Man has been riding horseback for millennia. Although the techniques are complex and sophisticated, there is nothing more basic than the relationship between a person and their horse. For many, it is an intense experience. While learning to ride requires detailed direct instruction, you can learn a range of basic techniques for your first riding adventure. Learn what you need to do to prepare your horse for riding, how to sit properly in the saddle and how to ride using English and Western style commands and techniques.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Sit on Horseback
Step 1. Mount your horse
Approach sideways, calmly, making your presence known to the horse. Traditionally, it is mounted on the left side, also known as the "near side". Take the reins in your left hand, and with your right turn the stirrup towards you.
- Slip your left foot into the stirrup, hold the saddle, gently take momentum into the stirrup, then slide your right leg over the horse and sit in the saddle, making sure you land softly.
- Be careful not to pull on the reins when riding. Don't use your horse's neck to pull yourself up, or you will risk injuring or frightening him.
Step 2. Find balance on the horse
When you sit on the horse, look forward and keep your back straight. About a third of your boot should be in the stirrup. Rest your hips comfortably in the saddle, with your weight evenly distributed. You are almost ready to start riding.
- Keep your heels pointed down. Do not hold your leg too far forward as if you were sitting in a chair - the "chair posture" is incorrect. Shoulders, hips and heels should be aligned, as if you were standing.
- Sitting on horseback is not like sitting in an armchair, it takes abdominal strength and muscle support. You may get tired quickly if you're not used to it.
Step 3. Imagine hugging the horse with your legs
Avoid letting your legs move. This will improve your sitting and work your muscles, as well as keep the horse motivated. Also, pull the navel towards the spine and remain seated straight, perpendicular to the horse's back. If you feel like you are leaning back too far, you are probably sitting straight.
Step 4. Hold the reins well
Close your hand into a fist, with your thumb up as if saying "OK" to someone. Hold the reins between the little finger and ring finger, inside the palm, then fold your thumb over them. Keep your arms at a 90 ° angle between elbow and shoulders.
When you hold the reins, you should feel very little resistance. Never pull on the horse's mouth and don't use the reins to stabilize yourself. The bit pushes on the horse's tongue, however light it may be, which can make the animal very uncomfortable or even hurt him if you pull too hard, too often, or with constant pressure
Step 5. Dismount
To disassemble, stand up on the stirrups and lift the foot on the side opposite the one you want to get off. Rotate over the horse so that you are standing on the leg still in the stirrup. Put your hands on the saddle, and use them to hold your weight. Take your second foot off the stirrup and jump down.
Part 2 of 4: Basics of Horse Riding (English Style)
Step 1. To make the horse move forward, squeeze the calves
To begin striding, gently squeeze the horse's hips with the calf muscles. One trick to do this without losing the position of the feet is to push the heels towards the ground. This causes the calf muscles to contract.
- Accompany this movement with a "click" or "kiss" sound. Each person is different and each horse is trained differently, so you may prefer a double kiss sound or the horse may respond to another verbal command.
- If the horse has been tamed correctly, you won't have to encourage him much to get him moving. The use of spurs or whips is usually not necessary.
Step 2. Relax your arms and hips
When the horse starts moving, you should be able to feel a rocking motion. You should follow this movement with your hips, back and forth. Your arms should also follow the horse's movement. While you should always maintain light contact with the horse's mouth, keep your elbows light and accompany the animal's movements.
- Imagine you are holding a cup of coffee filled with hot liquid that you don't want to spill. When you ride, follow the movement. To ride you will have to follow the horse and let yourself be dragged, not fight with him.
- Look down, behind the horse. If the horse steps with his right leg, his right shoulder will move forward and you should bring your right hip forward, as if you were walking like him. This will help let the horse know that it is making the right movement.
Step 3. Stop the horse by shifting your weight back
To get the horse to stop, sink the seat into the saddle or apply light pressure on the reins. You can also say "Hoo" to verbally encourage the horse to stop.
- Experienced jockeys don't need to use the reins to stop a horse. Well-trained horses respond to changes in riding position and verbal commands.
- Do not pull on the reins except in an emergency. Consider them a backup tool and not a support for your balance.
Step 4. Turn the horse around with gentle pressure on its right or left side
To turn, apply pressure with your outer leg, then keep going straight. As you become more experienced, you should be able to spin the horse with gentle shifts in the saddle.
- If you want your horse to circle, press the inside leg behind the belly. This will push its rear outward and give the animal a point to rotate about. Make sure you look where you want to go and keep your hands and body straight. If you look where you want to go, the horse will be able to move more freely and comfortably.
