Learning to Ride a Horse

Table of Content

Day	Topics
Day 1	[[#walking-the-horse-in-circles
Day 2 and 3	[[#walking-the-horse-while-mounted
Day 4	[[#turning-the-horse-while-mounted

Day 1

Day 1 with Embrosia

Walking the horse in circles

1. Hold: Hold the horse by the Rein (ref image below). Hold at a natural rein position, don’t pull the rein down or up.
2. Standing Position while Walking: Stand close and parallel to the horse’s face — allows leg room for horse to walk with you
3. Walking the Horse: Hold by rein the rein → Look 10 steps forward → Walk the horse. Don’t look at the horse it will stop. Hold with a fist thumbs closed.
   1. Stop the Horse: Stop walking and pull the rein slightly backwards
   2. Turn the Horse towards your standing direction: Slightly pull the rein towards the direction
   3. Turn the Horse to the opposite direction from your standing position: Take the thumb out through the circular bit and place it over the horse’s chin, then slowly move towards the other opposite direction
4. The horse might shake their head or stomp if irritated by flies or other irritants. In that case keep holding the rein, once the horse calms down pat on the forehead.

Walking the horse while Mounted

1. Standing Position while Mounting: Stand parallel to the Horse’s shoulder
2. Mounting: Put the left leg in the Stirrup, Hold the Pommel and Cantle and climb the horse.
3. Dismounting: Put both hands on the Horse’s neck and slide down towards the left
4. Types of Riding Styles
   1. English Style
   2. Western Style
   3. Racing Style
5. English Style - Seating Position while Mounted on Horse
   1. Hand Position: Hold the reins three fingers in with little finger out - this is to ensure good grip. Both hands thumbs together with fists pointing downwards. Knuckle down. Do not rest the fists on the saddle.
      1. Loosen the Rein: Feist both the fists upwards while holding the rein
      2. Tighten the Rein: Use index finger and thumb to hold the opposite rein, then slip the fist downwards. Same with the other side.
   2. Leg Position: Rest the ball joints of the toes on the Stirrup. This avoids accidents due to easy exit out of the saddle if need be. Knees slightly bent to take the feet backwards. Heels resting down.
   3. Body Position: Sit upright with spine straight. The shoulder should be inline with the feet.

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Day 2 and 3

Day 2 with Embrosia Day 3 with Taskania

Walking the horse while Mounted

1. Hold the reins and sit upright as per the mounting position mentioned in Day 1
2. The fists holding the rein should be parallel to the belly button
3. To walk the horse forward, the heels should rub the belly of the horse in an up-down motion. The reins should be loosened. This motion is called Squeezing.

Halting the horse while Mounted

1. Hold the reins and sit upright as per the mounting position mentioned in Day 1
2. The fists holding the rein should be parallel to the belly button
3. While the horse is walking, pull the rein towards the bellow button through elbow motion. The fists should be close together to engage elbow motion and avoid use of shoulders.
4. Force is not to be applied on reins, a slight pull makes the horse stop

On day 3, walked the horse for practicing halting and walking.

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Day 4

Day 4 with Sonic

Turning the horse while Mounted

Based on the turning direction, move the neutral fist towards the direction.

While moving the fist following technique to follow,

1. Hold the reins in neutral position before taking a turn. Knuckles pointing down and thumbs closed.
2. Look at the turning and halting spot, when the area is clear proceed with the turning steps
3. Based on the direction to move, rotate the same side fist outwards and then inwards parallel to the belly button. Loosen the opposite rein before turning the horse.
   1. The final position of fists should always be 90 degrees from the neutral position, that is the fists would rest on either side of the body
   2. The elbow and fists should move in-line and parallel to belly button throughout the motion
   3. The rotation and final resting point of the fists should be away from the body
4. Gently move the fist based on the degree of turn.

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Day 5 to 9

Practice walking the horse

Walking in Circles

1. Circle has inner side and outer side - to walk the horse in circle the inner rein and outer rein will need adjustments.
2. While walking the horse in circle, look at the diametrically opposite direction and ensure the track is followed.
3. If we are following another horse, then look at the horse being followed. Act based on the actions of the forward moving horse.

Walking on non-circular paths

1. Look forward at the upcoming checkpoint where the horse will be taking a turn
2. Half-halt if the horse is walking to fast, maintain the speed and track

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Day 10 to 12

Standing Up and Sitting Down while Trotting

Rules for Standing Up and Sitting Down

1. Leg position: The legs should be bent backwards inline with shoulder.
2. Rest the balls of the feet inside the stirrup
3. While standing 50% body weight should be on feet and rest 50% on thighs
4. Stand Fast and Sit Slow
5. Half Standing