HorseWise: Getting Back on the Horse After a Fall

   At our barn there is a tongue in cheek policy that anyone who falls off during a lesson has to buy their instructor a Coke. Is falling off to be taken so lightly? As a novice rider can I expect to fall off regularly?
A    Falling off hurts! It can shake a riders confidence so much that many choose to abandon riding altogether and it can scare their horse too. I hate to see a student fall off and I hate to fall off myself so I do everything I can to minimize risks and lay a strong foundation.

Part of the stretching and growing process comes from taking risks. What a sense of accomplishment it is to successfully face our fears and go for it! But it is the instructor or trainers job to determine which risks are appropriate.
In my program we lay a solid foundation of understanding and build upon that like a flight of stairs by challenging the rider or horse with a new skill as they master the step before. For example we wouldnt go on to a skill at the canter until it was going well at the trot. Also like an airplane has all its controls tested before it is allowed to take off I make sure students have an understanding of the three Ps before we fly up to the next level.
Pace Path and Position 
Pace This is the rhythm and length of stride that the rider decides his horse should move with. The key is that the rider picks the pace and has the skills to adjust his horse matching it exactly. If a rider is having trouble achieving a slow sitting trot hell be out of control at the canter. If a horse is just grasping a skill at the walk our