Help please and musings.

[Mossy]

I have been a fan of EE for years, since NR days, and owe Heather a lot. Connie was one of Mike Peace's guinea pigs in 2001! I am delighted with my Saddle Company saddles. Again thankyou. I was there at the start of this board and have watched it grow. Much of it is fascinating if way above my head. I know what I like to see but have no idea of how to achieve it, even if the opportunity presented itself. More importantly I know what I don't like to see, bouncing tugging and kicking etc.
Now to get to the point of this ramble, is there a place on this board for very grass roots riders like me who have been riding for years,  hack a lot, hunt at speed, have occasional access to a school, and have very few lessons. There are things I feel that at my time of riding I "ought" to know, but I don't. I have questions I want to ask but the board seems to have got so highflown that I daren't!

[TashaKat]

Of course there's a place for grassroots riders. That is the basis of Heather's teaching after all, to get the basics right then everything else that follows will be easier and more correct.

It is interesting to read about, and discuss, the finer points but we should not feel intimidated about discussing the basics too. It never hurts anyone to revisit them and certainly does our horses a favour  I'm sure that for every question asked there are going to be several of using thinking "I was wondering about that too" 

The only stupid question is the one that you don't ask 

[whisper's mum]

I'm that kind of rider. Mossy! Please ask your questions, I haven't a clue about all the clever stuff and rarely contribute (I don't feel I should when I can't do any of it myself!) hence I have a tendency to post fluffy "Well done!" comments a lot.  The blogs do contain  riders of all levels/interests and ask some of those basic questions - they just don't get asked on the main boards so often.   

[intouch]

Mossy I remember you from NR days, believe me, grass roots it what I try to avoid, it's too painful at my age!!

Welcome back!

[Wendy]

Hi Mossy, I don't feel inhibited to post basic questions on here. In fact I wish more people would. 

It is always good to discuss the basics IMHO. There is a big problem in riding culture where there's a kind of one-upmanship that inhibits discussion of things that we think are obvious to everyone else where in reality - just about everyone else is wondering the same thing. 

So please do post your questions, it might stimulate some interesting discussion. 

Nobody's going to shout you down or make you feel stupid - I've never ever seen that on here (and I've been reading this not as long as you but since 2004).

[issywizz]

The only stupid question is the one that you don't ask 

Absolutely agree!

[catkin]

Another rank amateur here - been around horses all my life, just got on with it, made loads of mistakes, know what I like to see and what I don't, etc (though I have been fortunate to have some excellent teachers)

Well said Mossy - sometimes we get so hung up on semantics and stuff we forget the basic principles, and what's important. It's the simple questions that are sometimes the most difficult to answer, think of both admitting stuff to ourselves or explaining to a non-horsey person 'why' we do stuff in a certain way.  The 'stupid' questions - which are most certainly not - are often the most thought-provoking and flag up how we are doing against our own beliefs of what is right for us and our horses.

[ros]

Yup - count me in too Gill 

I've actually wondered the same thing at times, but then once in every blue moon someone you thought was WAAAY too experienced for the likes of us asks one of those questions that makes you realise they're just as human as we are 

And sometimes I comment, or shove in my own two penn'orth, and press the "Post" button and immediately think "ooh, I'm going to sound so stoopid!" But we've all had different experiences, and sooner or later if one little thing we contribute can help just one horse and/or rider, then it's worthwhile 

[Heather]

In some respects this is why we have the Horse Training/Rider training boards, and a separate Classical board. Not that there is any difference between the two, but I had hoped that those who perhaps feel a little more intimidated by the in depth stuff at higher levels, would feel that it mostly took place on the Classical board, and would still feel able to ask questions here. This does not make those who ride at the lower levels, whether they have ambitions to go higher or not, any less important!

I state at all lecture demos etc, that beginners are the most important level of all, and is why I have written a book for them- will be published next year if I can get round to it!

We intend to tidy up the categories to simplify the board, as it does seem to have an awful lot of catogories!

But, as I have posted several times, I have to practically extract questions out of the members for the Ask Heather forum. One of the benefits, at least, I had hoped it was seen as one, of full membership was to ask me questions, but even now, it is only the odd one or two! See the stickied topic at the top of this page?!!!

[guinea pig]

I am new to this site and have specifically joined to be able to ask what would probably  be considered to be very basic questions by many members so you are definately not alone.

I am lucky enough to have a lovely young filly and would hate to think that my ego got in the way of trying to find out the best way of doing things!

Heather, you may regret that you said that you don't get that many Ask Heather questions now that I've joined!!!! 

Chris

[shoveltrash]

I have questions I want to ask but the board seems to have got so highflown that I daren't!

"highflown"?
naw!
there are discussion on ALL levels here - and i learn something from everyone .  esp the blogs!
ask away

[ChrissieW]

I enjoy the more detailed discussions, but do freely and often admit that they go over my head, but I don't particularly feel inhibited to ask basic questions, I just tend to put stuff in my blog as I find it easier to explain my particular problems and issues with my horses when people hopefully can see the background and get a feel for them there.

Have had loads of brilliant help and advice for basic stuff, maybe I should make more effort to post the questions elsewhere, but often they aren't "questions" as such, just me rambling about my horses and someone comes up with something really helpful.

Mossy - you are not alone in your level of experience, I know NOTHING about classical riding at all in reality, never had a classical lesson in my life and am your typical riding club level/unaff. dressage happy hacking type, who just enjoys learning a bit here and a bit there and am more interested in training young horses in the basics of life than actually ever going up the levels in dressage (oohhhh there's a contentious topic in itself I would think - should people with no ambition to ride properly classically and understand all the intricacies, train young horses......   ).

I must admit that occasionally I do switch off from the higher level stuff as I sometimes find it all a bit intense and intellectual  and think "oh well, I'm never going to be perfect" and womble off to have fun with the nags!!       But on the other hand have picked up some really inspiring info and I don't ever stop trying to improve, I just try not to get too hung up on what I don't know!!! 

I'm going to have a think and pick my riding apart a bit (quite easy!  ) to try to think up some "ask Heather" questions, trouble is I never have access to video which I think is probably essential for Heather or anyone else to really help, so its a bit difficult.

The video I did manage to get of myself riding, the computer ate when my niece was trying to download it - errrrr maybe it was trying to tell me something! 

[Lammy]

There is no such thing as a silly question and please don't feel concerned about asking.  Everyone learns from each other, we all have something to give.  I am always open to listening and have heard many things that have made me think and that includes total beginners and also people that have never even sat on a horse.  It is all very much a journey, nobody knows everything I believe if you aren't open to taking information on board then you are restricting what you will learn.

Everyone is at various levels and receptive to certain information at certain times, we are and will be forever learning 

I am going to try and be more active on the forum again as much as I can so fire away and get me thinking and I will help you all where I can and I'm sure everyone else will aswell