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Ride Your Horse – Facing Fear

Banish the fear and put the fun back into riding.

Almost every good rider has an accident at some point during her riding career. While some riders see accidents as a part of the sport and get right back in the saddle, so to speak, other riders lose their confidence and even experience gripping fear. Some riders are so afraid that they ask themselves whether the time and money they spend on their hobby is worth it after all!

Here’s the deal: unless you enjoy riding, then you shouldn’t be doing it. If every time you get on a horse you experience a pounding heart, dry mouth, and crushing anxiety, then I would ask you why you continue to torture yourself in this way. Especially considering that riding is an expensive, time-consuming hobby.

However, many riders continue to torture themselves in just this way. Why? Because they remember what it was like, before the unfortunate incident, to love to ride. And they want to experience that feeling again.

If you are still going out to the barn and trying to get on your horse despite having huge fears, my guess is that you want to return to the time when you loved horses. The good news is, there’s no reason why you can’t. If you take it slow and put yourself in the right situation, you can love riding again.

The first step is to figure out what is getting in the way of your enjoyment. For many people, they just can’t relax on their horse. They relive their bad situation, and this makes them tense. Knowing that you have a hard time relaxing is the first step in learning how to relax on horseback. Once you learn to relax, you’ll enjoy riding.

Of course, you can’t relax unless you are confident and comfortable. Being confident and comfortable are the cornerstones of relaxation. So how do you get confident and comfortable? By riding the right horse, and by taking lessons from the right instructor. That’s right, I said instructor. If you are so fearful of horses that you want to throw up every time you get in the saddle, it’s too much to ask that you conquer this on your own.

A good instructor is patient, kind, never demeans you, and understands that you’ve had a bad experience and need to move slowly. Since there are many riders who have faced fear, there are also many riders who help their students overcome it. To find the right instructor, ask others who have had similar problems for a recommendation. An instructor who is right for you should be downright enthusiastic about helping you get over your issues.

You’ll also need the right horse. A calm, confident, and bombproof schoolhorse is the best choice if you’ve been frightened. Even if your riding skills are good, you need to remember that the goal here isn’t to improve your riding skills. The goal is to ride without fear. The right horse will give you good experiences, and the more good experiences you have, the more your fear will recede. If you really love riding, face your fears but take it slowly. With a good instructor and the right horse you’ll be happily back in the saddle in no time.

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By Ron Petracek
Published: 5/16/2007

Learn to Ride a Horse Safely – Guide To Horse Training

Horses are some of the most wonderful animals in the world that offer great activities such as horse riding but also make loyal companions. Maintaining a horse however is not as easy as owning one for you have to ensure that he or she is in good health, stables are provided and in order to be able to take him or her for riding you need to train them as well.

Where and How You Can Train Your Horse

Professionals usually do horse training in order to obtain desired results from your horse. Horse breeders generally engage in horse training as well because of the fact that they deal with them everyday and thus, know everything there is to know about horses.

Another important factor in horse training is for what purpose you want your horse trained. You can either have your horse trained for racing or for personal activities such as horse riding in your leisure time. Professional horse training is required in both cases however, much more so in the case you want to take your horse for racing as there are many techniques, which can only be achieved with the help of a horse training professional.

Training Your Horse Yourself

Some horse owners who have experience with training horses will train their horses at home on their own ranch however, if you are new at this and still want to train your horse yourself you may do so with the help of a professional guide.

Professional horse trainers will even come to your home and train your horse with you especially if you live close to a horse breeding ranch and/or a horse trainer. It is important that you consult some guidelines before you venture into training your horse by yourself as horses are very intelligent and they can easily fool you and do as they please instead of following your instructions.

Tip

Training a horse is not as easy as training a dog and even for dogs there are professional trainers. However, horses are much more intelligent and can be taught to do a lot more with the right horse training.

Remember that an untrained horse can behave wildly and can in turn put your life in danger every time you get on for a ride. Falling from a horse’s back can be fatal and/or result in serious life long injuries. Consult a professional horse trainer and work together to train your horse. In this way you will be involved and your horse will learn to do exactly what you want him to do in order to always enjoy your horseback rides in a safe manner.

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By: Denise van Helden

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Denise van Helden has been horseback-riding since she was five years. She runs a Blog about Horses and Ponys at horsesinfos.com

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Regardless of their age, new riding students feel more comfortable having an idea of how the first lesson will begin and what might be expected. This article gets students acquainted with the concepts of the first riding lesson. Read "Preparing for Your First Lesson" first to understand the items required for riding.

When their first riding lesson is nearly at hand, students often wonder what type of horse they will get and what they will be expected to accomplish. It’s understandable that some students have anxiety as they wonder what to expect.

Most students worry particularly about their intended mount; so, keep in mind that at respected riding schools, school horses are often characterized into groups based on their appropriateness for riding levels. Beginner riders will often be assigned the aged, semi-retired, easygoing, forgiving lesson horse whose only vice may be his pokiness. Knowing that a beginner will have little control over her hands or feet and may flop around in the saddle, the ride school will provide a safe horse for her level.

When you arrive, the school will likely ask to check your helmet to ensure that it is ASTM/SEI certified for horseback riding. If it is not or it is not a horseback riding helmet, you will need to borrow one from the ride school.

