How do you ride a horse?

Answer 1

First do a sitting trot, then squeeze the horse into a canter. Make sure to keep your heels down, shoulders back and push into the saddle.

Keep your heels down and relax into the saddle. Let your hips go with the movement of the horse (don't worry too much about bouncing at first). Don't drop your contact as you go into canter, and don't rest your hands on the horse's neck. Keep your elbows in and pretend you are carrying a tray. Keep your hands still so you don't jab your horse in the mouth. Keep your shoulders back and don't use the reins to balance yourself. Squeeze gently with your legs to keep the horse in canter. Make sure you're not still rising to the trot as you are asking for canter. Don't grip with your knees. Have some lunge lessons to help perfect your seat, the better your balance, the easier you will find it to sit to the canter. It sounds loads, so concentrate on a bit each lesson. I promise you it will come!

Shorten up your reins, and make sure you have a good forward trot. Sit to the trot and put your inside leg on the girth and outside leg just behind the girth and squeeze with your legs. If your horse/pony is well trained he/she should canter.

All of the above seems pretty accurate. To avoid bouncing around when you're in the canter, relaxation is key. Allow your arms to follow the movement of the horses neck. Relax your lower body. Allow your seat to follow the rocking motion of the canter. One helpful trick is to pretend you're polishing the saddle with your seat, but don't try to force this motion, just allow yourself to follow the horse's movement. Also, you probably already no this, but you can canter a horse from a walk. Sometimes this is easier than a sitting trot, because you don't bounce around as much. At a walk, do a half halt and ask for the canter. The idea of the half halt is to allow your horse to get collected and ready for the transition. The transition is easiest either when approaching the corner in a ring or riding in a circle.

Answer 2

If you have a hunter or jumper horse, you can ask for a canter by at a walk, lifting and slightly pulling your inside rein and keeping your outside rein against the neck (still with contact)! Keep your inside leg on the girth and your outside leg behind the girth. To ask, you squeeze your legs and move your hands at the motion of the canter and keep a forward seat. Your horse should then canter.

If you are a beginner English rider, you may be able to get your horse to canter in another way. You can ask for a trot, sit deep in the saddle, and squeeze your legs against your horse's sides (don't kick!!). Your horse should then canter.

When you canter, especially for a not-so-advanced rider, try to either get your canter on a corner (like in an arena or ring) or do a circle. It is much easier for your horse to pick up the correct lead.

Great answer , but, to add to it... I am an advanced English rider and to pick up a canter, right lead use left leg and left lead use right leg. Dig your leg into your horses belly(not so hard as to hurt him) lean back and make a kissing noise... Then you get a canter!

Answer 3

First I suggest you sign up for lessons. You will need a horse, saddle, saddle pad, a girth, a bridle and grooming supplies. a saddle pad is also known as a blanket.

Take the grooming supplies and brush the horse. Use the rubber currycomb, a rubber circular brush, sometimes it might be metal though. and firmly but not to hard brush in circles to you have done it across the whole body. Then take the stiffer bristled brush, called the dandy brush, and firmly use sweeping motions to brush off all the loose dirt. Using the softer bristled brush , which is called the body brush, and repeat what you did with the dandy brush. It will bring out the oils in your horse's skin. Take the metal tool with the thing that looks like hook, which is called a hoof pick, and run your hand along his/her leg and him/her will probably lift it up for you and use the pick to remove mud and stones. if your horse doesnt lift up its foot lean your weight against his/her leg.

Next take the saddle pad and put it right above where the mane ends ,which is called the withers. Take the saddle and swing it up on to the horses back. Take the girth,the strap looking thing, and take the elastic side (depending on what kind of girth you have) on the left and buckle it as tight as you can.

Take the bridle in one hand and wrap your other arm around the horse's head and pull up. The horse should open his/her mouth and slip the metal part of the bridle, called the bit, into his/her mouth. Once the bridle is on take the strap on the side, called the throat strap, and put it on the 3rd notch (depending on a horse's size). Then take the strap going around the horses nose, called the nose band, and tighten it so you can put your two middle fingers between it comfortably (note, on western saddles there is no nose band).

