Difference between beginner, intermediate, and advanced according to Ms. Hannah. People always ask why our students aren't typically permitted to jump for the first 2 years, here's a detailed list of what the student need to be able to do in order to progress to the next level. We teach a lot of dressage all along which gives the students a wonderful seat and foundation from which to build on.
The path to Jumping:
Beginner: 1-2 years typically at one lesson a week.
0. Catching, leading, grooming, tacking, mounting, and dismounting properly.
1. Learn steering, starting, and stopping.
2. Learn to walk forward.
3. Learn basic strength and balance exercises i.e. ups and downs, scissor kicks, arm exercises
4. Learn to do basic sitting trot without a "runner" beside them.
5. Learn to do positing trot and work on the correct diagonal.
6. Learn to find their proper foot position in the stirrups and be able to find them at walk and trot.
7. Learn two-point at walk and trot.
8. Begin refining sitting trot with and without stirrups.
9. Begin working on steadying hands, keeping heels down always, and keeping body still yet relaxed.
10. Being able to ride a variety of beginner horses i.e. Conspiracy, Kate, and Twister.
Intermediate: 2-3 years at one lesson a week.
1. Learn canter with, without stirrups, and finding lost stirrups while at this speed.
2. Begin working on leg, hand, and seat aids independently by beginning circle work and serpentines at all 3 speeds.
3. Begin work at canter along different diagonals i.e. K to M.
4. Two point at canter
5. ( * I.5) Sitting trot with and without stirrups is smoothing out i.e. not bouncing around, legs, body, and arms are still.
6. Begin work over ground poles.
7. Begin work over 6" cross-rails (cavalletti) at trot and canter.
8. Begin work over 12- 18" cross-rails and low jumps of same size.
9. Learn courtesy circles and striding of jump distances
10.Begin doing course work with 18" heights of various types of jumps.
11. Harder horses come into the picture i.e. Casi, Dancer, Amber, Dexter, etc.
Advanced: 5+ years at one lesson a week
1. Mastered beginner and intermediate levels.
2. Posting and sitting trot begins to look easy and effortless.
3. Trotting and cantering circles and serpentines beginning work on flying changes.
4. Fence heights go from 18" - 2'+.
5. Heightened awareness of leads, and foot positioning in order to manipulate the gaits.
6. Flying changes begin.
7. Jump distances and hard combinations are added. Striding, take off and landing distances become very important.
8. Work with no hands and no stirrups (not usually together :> ) over jumps begins.
9. Much grid work and gymnastic combinations for horse and rider.
10. Rider is beginning to work with all aids and is gaining an independent seat.
The Path to Dressage: Dressage is a fancy word for "training". It takes years to learn it all and even then can be illusive. We can teach you thru 2nd level after that, you'll need a new trainer and more highly trained horses.
The Beginner and Intermediate steps thru * I-5. (see above) are exactly the same.
Intermediate level (after point 5. in jumping path)
6. Much of the time is spent on sitting trot with many exercises to balance and strengthen the rider.
7. Lots of emphasis is paid to the use of legs both at and behind the girth.
8. Horses are started to be put into frame (back legs stepping deep underneath themselves, back round, and neck and head arched).
9. Striding and rhythm becomes very important.
10. Exercises for lateral movement come into play i.e. leg yields, shoulder and haunches in.
11. Lots of work on extension and collection of all 3 gaits.
Basic Advanced: 5 - 45 years.
1. Keeping the horse on the bit, in frame, yet relaxed and willing becomes top priority.
2. The rider's balance is superb and all the gaits are even and controlled.
3. Collection, extension, forward, lateral, as well as backwards movement reaches the highest levels (usually about at the end of your riding career.)