After a lot of research, my SO got a bike of her own. She got curious about my own newfound obsession with MTBing, and got a nice bike of her own.

We went to a couple of rides around the local park with very simple trails just so she can get a basic idea of what it's like, but she's never ridden a bike with gears before and I can tell it's a bit overwhelming for her. The only thing I insisted on right away was that she get a proper helmet asap. I want to help her progress, but I'm afraid that I will push her too far outside her comfort zone and kill her interest in trail riding.

What should/could I do to help her out? How can I tell when I'll be able to take her to actual xc trails? Any tips would be more than welcome.

More than anything I'm apprehensive about her v-brakes, I really wish she got hydraulic disc brakes right away because if I don't trust her v-brakes, how can I expect her to? However, disc brake upgrade also requires a new wheelset.