How to Operate a Horse
So there are simply some things in life we take for granted.
For instance, how to make a horse stop and go - I took this as common knowledge - it's not.
So here are the basics for those that need to know. Of course it gets more complicated than this, because um horses, duh!
To go forward, make soft encouraging clucking noise and squeeze with your legs, if that doesn't work press with your heels, if that doesn't work, kick the horse in the sides. I know kicking sounds terribly horrible, but it's similar to when you are holding a toddler and they are swinging their legs at you - mostly it's just annoying, right? Same thing here, but you, the rider, are the toddler.
To go left, move your hand holding the reins to the left. If your horse can do one handed commands then it's as simple as moving just the one hand, if you do two handed reining then you move just the left hand (both hands move in reality, but focus on the left one, the rest will follow). You should also be pressing/kicking with your right leg at the same time.
To go right, same thing but to the right, but pressing/kicking with your left leg.
To reverse, pull reins back toward your ribs and cluck, your horse will back up with the same intensity as you are pulling. So you pull gently they step gently, you pull like a crazy person they will back up with equal displeased vigor.
If your horse is not responding you can gently kick his sides while pulling back and clucking, each horse is a little different about backing up, it's not usually their favorite thing to do, so they could need extra encouragement.
To stop, say WHOA with feeling or authority - a whimpy WHOA will get zilch for a response, a heart felt WHOA will get the attention of all the horses in the arena. This does not mean it needs to be stupidly loud, your horse is not hard of hearing after all! But put some sincerity into the word and your horse will hear your tone. It is not however only your voice that stops your horse, your body is also signaling to him. You should be firmly (but gently) pulling back on the reins as well keeping your feet away from his sides. So in other words, don't put rein and foot into positions that tell the horse to move while your voice is telling him to stop and then expect him to know what you want him to do.
Remember you have to talk to your horse and since you are species that speak different languages you have to solely communicate via body posture, tone of voice and motion. Be clear with what you are try to convey, be thoughtful in how you are doing it and be consistent if you want your horse to actually pay attention to you.
Common mistakes that lead to bad riding habits:
For instance, how to make a horse stop and go - I took this as common knowledge - it's not.
So here are the basics for those that need to know. Of course it gets more complicated than this, because um horses, duh!
To go forward, make soft encouraging clucking noise and squeeze with your legs, if that doesn't work press with your heels, if that doesn't work, kick the horse in the sides. I know kicking sounds terribly horrible, but it's similar to when you are holding a toddler and they are swinging their legs at you - mostly it's just annoying, right? Same thing here, but you, the rider, are the toddler.
To go left, move your hand holding the reins to the left. If your horse can do one handed commands then it's as simple as moving just the one hand, if you do two handed reining then you move just the left hand (both hands move in reality, but focus on the left one, the rest will follow). You should also be pressing/kicking with your right leg at the same time.
To go right, same thing but to the right, but pressing/kicking with your left leg.
To reverse, pull reins back toward your ribs and cluck, your horse will back up with the same intensity as you are pulling. So you pull gently they step gently, you pull like a crazy person they will back up with equal displeased vigor.
If your horse is not responding you can gently kick his sides while pulling back and clucking, each horse is a little different about backing up, it's not usually their favorite thing to do, so they could need extra encouragement.
To stop, say WHOA with feeling or authority - a whimpy WHOA will get zilch for a response, a heart felt WHOA will get the attention of all the horses in the arena. This does not mean it needs to be stupidly loud, your horse is not hard of hearing after all! But put some sincerity into the word and your horse will hear your tone. It is not however only your voice that stops your horse, your body is also signaling to him. You should be firmly (but gently) pulling back on the reins as well keeping your feet away from his sides. So in other words, don't put rein and foot into positions that tell the horse to move while your voice is telling him to stop and then expect him to know what you want him to do.
Remember you have to talk to your horse and since you are species that speak different languages you have to solely communicate via body posture, tone of voice and motion. Be clear with what you are try to convey, be thoughtful in how you are doing it and be consistent if you want your horse to actually pay attention to you.
Common mistakes that lead to bad riding habits:
- Not using leg pressure while steering left and right
- Not using voice commands when asking for responses - when we use voice commands we give the horse a moment to think before we start kicking them into whatever direction we want them to go.
- Kicking with force to start out. Horses have different levels of sensitivity, and respond differently, be considerate and begin with lesser pressure, working your way up to find the right level to communicate with your horse - this can take time, be patient!
- Not being patient - you are learning how to dance with a partner, both of you have to understand each other, so take time to learn preferences.
- Pulling with your hands signaling to stop when you actually want them to go forward or vice versa - remember to be clear in your signals. If you are nervous and are relying too much on your reins for communication, slow down, take a step back and relearn how to communicate with your legs. Learning to ride is not a sprint, it is a marathon.
- Blaming the horse when things don't go well. It's a partnership, you're both learning all of the time and also learning to understand each other, take it slow, be patient and the results will come. Riding is not about racing around as fast as you can go, it's not about being perfect every single day, it's about building a life long skill based on communication and trust.
- Not enjoying the experience - remember you are doing this because it's fun!! Don't get caught up in all the hoopla, just set simple goals for each ride and enjoy the experience!!
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