Horseback Riding Lesson
Horseback Riding Lesson – The 7 Rules You Gotta Follow On The Trail!
Greetings and thanks for visiting my blog! There are a lot of great instructors out there, in every breed and discipline. In fact, I wish I could take a horseback riding lesson from them all!
Whoever you have selected as your mentor, I hope you use this blog to augment what you are learning on the ground. I expect a lot of good content that should be useful to those of you taking riding lessons now.
As a rider, you know that safety is the biggest factor to consider when you are riding, regardless of where you are. But when you are trail riding, outside the confines of a riding arena and without your instructor, follow these 7 rules to avoid dangerous situations!
1. Other people need to know where you plan to go, and when you plan to return in case you or your horse become injured or ill. Inexperienced riders should ride with someone else, not alone. Experienced riders should at least take a charged up cell phone!
2. Always take a hoof pick and a pocketknife with you on the trail. A hoof pick can dig out a rock lodged in his frog. A pocketknife can cut away those vines that every so often get caught between his shoe and his sole.
3. Make your horse behave when on the trail. You are ALWAYS teaching your horse something, whether good or bad, when you are riding. Do not allow him to grab bites of grass as he walks along the trail.
Next time it will be on the way to the show ring gate. They can get aggressive about it, plunging their head down so hard and fast that you lose your grip on the reins and are left, momentarily, without any control.
4. Ride a respectful distance from the others. Keep at least one horse length between you and the next rider in front of you. If you do not, and you crowd the horse in front of you, that horse may decide to teach your horse a lesson and kick at him. Keep their herd instincts in mind.
NEVER take off running away from the other riders without warning. When told, they can prepare for their horses’ reaction to take off as well.
5. Running through an open field, although inviting, is a bad idea. Your horse could step in an unseen, overgrown ditch or a covered up hole and break a leg! Whether an open field or some other trail terrain, be careful riding over unknown areas.
6. When your horse shys from something, take your time, let him look, walk slowly, let him sniff it. At the same time, however, do not go out of your way to show it to him. In other words, the bigger deal YOU make out of a foreign object, the bigger deal it is to him. If you ignore it, he will come closer to doing the same.
7. Your horse is always listening to you and trusting your reactions. When you come across others on the trail, speak to them, talk casually, and relax your seat. If you grab the reins, tighten your seat, close your legs and generally convey nervousness, he will sense that and react accordingly. Be cool!
I can tell you all kinds of stories where I failed to follow these rules and found myself in all kinds of trouble! Beyond these rules, however, there are other things to consider on the trail that will help you along the way.
One thing I learned early on is to trust my horse’s instincts. As I have written about in previous blogs, horses’ senses are generally better than ours, especially that of smell and hearing.
I remember one time I was on a trail with my very well trained Arabian gelding. We were by ourselves and came across a strong running creek. It had been raining, so the water was a little higher than normal, but we had been there before. We’d been across that exact same spot hundreds of times!
But, this time, he did not want to cross the creek. I was perplexed. One, what was his problem and two, how dare he disobey me! So, rather than listening to my much more astute partner, I made him step into the creek to cross it anyway.
As soon as his hoof touched the bottom of the creek, we sunk!!! And, I mean, we SUNK! In a matter of seconds, I was up to my knees (I was astride, remember) and we struggled for what seemed like a life time before getting out of that creek.
Well, now I’d know better and would listen to him and trust his instincts. Back then, I was 12 years old and knew more than anybody…about anything….remember those days?
Good luck on the trail! Follow my rules and listen to your horse!
And, look for other good riding horse stables where you can trail ride! A great family vacation is horse back riding too. They can make great vacation Also, look into other sources of how to ride horses on the trail. You’ll find there is a lot out there!
Lisa Blackstone
American Horse Association
www.AHAHelpDesk.com/support
If you want to know more about equestrian saddles or horses lessons in general visit www.RidingSaddlesGuide.com, www.HorseandRiderClub.com, www.HorseRidingSaddlesGuide.com or www.AmericanHorseAssociation.com
