Some things just come naturally to people. For example, some people are born knowing how to stay inside a swimming pool.
One thing that was taken into my life was how to correctly ride a horse. It really seemed I knew how to ride a horse from birth accurately but didn’t start riding alone till I was five. That was mostly part of my precious quarter horse Jack who knew that I was a mere beginner. So, would you like to hear a few pieces of advice on how to ride a horse?
Before we begin- Let’s discuss some Safety Tips.
- Helmets are a MUST: Before you get on, make sure you are wearing a correctly fitting horse riding helmet. It can save your life in the event of an accident, so make sure yours fits well.
- Please Stay alert: Horse Riding is super fun, and when you’re first learning as a beginner, it’s easy to get distracted. You are dealing with a living, moving mammal who might behave differently in different ways. You’ll learn to recognize “horse talk” better as you progress, but keep your eyes open and be conscious of your horse, other horses around you, and the neighborhood.
- Protect your feet: Proper boots are a must and cannot be compromised.
When learning how to ride your horse, one of the best things I can advise you is to keep your cool. If you lose control of yourself, I do not doubt that you will lose control of the horse. Do you know why people say that a dog can notice if you’re scared? Well, so can a horse. Some will exploit that fear as an easy way out of work (smart right). Even if you think that the horse is typically some large mammal and you have close to no idea how you’ll ever stay on, you can not show it to your horse. It would help if you stayed relaxed and calm. If you get somewhat scared, take a few deep breaths so that you can reduce your heartbeat and relax. Odds are, if you think you’re in charge, so will the horse.
Now that you have soothed your nerves and told yourself that you are chief, let’s talk about riding a horse. There are two riding styles you can think about when you learn this art- Western and Indian. If you haven’t ridden that much, I suggest a western saddle mainly because it holds you in place better and has a trumpet for you to hang onto if you consider the need. An English saddle has thinner stirrups, is really lighter in weight, and no horn to hang onto. Some people swear by them for a beginner to build up the balance, but I feel more secure in a western saddle. I think that if a cowboy feels that they’re the best to hold you in, I’ll have to agree with them. You can work on the correct balance once you learn this art a little better.
With the saddle in place, you can carefully hop on and go for a ride. As a beginner, you can’t just random hop on, quickly dig in your heels, and think that the horse will just runoff. To make a horse walk or run forward, you generally will have to press a bit with your thighs. Might need to move your butt ahead towards the horn a little to let them know you’re the boss, but being a beginner, you should already be on a well-developed horse. A green rider and a green horse are never the right combinations when you first learn this art. Green, by the way, merely means that you’re just learning (a beginner). Don’t go out looking for a horse that will mingle in with the tall grass. But once you’re finally up in the saddle and training, you can guide your horse in one of two ways.
If you understand that your horse neck reins, you lay the reins on the left side of the neck to travel to the right and over the right side of the neck to travel left. If horse experts told you that the particular horse plow reins, take one harness in each hand and pull on the side, you want to go. If you’re going to go right, gently pull on the right rein and vise versa with the left.
