How to Ride a Horse (the Basics)
Mount your horse., Adjust the stirrups., Asking your horse to walk., Stopping the horse., Turning the horse., Asking your horse to trot., Going rising/posting trot., Asking your horse to canter after a few lessons with an instructor.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Mount your horse.
This is done from the left side by putting your left foot into the stirrup and lifting your right leg over.
You can also use a mounting block or a friend to help you up.
Remember to always fasten the girth (a "belt" which keeps the saddle in place), otherwise the saddle may tip over.
Land softly on the seat, so you won't startle or hurt the horse. -
Step 2: Adjust the stirrups.
Your stirrups should be about the length of your arm.
You can measure your stirrups by putting the stirrup irons basically on your armpit and making sure your hand comes close to the stirrup bars.
Do this while you are dismounted. , Make a clucking sound and squeeze his sides slightly with both of your legs.
The right place is just behind the girth.
If he doesn't respond, you will have to squeeze a little harder. , It's very important to know how to stop your horse or tell him to slow down.
This is done by leaning very slightly back, saying "woah" (if it helps) ,and pulling the reins.
Be sure you aren't squeezing with your legs, so you don't give mixed signals. , Your horse will turn left, when you squeeze with your right leg and slightly take your left hand to the left, to direct him.
When you want to turn right, the aids are mirrored. , Trotting is easy, but you shouldn't progress into faster gaits until you're confident with your ability to control the horse.
When you want the horse to trot, you simply squeeze him with both of your legs and cluck.
Again, if he doesn't respond repeat your aids, but make them a little harder.
You may also kick the horse with both of your legs lightly if it still doesn't respond. , There are two types of trots, the sitting trot and the rising/posting trot.
Sitting trot is sitting in the saddle and absorbing the bounce of the trot, but rising trot is easier.
In rising trot you go up in every second step and on every other step you sit down.
Trot is naturally bouncy, so it gives you momentum to get up.
You basically push yourself up with your legs and stand on the stirrups for one step.
The pace of the trot is quite fast, so you will basically be going up-down-up-down and so forth.The horse's pace will let you be lifted.
Just go with the flow and don't rise higher than the horse sends you. , Never learn to ride a horse alone.
It's dangerous, and instructors can teach you the correct way to canter.
The canter is the second fastest gait of the horse, after gallop.
Cantering is quite a bit faster than the trot, but some think it's easier to sit in canter than it is in the sitting trot.
You should start practicing canter only when you're on a steady horse and under supervision.
The aids used to ask for canter are simple, you push your outside leg backward, toward the horse's rear and keep your inside leg on the girth and use the inside rein to bend the horse to the inside keeping the outside rein firm.
Then you just squeeze with both of your legs and make a kissing sound.
Be sure you are on the correct lead.
You can tell if you're on the right lead if the horse's inside hoof reaches farther than the outside hoof. -
Step 3: Asking your horse to walk.
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Step 4: Stopping the horse.
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Step 5: Turning the horse.
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Step 6: Asking your horse to trot.
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Step 7: Going rising/posting trot.
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Step 8: Asking your horse to canter after a few lessons with an instructor.
Detailed Guide
This is done from the left side by putting your left foot into the stirrup and lifting your right leg over.
You can also use a mounting block or a friend to help you up.
Remember to always fasten the girth (a "belt" which keeps the saddle in place), otherwise the saddle may tip over.
Land softly on the seat, so you won't startle or hurt the horse.
Your stirrups should be about the length of your arm.
You can measure your stirrups by putting the stirrup irons basically on your armpit and making sure your hand comes close to the stirrup bars.
Do this while you are dismounted. , Make a clucking sound and squeeze his sides slightly with both of your legs.
The right place is just behind the girth.
If he doesn't respond, you will have to squeeze a little harder. , It's very important to know how to stop your horse or tell him to slow down.
This is done by leaning very slightly back, saying "woah" (if it helps) ,and pulling the reins.
Be sure you aren't squeezing with your legs, so you don't give mixed signals. , Your horse will turn left, when you squeeze with your right leg and slightly take your left hand to the left, to direct him.
When you want to turn right, the aids are mirrored. , Trotting is easy, but you shouldn't progress into faster gaits until you're confident with your ability to control the horse.
When you want the horse to trot, you simply squeeze him with both of your legs and cluck.
Again, if he doesn't respond repeat your aids, but make them a little harder.
You may also kick the horse with both of your legs lightly if it still doesn't respond. , There are two types of trots, the sitting trot and the rising/posting trot.
Sitting trot is sitting in the saddle and absorbing the bounce of the trot, but rising trot is easier.
In rising trot you go up in every second step and on every other step you sit down.
Trot is naturally bouncy, so it gives you momentum to get up.
You basically push yourself up with your legs and stand on the stirrups for one step.
The pace of the trot is quite fast, so you will basically be going up-down-up-down and so forth.The horse's pace will let you be lifted.
Just go with the flow and don't rise higher than the horse sends you. , Never learn to ride a horse alone.
It's dangerous, and instructors can teach you the correct way to canter.
The canter is the second fastest gait of the horse, after gallop.
Cantering is quite a bit faster than the trot, but some think it's easier to sit in canter than it is in the sitting trot.
You should start practicing canter only when you're on a steady horse and under supervision.
The aids used to ask for canter are simple, you push your outside leg backward, toward the horse's rear and keep your inside leg on the girth and use the inside rein to bend the horse to the inside keeping the outside rein firm.
Then you just squeeze with both of your legs and make a kissing sound.
Be sure you are on the correct lead.
You can tell if you're on the right lead if the horse's inside hoof reaches farther than the outside hoof.
About the Author
Richard Robinson
Enthusiastic about teaching practical skills techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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