Have you always wanted to go horseback riding? Do want to know how to ride a horse the right way? If you want to add horseback riding to your homesteading skills, this how-to will show you how. Find out how to ride a horse today.
How to Ride a Horse
I learned horseback riding at an early age. I guess that's one of the many perks of growing up in a farm. For those who know how to, I'm sure you'll agree that it's an incomparable experience. Not only does it help you with your posture but it also promotes balance and coordination. It's also one great exercise that will help improve your breathing and blood circulation. It's just an activity worth learning and enjoying. If those reasons aren't enough to make you want to learn I don't know what else you need.
So if you're planning to visit a farm with horses, why not ask the owner if you can give horseback riding a shot. These steps will help give you an idea on what you have to do when riding a horse.
What you'll need to ride a horse:
- horse
- proper outfit
- grooming supplies
- saddle pad
- saddle
- girth
- bridle
- mounting block
Step 1
Get a proper attire. You can't just start riding horses without the proper outfit. Be sure that you have the right headgear and boots to go along with it. Check out the complete list here.
Step 2: Groom Your Horse
Before you step on your horse, you'd want to properly groom it first. Once you have the horse secured, you can now begin by using a curry comb to loosen any dirt it may have in it's body. Use this brush in a circular motion.
Follow it with a hard brush to remove all the dirt you loosened with the curry comb.
Lastly, you'll want to use a soft comb. This is used to clean up your horse. You can use this brush in all areas of the horse, even the face. When brushing your horse with this, follow the direction of how the hair grows.
Step 3
Pick your horse's hooves using a hoof pick. Just pick the dirt in the hooves, being cautious of the frog, and once you're done, just finish it by brushing all the dirt with the brush part of your hoof pick.
Step 4: Tack up!
Before you can ride your horse, you'll always have to tack it up first. Start by putting the saddle pad in the horse's withers.
After the saddle pad, you can now put the saddle on.
To hold everything in place, secure it with the girth. Always put it from the right-side and make sure that the loop is in front.
REMEMBER: Always ensure that the girth is tight. You won't want your saddle sliding off resulting with you falling off your horse.
Step 5
Put on your horse's bridle. Slip the bit into the horse's mouth.
You'll want to do the noseband first and make sure that you can fit two fingers in between.
Lastly attach the throatlatch making sure that you can fit a fist in to ensure that your horse can breathe.
Step 6
Now that your horse is ready and tacked up, time to get in the saddle. Use a mounting block to assist you in mounting. Always mount on the left side of the horse. Begin by putting your left foot in the stirrup. Do this while holding the reins to make sure you don't fall or lose balance.
Next thing you have to do is stand on your left foot and swing your right foot.
Yay! You've now successfully mounted a horse!
Step 7
Now time to ride your horse. Always make sure that you have both reins at hand. To make the horse walk, keep your heels down and squeeze gently.
Step 8
To steer the horse, just pull the rein on the direction you want to go. So if you want to go left, pull on the left rein and vice versa.
Step 9
Next thing you have to learn is the trot. Start with a walk then gently squeeze the horse using your legs to make it trot.
Step 10
To make your horse stop, just gently pull on the reins then sit on the saddle.
And that's how you ride a horse. It would still be best to train and practice with someone who knows how to ride a horse and not base everything on this tutorial. It's always best to be safe.
Other Horseback Riding Tips:
- Always keep your head up so you can see where you're going.
- Sit up tall. You should have a nice straight line from your shoulder, hip and heel.
- Make sure that you have a good rein contact with the horse's mouth and that your elbows are tucked at a 90 degree angle.
- Always try to be balanced. This will create harmony with you and the horse's movement.
If you'd like to see how to ride a horse, you can watch this video tutorial from the adorable MarMar1011:
And as a bonus, here's a quick guide you can refer to anytime:
What do you think of this tutorial on how to ride a horse? Let us know in the comments section what your thoughts are on this homesteading skill. Do you think you'll give it a try? Let us know how it went and share your experience with us in the comment section below.
Have any homesteading projects you’d like to share? Share it with us an we’ll give it a try. We’d love to know what you think!
Leave a Reply