As you move about the premises, be courteous to fellow horseman. That means, no running or sudden movements near horses being handled or ridden. Leave your dog at home as barking can upset some horses. Turn your cell phone to vibrate or off. Understand that some horses are sensitive to flash photography, so before taking any pictures, ask the instructor. For parents bringing other children, there is to be no running around the horses at any time. Also note that some horses spook at strollers, so alert the barn if you intend to bring one.

Most likely, the instructor will accompany the student into the barn to get the mount. Younger children need to be reminded that they must act like a guest in someone’s house and don’t touch anything unless they ask first and to use their indoor voices. There is to be no running or yelling in a barn. Following are some guidelines to remember on your first visit to the barn:

Entering the Stall

Do not enter the stall if the horse has his tail to you. You are to enter the stall only when the horse is facing you. Do not enter the stall until the instructor tells you to do so.

Leading Your Horse from the Stall

Most facilities have the beginner horse tacked and ready to go prior to the lesson. So, you should be able to lead the horse from his stall. Before leading the horse into the aisle of the barn, call "heads up" so you don’t come crashing into someone else going down the aisle.

For small children leading horses, some facilities will ask that you keep the reins over the horse’s neck. This is because small children may let go of the horse, and if they do, there’s less of a chance the horse will step on the reins.

For older children and beginner adults, you may be allowed to take the reins over the horse’s head and lead him with the reins held in both handsright hand under the chin and rest of the reins going to the left hand at your left side. Check with the facility as to how they prefer the horses led.

Leading Your Horse to the Arena

Hold your horse directly under his chin in your right hand. By holding further back on the reins, the horse can turn and bite you. (Not that he would, but for safety’s sake, we’ll hold him the safest way.) Hold your arm straight out to him so that both you and he have your own separate paths, and he won’t accidentally step on you.

Entering the Arena

When you enter the arena, you typically lead your horse into the center of the arena and turn and face him toward the in-gate. Horses should face the in-gate so they aren’t surprised by other horses coming in and can see them approaching or other things going on around the arena entrance.

Mounting
Don’t get on the horse until your instructor tells you to and helps you. The first thing you and your instructor must do is check the equipment to ensure it is on correctly and safe for you and the horse. The instructor will check the saddle pad to make sure it is protecting the horse’s back. She will also check the girth to make sure it is tight enough that the saddle doesn’t slip when you mount. She will also check the girth again when you are mounted, especially if you’re using a very thick saddle pad. The instructor will check the bridle to make sure all the leather parts are in the right spot and secured.

Your instructor may give you a leg up or have you mount from a mounting block. Either way, you will be mounting the horse on his left side. You will take the reins in your left hand, grab a lock of main in the hand. Using your right hand to hold the left stirrup, place your left foot into the left stirrup. Then take hold of the cantle (the back of the saddle) with your right hand and swing your right leg over to the right side without hitting his hindquarters with your foot. Try not to come flopping down on his back and sit softly and quietly. (It’s hard to do your first few times, but try!)

Your instructor will then adjust your stirrups.

The Lesson

For your first lesson, your horse may be placed on a longe (pronounced "lunge") line. The line is handled by your instructor and keeps your horse on a circle around her so she can control where he goes and talk to you.

Your instructor will go over the basics of the proper seat:

Sittinglike you’re standing next to the horse with bent knees, not like you’re sitting in a chair all the way back on your butt. Sit on your seat bones.
Straight backby lifting from the base of your sternum and allowing your shoulders to stay back. Not roaching the base of your back and not forcing your back to arch unnaturally.

Leg beneath younot pushed out in front. Your heel should fall nearly under the bend in your knee. Your calf is slightly behind the girth and in contact with the horse’s side.
Heelflexed down, allowing your weight to drop down into your heel. The stirrup iron should be on the ball of your foot.

Handsholding the reins. Hold your hands like fists with thumbs facing up. The reins will run either: through the bottom of your fist, out the top under your thumb or in through the ring and pinkie fingers and out through the top under your thumb. Hands should be over the horse’s withers (his shoulder) and angled to the angle of the shoulder (in between thumbs up and angled slightly toward each other.) Hands are held slightly apart from each other and are to make a straight line through the reins to the bit in the horse’s mouth.

Headup and eyes looking ahead.
In your first lesson, you will be taught how to make the horse walk. You will also be taught how to make him turn and stop. You may even get to trot in your first lesson! And, if you trot, your instructor may start teaching you how to post (if riding english). At the end, you’ll be taught to dismount by taking both feet out of your stirrups and swinging your right leg around his back and sliding down the left side. Or your instructor may teach you to "kick free" in dismounting by keeping your left foot in the stirrup until you swing your right leg over, then kicking free your left foot of the stirrup then jumping down to the left side. Regardless of how you are taught to dismount, you will always do so facing the horse and off the same side that you mounted from–the left.

That’s all you will likely do in your first lesson. It may not sound like a lot, but you will be spending a bit of time just getting used to balancing on a horse, maintaining and correcting your position, keeping with his rhythm and basically getting a feel for where your hands, feet and legs are. It will be a lot to think about, and you’ll probably be tired afterward. Good luck with your first ride and happy trails!

Still not sure whether you are ready? Visit our exciting equine forum and ask any further questions you may have. We have experienced trainers and veterinarians as members.

We will leave the light on and the barn door open for you! Stop by and say hello at HorseChitChat.com, just click the forum link or visit our equine resource box below.

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By Ron Petracek Published: 9/7/2007

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