You are ready to ride. First you always mount on the left side. Once you have mounted, depending on which way you ride, English or Western, take your hands in the right position. Your teacher will tell you which way to hold your reins because English and Western hold their reins differently. Squeeze your heels gently to make your horse walk forward. Remember, always keep your heels down!! never touch your horses flanks it scares the horses and they usually buck this ussually isn't a problem unless you mean to.As you progress through time you will learn how to trot, canter and gallop. You might learn how to jump!! Which I think is the most fun. You could compete in cross country, show jumping, dressage and many others!! Enjoy!

Answer 4

Sit Firmly But Be Relaxed Gently Squeeze With Both Feet (Toes In The Air Heels Down) If The Horse RefusesSqueeze Harded If No Reaction Try See If There Is A Problem Or Try Using A Whip. Once Trotting Rise Up And Down To The Beat Of The Trot This Is Called Rising Trot You Can Also Do Sitting Trot But Rising Trot Gives Less Strain On Your Ponys Back You May Find Trot Uncomfortable For A While Before You Can Pick Up The Rhythm Of Rising Trot But Once You Have ot It You Will Find It Easy When You Start Rising Check Your Diagonal ( Diagonal Is When You Rise The For-Right Leg Must Come Back) Please Take This Advice :) x

Answer 5

To get a horse to canter, you go into sitting trot on a corner, move your outside leg back behind the girth and squeeze with both legs. do not lean forward as it encourages your horse to go faster which is dangerous if your are an inexperienced rider or if the horse is unbalanced or green. when you are in canter, keep your legs and hands still, allow your hips to move with the horse, not against it.

if you feel your horse is slowing down, give it a little nudge until it canters better. if you feel it is speeding up, check gently on the reins (left, right, left, right, pull. left, right, left, right, pull).

Answer 6

You can simply kick or squeeze the horse with your legs. For walk, just relax. trot, you can... oh yeah just sit or post. You go up down and go up on the horses outside leg. To canter choose a letter to start on then walk or trot to it, then you put your outside leg back and inside leg on the girth. Then squeeze. No kicking. To gallop, is the same as the canter but as soon as he/she picks up the canter, squeeze or kick and loosen your grip.

-Anele: age 10, ridden for one year!

Answer 7

To trot while horse-riding is pretty easy. I myself mastered it in only a week or two.

Firstly, you must choose and then mount a horse or pony, make sure the saddle won't slip off, that your stirrups are the right length, and that you and your horse/pony are both comfortable.

Then, with a firm grip on the reins, feet firmly in the stirrups, heels down toes up, and astraight back and position, gently kick your mount with the heels of your feet on the bit above your mounts back two legs.

This should start your horse or pony walking or marching.

Please note that if your horse does not respond, you should always speak to it with calm body and encouragings tones, saying "Walk on," then kick again.

After getting used to the gentle rythms of your horses legs while marching on, you can start to trot.

Kick your horse or pony a few times, but in the same way you did while making them walk, and say in the tone you practiced, "Trot on," and remember to keep saying it every eight beats or so of your mounts hooves pounding on the ground.

Rising trot is easier than sitting trot for balance, as sitting trot is rather bumpy and un-steady. Rising trot is where you sit up and down, four beats up, two beats down. Sitting trot is sitting down, but moving to the horses pace and rythm.

Thank you for reading this long instructional answer!

Answer 8

The basics remain the same despite the saddle being used. Relax your back and put your weight in your 'seat bones' or butt. Keep your heels down, hands quiet and relaxed, about 2 to 3 inches above, and slightly forward of the pommel and withers.

When viewed from the side your shoulder, hip and heel should make a straight line. When your ready touch your heel to the horse's side to ask for the canter. Maintain your relaxed state keeping your hands in the proper position. When riding in an oenglish style saddle its important to keep your heels down, keeping your foot from going all the way through the stirrup iron. As the horse finds his stride keep your seat and lower back relaxed. Your upper body should be slightly in front of the 'vertical' but not so far as a 'two-point' which is for over fences. If you feel insecure don't be embarrased to grab mane. We have all done it especially when learning something new. Make sure you don't rock your should back and forth as the horse continues the canter. With a little practice you will get accustomed to the feel of the saddle and you'll be having tons of fun.

*Footnote:Before mounting make sure your irons (metal stirrups) are adjusted correctly for your height. A good way to check is pull the iron out horizontally to your armpit. The iron should fit nicely in the armpit, fingertips to the horse's side. Humans arms and legs are proportioned to each other. When first learning you may feel more secure with a slightly shorter irons.

Answer 9

Reins are held essentially the same way no matter the gait of the horse.