Learning to ride a horse properly takes time, patience and practice. However, mastering some key basics will start you off on the right foot for becoming a competent, confident equestrian. This article will walk through fundamental steps like mounting, sitting correctly in the saddle, communicating with your horse through subtle cues, maintaining control at different gaits, stopping and dismounting. Follow these essential guidelines to establish a foundation of good horsemanship.
Mounting the Horse
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Lead the Horse
Start by leading the calm, saddled horse to a mounting area free of obstacles. Face the horse’s left shoulder and stand even with the stirrup. Grasp the reins about six inches from the bit in your left hand while holding the front and back of the saddle with your right. Lead the horse in a circle to the right a few steps, pulling gently on the bit to encourage backing up. This positions the horse next to a fence or block to utilize for mounting.
Check Saddle and Reins
Before mounting, ensure the saddle is placed properly on the horse’s back and cinched to prevent sliding. Feel for any foreign objects under the saddle pad or signs of soreness that could upset the horse when pressure is applied. Also check that the stirrup length suits your height to allow for proper mounting and riding position. Confirm the reins are even in length and untangled.
Face the Side of the Horse
Stand next to the horse’s side facing the same direction as the horse, about centered between the front and back legs. Position yourself close enough to the horse to eliminate any gap. Face forward with reins held in left hand, right hand still on back of saddle. Removing your hand signals to the horse it’s time to stand quietly for mounting.
Place Left Foot in Stirrup
Grasp stirrup leather and iron with your left hand underneath to hold the stirrup in place. Place left foot in the stirrup with a little hop-bounce, keeping your weight centered without leaning into the horse for balance. Bend your knee once the ball of your foot is settled on the widest part of the stirrup. Lean forward slightly from hips rather than through your upper body.
Swing Right Leg Over Saddle
In one smooth, swinging motion bring your right leg up and over the horse’s back, using the left leg planted in the stirrup for leverage. Straighten your left leg to hoist yourself up and pivot your hips towards the right. Avoid hitting the horse’s rump with your rear or pulling excessively on the left side of its mouth through the reins. Lower your right leg gently but firmly so your right calf makes soft contact with the saddle once seated.
Sitting in the Saddle
Posture and Balance
Once seated in the saddle with both feet in stirrups, establish good riding posture. Keep your back straight, abdomen slightly tucked, shoulders aligned over hips and head up with eyes forward. Distribute your weight evenly across both seat bones rather than sitting too much on one side. Maintain contact through your calves to anchor you onto the horse. Proper alignment results in balance, security and subtle communication through your body.
Keeping Legs in Position
Avoid the urge to lock your knees or clench legs too tightly on the horse’s barrel. Stiff legs mixed with a trotting or cantering horse can quickly eject you from the saddle. Allow knees and ankles to bend and flex naturally with the horse’s movement. Place the ball of each foot in the stirrup with heels angled about 30 degrees lower than toes. Heels down provides stability when riding.
Holding the Reins Properly
With reins held in left hand at start of ride, separate them between the thumb on top and fingers closed lightly around. Draw right hand portion of reins over to right side, arranging evenly in right hand. Close fingers gently to keep reins secure yet able to slide if needed. Avoid tightly clutching reins, which hinders subtle communication and steering cues. Hands should hover above and slightly in front of saddle horn.
Communicating with Your Horse
Applying Leg Pressure
Horses are directed through subtle pressures and releases of the leg and rein aids. ‘Close’ both legs gently but firmly around the horse’s barrel to signal it to move forward. Squeeze consistently with both calves rather than kicking or excessively digging heels. Bear weight slightly more in stirrups pressed under toe to apply pressure. Use this ‘squeezing’ leg aid each time forward motion is needed.
Pulling Gently on the Reins
Once the horse moves forward, light contact through the bit established via the reins provides guidance. Keep elbows bent and close to your torso. Pulling left or right directs the horse in that direction. Pulling straight back asks for slowing or stopping. Always start with gentle pressure, perhaps combined with squeezing legs to clarify signals. Sudden sharp yanks should be avoided aside from emergency situations.
Clicking Your Tongue
Making subtle mouth noises like clicking, kissing or clucking can further accentuate leg and rein cues. These sharp sounds grab the horse’s attention and clarify intended direction. Combine them with corresponding leg or rein gestures to prompt the desired response. Verbal commands like “Walk on” or “Woah” also prove useful, especially during initial training.
Walking
Use Your Legs to Cue Movement
To ask the horse to step out in an active walk, establish ‘squeezing’ pressure with both legs at once. Apply calf pressure behind the horse’s girth until forward motion begins. Allow the legs to hang long around barrel with heels lowered during the walk. Maintain consistent contact to keep the horse walking energetically and attentively. Subtle squeezes followed by immediate release keeps the animal alert to rider’s aids.