- Be careful to avoid pulling the reins back, as this will restrict the animal's movements and make it less sensitive to your controls. It is also important to avoid moving your hand outward, as this encourages the horse to ignore your guidance. Your hands should always remain in contact with the horse and you should be sure to apply pressure with the outside leg.
Step 5. Learn the trot
Once you are comfortable with the step, squeeze your calves harder to go trot. Sit deeper into the saddle and keep contact with your legs. Be careful to keep your elbows relaxed so you don't pull on the horse's mouth.
Each horse's trot is different. Some make their rider bounce a lot more than others. Staying seated at a trot is very difficult, and beginners are usually unable to do so by "bouncing" up and down. To sit at a trot, the pelvis bones must not lose contact with the saddle as the horse moves
Step 6. Move the outer leg back and squeeze to make the horse go to the canter
The canter is a three-beat speed that is natural to all horses. When you proceed to the canter, your seat sways with the movements of the horse and you remain in the position in which you normally mount.
- Try not to tense up. Most beginners find it helpful to hold onto the saddle or neck buckles when learning canter to maintain balance and avoid falling.
- Use this signal only when you are in a small trot. Do not try to make the horse accelerate, or he will simply increase the pace of the trot instead of switching to the canter.
Step 7. Learn to gallop after mastering the other gaits
The gallop is a horse's fastest gait, and you shouldn't attempt it if you don't have a lot of experience with other gaits. It can be very difficult to maintain the posture, balance and body position needed to gallop properly.
Step 8. Make a horse jump only after detailed instructions
To make a horse jump, you will need to approach the trot jump or canter, then pull firmly on the reins and stand up slightly on the saddle to hold the so-called "two-point" position. Lean forward so that the upper body is approximately at a 45 ° angle from the horse's back. Put your hands together and place them on the animal's neck.
- When the horse jumps, follow his movement and make sure you don't get left behind. You can avoid this problem by starting to assume the normal riding position when the horse falls back from the jump.
- Never try to jump with a horse at higher speed, or without having received proper training. It can be extremely dangerous, both for you and for the horse.
Part 3 of 4: Learning the Western Variants
Step 1. Learn the basic differences between English and Western riding styles
Many knights will tell you that the styles are very different from each other, but in general the differences are in terminology and subtle technical discrepancies. The English style tends to use more commands with the legs and saddle, while the Western style has commands with the reins and verbal to control the horse. The skills needed to master one riding style are transferable to the other.
- In the western style, for example, the trot is called "jogging".
- This is one of the reasons why it is very important to receive detailed personal instructions if you want to ride. Different horses have to be ridden in different ways, according to the training modalities. You can't know how, without individual instructions.
Step 2. Lead the horse with the neck
Horses trained for western riding are taught to move according to the signals sent by the rider's body and do not need much reins. Many of the western style riders use one hand to guide the horse's neck back and forth, while keeping the other on the saddle or hip. This technique is called "driving with the neck".
Use the same commands with the legs of the English style. When you want to spin the horse, use your body, weight and legs as you did in the English style. Push with your legs and drive with the reins
Step 3. Bring the horse to step
Sit in the saddle, put your legs forward and let the horse stretch its head down and out. When you are comfortable with the step, move on to the next step.
Step 4. Jog your horse
Jogging is the English-style equivalent of the trot, only with slower, longer strides. Rhythmically, it's a two-beat movement that you can recognize by the sound you hear when a stagecoach arrives in countless films.
- When you trot, sit slightly further back in the saddle.
- Western riding horses are often trained to recognize sounds as commands and the traditional "jogging" sound is done by clicking the tongue twice.
Step 5. Have the horse proceed to the canter (lope)
When you are comfortable with the trot, ask the horse to proceed with the "lope" gait, the equivalent of the canter. It is faster than the trot and, from a rhythmic point of view, it is three-beats.
The command for the lope is a loud "kiss" sound
Part 4 of 4: Learning to Know Horses Better
Step 1. Find a good riding center in your area
If you are a beginner, you will need a horse and a place to ride it. A good riding center has experienced instructors, horses appropriate to your level for lessons, and a good arena.
- You can learn the basics by reading, but it is very important to get instructions in person when learning to ride. When you choose a center, take one or two trial lessons to evaluate the instructor and the horse you are going to ride.
- Wax and find an experienced instructor with a calm horse. Training horses should be relaxed, experienced and at least eight years of age.
