders beginners are referred to as "Green Riders".

Green Riders Green riders are beginners or those with less than ten hours riding experience or novices who cannot yet trot well or mount unaided or catch and secure their own mounts. Being a tourist area we often have non-riding beginner visitors who want to ride out in the forest, in spite of the fact that they cannot ride or have done very little riding previously . We call this trekking. We have done trekking here successfully for over 30 years now and the accident rate is very low. Although we try our best to minimise the risk however, we cannot guarantee that you will not fall off. People who want to trek are advised to have a minimum of half an hour tuition first and then go out in the forest on a trek for the second half of the hour. During the first half hour we show you how to do the following tasks;

1. handle the horse from the ground. Push it backwards, forwards and sideways so that you can avoid having your toes trodden on. Lead it in hand correctly. Turn it and trot up. Halt and prepare to mount.

2. Know the five preparations to mount:
a) Safety for yourself and others how to avoid bites and kicks.
b) Where to stand in the arena on centre line away from the gate.
c) Distances from others during and after mounting.
d) Reins, girths, stirrups, stirrup leathers, girths again and check the tack. Bridle comfortable and secure with ends tucked in. Saddle well fitting at withers and girths checked for 3rd time (will need checking again at forest gate.)
e) Leg ups and mounting from blocks or from the ground. Assisting others to mount. How to lead a rider along, starting, stop and turn.

Why not have a lesson before you go out?

Often visitors passing through the area do not have the time or the desire to have a course of lessons first, they simply want to get on a horse and have a go. With good staff training and well schooled horses and ponies we are proud of our safety record. Please listen to our advise as we can help you. If you choose to trek out in the forest without taking up the offer of some basic tuition first you are greatly increasing the risk of a fall and perhaps a broken limb or worse! Our task is to make you aware of the dangers and to reduce the risks. We need at the very least, for insurance purposes to asses your standard in the arena and allocate the horses and ponies accordingly. It is not just the size and colour of the horse but its experience and temperament and suitability to your standard that are important. You will enjoy your riding more and be safer if you have some tuition and if you choose to disregard this advice and trek out after only the very minimum of training you must accept that you are increasing the chance of a fall and that you do so at your own risk.

Problems that can happen:

Steering the horse is important obviously and
in the forest one of the most common mistakes to make is assuming the horse will automatically take you on the safest route. It will not. It has no notion of how wide you are or how high you are and has no reason to think of things from your point of view. On its own the horse has good balance but with a novice rider bumping around on top the balance alters and the riders movements can inadvertently cause the horse to swerve or trip. Without meaning to or intending to you can cause him or her to take you under a low branch which might knock you off or you might pass very close to a tree or gate post and get your leg squashed.
In the forest you are more likely to fall off. If you do not know the horses or the routes you would be unprepared for the animal to suddenly turn off where the path changes or gets a bit muddy and you can just lose your balance and wobble off.
In the forest you may feel a bit less confident than in the arena you may give the horse incorrect signals or inadvertently ask him the opposite of what you mean , or you may cause him to change direction suddenly pulling on a rein when you lose your balance.
In the forest wild ponies running free, other riders going faster, river crossings, open spaces, uneven ground and many other things can make it harder than you imagined. More experienced friends wanting to go faster can intimidate you without realising or intending to.

You will get far more out of your riding and enjoy it so much more if you have some tuition first. During lessons we teach pupils to sit in the correct balanced position and to use the reins for steering and control. Beginners tend to hang on to the reins like handlebars and use them as a safety devise for staying on. This can hurt the horses mouth and cause him pain and discomfort or make him reluctant to go or cause him to throw his head up or keep putting it down too low, or to protest in some other way.

Beginners need to learn how to hold and adjust the reins so that they are short enough for good control but not being held so tightly that they cause pain to the horse as this could make him play up.
Beginners need to learn how to mount and dismount safely and how to check and adjust their girths and stirrups. Loosing a stirrup is one of the most common causes of a rider falling off. Some time in the arena learning how to have your feet in the stirrups correctly and how regain them and what to do if they are lost is an important part of early training.

A beginner rider trying to communicate with a horse without knowing how to tell it what to do is like a foreigner trying to talk to you. If you are not familiar with Greek or Russian it is almost impossible to make yourself understood and it is the same thing with horseriding. Learn the signals and you will be able to communicate with the horse but if you try to get on and ride without the minimum basic commands established you are likely to have a frustrating time and may come to grief!

Remember - with a few hours of tuition you will learn how to sit and how to balance. The basic system of control and communication with your horse will be explained.

Before riding off with more experienced friends some trotting lessons are needed. Steering in the walk is one thing but in the trot you need to learn how to rise and fall to the rhythm as the horse runs and at first it is impossible to do this, keep your balance and steer the horse as well.

At first you can be led and your leader steers and controls until you are able to get the balance right. Alternatively you go on a lunge line or you can opt for a private lunge lesson. Once you can rise and fall (post) to the trot you need to relearn steering as it is harder than in the walk and your reactions have to be quicker. You need to practise losing and finding your stirrups on the move, and regaining them quickly in the trot will prevent a fall. Stopping and starting is harder at faster paces and steering around markers in the arena at trot is a necessity if you are to manage steering round trees and branches in the forest

Riding Clothes:

At this centre you MUST wear a riding hat with the British Standard PAS015or BSEN1384, the old standard 4472 has been phased out and superseded by the BSEN1384.and the PAS015 Old outdated hats are not permitted. The new PAS hats can be purchased at this centre at 10% off the recommended price. Alternatively you can hire one for £1.50 At all times chinstraps must be done up when you are on a horse. Hairnets are advisable for those with long hair. Jodhpurs or jeans and chaps are the best trousers to wear. Riding in less appropriate trousers is permitted if you have nothing else, but you may get sore legs. Gloves are advisable. Riding boots or jodhpur boots are recommended. Safety stirrups must be used for those without correct footwear. Riding without stirrups would not be normal for beginners and, in any case, is only permitted with the agreement of the instructor in charge. Long sleeves and a jacket give more protection than short sleeves and a shirt in the event of a fall, at any level.

During the Ride -

The pace must always be at a speed suitable for the least experienced member of the group. This is required by law. You may wish to go faster but your ride escort is responsible for your safety and that of your horse. You also have a responsibility to third parties. People out walking their dogs, pensioners out for a stroll and many other people have as much right to be there as you do. The forest is not for the exclusive use of horse riders and you are required to be under control and to be aware of the risks both to yourself and to others. If you do fall off a loose horse may gallop off across the forest and crash into people or ultimately a car on a forest road. We want you to be safe and enjoy your ride like hundreds of people have, so we draw your attention to safety matters at the start.

All horses must walk the first mile out and the last mile home.

The horse you enjoy riding in a lesson in the arena is not necessarily suitable for you to ride out on into the forest. When they see the open spaces some of them are much livelier than you thought they might be.

When riding keep a safe distance in all directions from other riders. i.e. at least the length of a horse away from the nearest rider or dismounted person or obstacle. A kick can cause a broken leg to a horse or person. Any horse may be liable to kick you or react violently in certain circumstances e.g. if there is a chance of the horse behind treading on its heels, or if a fly bites it, or if a bee stings it, or if something frightens it. If you get kicked it is often your own fault for being too close. Care at keeping the right distance is important and will increase your safety.