Beginning to Ride Basics

So what are the basics for becomming really good with horses and with horse riding?

This site isn't just about learning techniques - push that leg, pull that rein, crack that whip. It's about connecting with your horse so you work as a team. It's about engaging your brain as well as your legs, arms - well, your whole body.

Like most things, how good you get and how much you get out of it depends on how much you are prepared to put into it. You might think that this means money - paying for the best horse, the best equipment, the best riding instuctor and the best livery yard.

Well, it's not necessarily so. Some things are more important, or perhaps, even more basic than how much you can or are prepared to spend.

How much time are you prepared to put into your riding? This matters a lot - it doesn't matter how much money you spend, if you don't put in the time, becomming good with horses will be out of your reach. Time is like an investment. Not just time in the saddle, but time on the ground getting to know how your horse feels and getting to know her. Time taken getting to know your horse will pay dividends later on in your ridiing. Tacking up and hitting the trail in walk, trot and canter won't come all at once. Getting to that point is the journey you are beginning, and the best way to get there is to take it slow. Get your horse on your side, and you're halfway there. Take time to learn all the little steps that lead up to a great ride further along the road. Take time to become really good with horses.

The basics is about having the right attitude. What's in this for your horse? Does your horse know if you care how she feels? Is she just a lump of meat to get from one place to the next?

Yes, you'll need techniques, but before any of this, you need an open mind, to think about what you do and why.

When most people think about learning to ride, they think about the walk, the trot and the canter. What about if before all that you learnt how to just sit on a horse?

Walk
Trot
Canter