Guide Direction with the Reins
At a walk, use subtle lateral pulls on the reins to indicate direction, along with corresponding pressure from the opposite leg. For instance, stepping right requires gently pulling the right rein paired with squeezing the left leg against the barrel. Guide the horse’s nose tip in desired direction and it will move laterally. Avoid pulling too forcefully which leads to jerky head tilting or over-flexing the neck.
Sit Deep in Saddle and Stand in Stirrups
Ride the walk with your seat bones firmly planted in deepest part of the saddle. Avoid bouncing. Engage core muscles to maintain upright, balanced alignment. Standing slightly in your stirrups with heels pressed down maximizes contact. Sink weight into heels rather than toes for optimal balance and stability. Hands should hover just above saddle horn with reins allowing some slack.
Trotting
Establish Rhythmic Posting
Ask for the trot from active walk by increasing leg pressure. Rise rhythmically out of the saddle in time with the diagonal sets of trot legs. Push down into stirrups as hind legs push off, standing over knees. Absorb concussion through ankle, knee and hip joints. As front legs strike, softly sit back into the saddle. Timing is key to smooth posting technique, avoiding jarring seated landings.
Absorb Impact Through Bent Knees
Maintain posture and rein contact while allowing knees and ankles to flex naturally as the horse’s shoulders lift and fall through trot strides. Fixed stiff legs amplify jostling while relaxed joints absorb concussion more smoothly. Sink into heel position both standing and seated during the trot. Hands remain steady, hovering just over the horn to allow free head and neck extension for balance.
Maintain Gentle Contact with Horse’s Mouth
Avoid yanking back harshly if the horse attempts to trot too quickly. Instead “give-and-take” through the reins and bit, cushioning excess speed before gently re-balancing to a slower tempo. Pulling straight back combined with “whoa” aids helps re-establish slower pace. Proper contact keeps the bit stabilizing versus painful if tension rises. Consistency develops responsive horses to lighter cues over time.
Stopping
Sit Deep Into Saddle
To halt from walking or trot, begin transition by firmly sitting back into saddle, allowing legs to drape around barrel versus awkwardly thrown back. Shift balance onto tailbone to signal the stop versus perching on pockets. Say “Whoa” and pull gently straight back on both reins keeping elbows close without locking. Cease leg cues so all aids indicate downward transition.
Apply Gentle Pressure on Reins
As horse decelerates, progressively increase straight back tension on reins without excessive force. Horse should respond to building pressure through training before high levels are needed. Sinking deep into saddle complements the straight back rein pull. Ears tilting back signal the horse is responding suitably to the stop aids. Immediately release rein pull tension once fully halted.
Use Vocal Cue Such as “Whoa”
The verbal command “Whoa” proves very effective for halting, especially during initial training or unpredictable situations requiring an emergency stop. Say it loudly and clearly as you simultaneously apply your body aids – seat sinking deep, legs still and steady reins pulled straight back toward stomach. The sharp tone grabbing attention coupled with physical aids sharply signals “stop!”
Dismounting
Bring Horse to Complete Stop
Halt the horse via your established verbal, leg and rein aids before attempting to swing out of the saddle. Attempting to dismount while walking or trotting risks getting dragged. Ask the horse to stand squarely rather than on a diagonal or pivot. Pull gently on the reins to keep its head slightly flexed, which naturally discourages movement.
Remove Feet from Stirrups
Once fully stopped, remove both feet from stirrups before swinging leg over the back of the horse. Bracing a foot left in the stirrup during dismount risks serious injury if the horse spooks or shifts away. The absence of weight pressures through stirrups and saddle also signals to the horse you intend to dismount.
Swing Leg Over Back of Horse
While maintaining balance, lift your right leg up and over the horse’s rump in a long, sweeping motion. Shift your torso sideways while avoiding contact between boot and horse. Bring right leg all the way across rather than attempting to lower sooner. Allow left foot to pivot out of saddle last with control rather than hastily swinging out.
Slide Down Gently
Guide yourself down horse’s side subtly through rein contact versus stepping off immediately once clear. Settle both hands lightly on horse’s hindquarters and slide down smoothly. Right hand maintains gentle hold on reins as you descend. Bending left knee allows you to land gently rather than dropping. Pivoting to face forward prepares you to lead horse once grounded.
Conclusion
Learning proper horseback riding basics establishes correct practices that keep both horse and rider safe while developinghorsemanship skills. Consistency builds trust and intuitive communication between human and horse. Sticking to the fundamentals – proper mounting, balanced seated position, subtle cueing via legs, reins and voice – leads to confident control even during more challenging gaits or maneuvers. Riding with an emphasis on safety and the horse’s comfort level results in enjoyable, rewarding experiences for both partners. Mastering these keystone basics creates solid foundations for advancing your equine abilities.
