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Horseback riding can be both relaxing and exciting. An experienced rider can make horseback riding look effortless, but if you've never ridden a horse before, it's a scary and challenging experience! How to Ride a Horse breaks down the sport of horseback riding into it's basic components.
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Horseback Riding Tips
- Make sure to dress properly for horseback riding.
- Be gentle and respectful with a horse for the best response to your commands.
- Always mount a horse from its left side.
- Check to see which type of reining a horse is trained with before riding it.
- Make sure you are firmly seated in the saddle and your feet are in the stirrups before stopping.
- When you're learning to ride a horse, expect to fall off at least a few times!
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Horseback riding can be both relaxing and exciting. An experienced rider can make horseback riding look effortless, but if you've never ridden a horse before, it's a scary and challenging experience! How to Ride a Horse breaks down the sport of horseback riding into it's basic components.
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Horseback Riding Tips
- Make sure to dress properly for horseback riding.
- Be gentle and respectful with a horse for the best response to your commands.
- Always mount a horse from its left side.
- Check to see which type of reining a horse is trained with before riding it.
- Make sure you are firmly seated in the saddle and your feet are in the stirrups before stopping.
- When you're learning to ride a horse, expect to fall off at least a few times!
Introduction
- Like any sport, horseback riding takes practice and dedication. The safest way to learn the correct way to ride a horse is to work with an experienced riding instructor. Let your instructor know what your personal goals for horseback riding are. It can be anything from a competitive sport to a fun, casual hobby!
Horseback Riding Styles
- The two most common styles of horseback riding are Western and English.
Western
Step 1: Prepare to Ride
- Safe horseback riding starts before you get on the horse!
What to Wear
- Footwear
- For horseback riding, you should wear shoes that have some kind of small heel to make using the stirrups easier.American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons: Tips to Prevent Horseback Riding Injuries
- For Western Style riding, sturdy cowboy boots are best, while English boots are recommended for English style riding.
- Casual sneakers will work if that's all you have, but dress shoes or sandals are not a good idea.DIYNetwork.com: Riding Attire, Horse-Care Tips and Prep for Riding Also, don't wear especially large, loose-fitting or bulky shoes that don't slide easily in and out of the stirrups.
- Also avoid athletic shoes with deep rubber tread, as they are also difficult to slide in and out of the stirrups.Everything2.com: How to Ride a Horse Shoes that don't slide out of the stirrups easily can lead to serious injury or even death if you fall from the horse and your foot is caught in the stirrup.
- Pants
- You should always wear long pants when riding a horse.DIYNetwork.com: Riding Attire, Horse-Care Tips and Prep for Riding
- The type of pants you should wear will depend on the style of riding you'll be doing. For Western riding, jeans will work. For English riding, riding breeches are recommended, or jeans worn with chaps.Everything2.com: How to Ride a Horse
- Shirts or Jackets
- Avoid very loose, draping shirts or jackets that could get caught on the saddle or in the reins.
- Riding Helmet
- When you're a beginner, horseback riding can be a scary experience. Always wear a riding helmet.Wikihow.com: How to Ride a Horse You may feel silly at first, but you'll appreciate the peace of mind it gives you.
Step 2: Mount the Horse
- After the horse is properly saddled and bridled, it's time to get on!
- Always mount the horse on its left side.DIYNetwork.com: Mounting, Dismounting, and Reining
- Before mounting, approach the horse and gently stroke its neck so it knows you're there.
- Take hold of the reins in your left hand.
- Standing on the left side of the horse, step into the stirrup with your left foot.Everything2.com: How to Ride a Horse Your weight should be on ball of your foot, placed in the center of the stirrup.
- Holding into the horse's wither (the base of the horse's neck, in front of the saddle) in the same hand as the reins, push up and swing your right leg over the horse's back.DIYNetwork.com: Mounting, Dismounting, and Reining
- Be careful not to kick the horse while mounting it.
- At this point, you'll need to make sure the stirrups are the correct length for your legs. The stirrups should let your feet rest in them while your knees are slightly bent.Wikihow.com: How to Ride a Horse Adjust the stirrups if necessary.
- Sit on the horse with your shoulders back, back straight, heels down, and the balls of your feet resting on the stirrups, toes pointed forward.DIYNetwork.com: Mounting, Dismounting, and Reining
- Always keep hold of the reins, holding them in your dominant hand slightly in front of the saddle, over the horse's neck.
Neck Reining
- Neck reining is most commonly used with Western riding.
- A horse that has been trained to neck rein responds to the feeling of the reins on its neck.Wikipedia.com: Neck Rein
- Neck reining requires only one hand, since the reins are left tied in a knot and move as one.
- To steer left, move the reins, together, slightly to the left. This will cause the right rein to fall against the horse's neck.Wikihow.com: How to Ride a Horse The horse will turn away from the feeling of the reins on its neck.
Bit Reining
- This style of reining, sometimes called "plow reining," is more commonly used with English riding.Ezinearticles.com: How to Ride a Horse
- If a horse is not trained to neck rein, you steer simply by pulling on the reins in the direction you want to go.Everything2.com: How to Ride a Horse
- Bit reining requires two hands because you'll need to separate the reins to pull one at a time.
- To turn left, pull back gently on the left rein. This will turn the horse's head left, and their path will turn left too.Wikihow.com: How to Ride a Horse
Step 4: Riding Speeds
- Practice each speed until you are comfortable with it before moving on to the next speed. This might mean not going faster than a walk for several weeks. Be patient!
Step 5: Slowing Down and Stopping
- No matter how much fun you're having riding a horse, eventually you're going to want to stop.
- Most horses are trained to slow down and stop when the reins are pulled backwards.
- Even if you want to stop quickly, never jerk back hard on the reins. This could cause the horse to rear up.
- Release any leg pressure on the horse before you ask it to slow down or stop.Everything2.com: How to Ride a Horse
- Make sure you have a solid seat on the saddle before pulling back on the reins.
- If the horse stops abruptly, you might need to lean backwards and push on the stirrups with your feet, heels forward, to keep your balance.
- Once the horse has come to a complete stop, remember to release the pressure on the reins to let the horse know its finished obeying the command.Wikihow.com: How to Ride a Horse
Step 6: Dismount
- Now that you're stopped, it's time to get off the horse!
- Hold both reins in your left hand. Be prepared to pull back gently on the reins if the horse starts to move forward as you dismount.
- Take both of your feet out of the stirrups.
- Lean forward and put your hands on the horse's neck, or hold onto the saddle.
- Swing your right leg completely up and over the horse's back.Everything2.com: How to Ride a Horse
- As you do this, put your weight onto your arms and push slightly away from the horse with your hands so you land clear of the horse rather than sliding down its side.DIYNetwork.com: Mounting, Dismounting, and Reining