Step 2. Learn to prepare the horse to be ridden
Before riding, groom and bard your horse with the help of the instructor. Learn to bring the horse into position and tie it up for preparations; you will never take these steps alone for the first time. In almost all riding schools you will have to spend a lot of time on these activities before riding.
- There are many things to do before you get on the saddle and ride to the horizon. While you may be allowed to ride right away, in most stables you will first need to learn how to tie, feed, groom and saddle your horse before you start riding.
- Keep calm and try to relax when you are a beginner. Horses may feel your discomfort and will react accordingly. Take a deep breath, relax and get to know your pet.
Step 3. Learn to take care of your horse
Horses are cared for differently, whether they are kept outdoors or indoors, and caring for them is a complex process. Always follow the instructions given to you at the stable where you ride. Here is a general description of the horse grooming process:
- Use a brush to scrub the horse's coat all over the body, removing dust, sweat and fallen hair. Use the comb for the mane and tail on those areas.
- Then, use the stiff brush on the horse's body and legs to remove mud and sweat. This brush has stiffer bristles and you shouldn't use it on the muzzle, mane or tail of the horse.
- Use the cleaning tool to remove mud and dirt from the horse's hooves. If you don't do this before riding, the horse may have a sore foot and limp.
- Use a rubber or plastic comb on the horse's body to remove fallen hair and mud from its coat. Metal combs are used to remove hair and dust from the body brush and not for combing the horse.
Step 4. Learn to harness And harness the horse.
Before riding, a horse must be harnessed, that is, it must wear the apparatus that makes it easier to ride. The harness can include saddle, stirrups, blanket and bridle, according to your riding style. The bridles are always applied to the horse's head, to aid in its management.
- To saddle a horse, place the blanket over the animal's withers and push it towards the rear legs to move the hair in a comfortable direction. Place the saddle in the center of the blanket.
- Attach the rag and squeeze it gently, leaving room for the horse to breathe comfortably. Some harnesses have other equipment, such as saddle accessories, chest buckles, etc.
- Make sure you use bridles that are suitable for the horse's size, then encourage the horse to open his mouth with food and insert the firm bit into the mouth. Slide the crown over the horse's ears and adjust the crown, chin rest and buckles to secure the bridle.
Advice
- When riding you should always go up from the left side.
- Remember to clean your horse's hooves; if you forget, your horse may start limping. Also avoid the soft spot in the center of the underside of the hoof, as if you touch it your horse may kick, or in the worst case become permanently lame.
- When riding, make sure you keep contact with the horse's mouth, and don't pull the reins too hard.
- If you trust the horse, he will trust you and follow your commands.
- Accept that it can happen that you fall sooner or later. When and if it happens, he simply gets back on his horse. Treat the fall as something unpleasant, but not as a reason to be afraid to ride.
- Horses can sense your mood while you ride. If you are nervous, the horse will become nervous too; that's why you need to stay calm and relaxed even in the worst situation.
- Always stay straight in the saddle, look through the horse's ears and keep your heels down. Do not be afraid.
- Make sure you are wearing the right equipment. They are designed for your safety and protection.
- Your helmet should have received ASTM or SEI certification. The bicycle helmets Not are acceptable. If you fall off your horse, or your helmet is more than five years old, replace it.
- Be gentle with the bite; don't yank it. If your horse goes wild, it is essential to remain completely calm and not start treating him harshly. If you can, let the horse go in circles and gradually make smaller and smaller circles. As the circles get smaller, the horse will only be able to slow down. Don't just jerk the horse in one direction, because you could - and in fact is very likely to - throw him off balance.
Warnings
- Horses are prey. They are easily frightened by silly things, like a flying bag or a sheep. Remember this and don't treat them like machines.
- Horse riding is not like other sports! Remember that the "ball" in horse riding has a mind of its own.
- Try not to stand directly in front of a horse. The vision of a horse is very different from ours. A horse cannot see well ahead because it has eyes on the sides of its head. However, they have excellent lateral vision, and only behind them do they have a blind spot. Try to approach the horse slightly to the side, and keep any frightening or strange objects out of his view.
- Wear appropriate clothing when riding.
- Always ride with someone else in case of an emergency.
- Have an experienced rider check the horse's harness before you mount it.
- Never approach a horse from behind: it could get scared.
- Never ride without a helmet, as if you fall you could risk permanent brain damage.
- Try not to make loud, high-pitched sounds in the presence of a horse - you may frighten it.
- Never sit down and never kneel next to a horse.
