Do poczytania

Horses are very intelligent, but very shy by nature and can easily get scared. Effective horse riding is a combination of learning the right skills, as well as learning the principles of effective work with animals.

Suitable riding equipment

It can be obvious that we can’t show up in a mini skirt or beach sandals. Long pants and suitable footwear are essential for horse riding. It’s best to choose cowboy or short-heel shoes (no more than 1-1.5 inches) to avoid your feet slipping from the stirrups. Do not wear scarves, bags or any other accessories. They can get tangled in a horse, saddle or even a tree. We also need to stay safe. It is recommended to wear a helmet to protect your head (just in case).

Let’s say hello to the horse

Let’s remember that a horse is a living creature, not a vehicle that we can control 100%. The horse can also be nervous, tired and even scared if someone scares him. Therefore, remember to establish a good relationship with your horse from the very beginning. Greet the horse, stretch out our hand and give him a hand so that he can smell us and let it touch us with his nose. In this way we get a sign that we have been positively received by the horse.

Building trust

If we are nervous, the horse feels it and may even be uneasy. Horses are usually trained to get on the left. Most likely, our instructor will hold our horse’s head while getting on, and if it doesn’t, let him hold the horse before we sit down calmly.

Raise your left foot to the stirrup, hold both reins with your left hand and push your right foot. Let’s try to sit in the saddle as calmly as possible. Let’s not push the horse with our hands, because we can hurt him in this way. We can put our hands on his back, but only to maintain balance.

Right position

The best position to keep control of your horse is to sit upright and high. Relax your back. We should keep our reins gently. Let’s put feet in each stirrup and keep balance. That way, we won’t be too heavy for the horse.

Gentleness

Our driving technique may depend on the style we are learning, English or western. When we drive in English, let’s reins in both hands. However, in the western style, let’s grab both reins in one hand. No matter what style we choose, let’s relax our arms and never pull too hard and hurt our horse. Let’s not lift our arms over our shoulders. Remember that your shoulders form a right angle with your elbow.

To direct the horse to the left, move the reins to the left as if we were opening a door. If we want to move to the right, let’s do the same with the right force. Let’s stop, gently move aside and push with heels.

The right saddle

We need to choose a saddle to maintain balance. If you feel unstable, try to adjust your posture, stretching your legs or gently holding the reins, but the corner of the saddle should not be used for this. We will buy a good saddle in the best equestrian shop https://www.truerider.eu/, which will provide us with appropriate equestrian accessories.

If we get used to holding the saddle when an unexpected situation occurs while driving, it is dangerous. We may also have a problem with maintaining balance, and the probability of falling will be greater. That is why we should never get used to the saddle, even when we walk. It is better to learn to drive well from the very beginning than to develop bad habits that can be dangerous for us.

Eye contact

Don’t try to look at your horse while riding. Always look ahead. We cannot ignore what is happening before us. We should look through the ears of the horse. However, as long as we look at the path, keeping a straight posture, we will be safe.

Coordination with a horse

First of all, we must be in harmony with our horse. Let’s watch your body and adjust your body’s movements to the rhythm of your horse. Let’s follow the way he moves and let him sway from side to side without resisting. If we are tense, we can jump back, lose balance and suffer from back pain. Let the horse be the most important, This does not mean that he can do what he wants, but we can be leaders, not dictators.

Four types of gait

There are four types of gait: walk, trot, gallop and gallop. Galloping and galloping are not an option when we have just started horse riding. Let’s start with the walk. It is not worth risking security, just to impress someone.

Getting off the horse

When you want to go down, make sure the horse stands still. It’s best if someone holds a horse. Let’s get both feet out of the stirrups, let’s lean forward, let’s move our right leg over the horse and jump off. Just like when getting on, let’s do it as smoothly as we can. Let’s thank our horse, give him some water and a carrot and we’ll be glad we returned safely. Most likely, we won’t be able to wait for another horse riding.

We may be afraid of riding a horse, especially if we are a beginner. Let’s not give up and choose a good instructor. In this way, we will acquire the necessary skills and knowledge.