Tips for Horseback Riders

 

When it comes to horseback riding, there are so many things us riders need to do in order to properly communicate to our horses and to improve our riding. Here are 7 tips for horseback riders to help improve horseback riding: 

1. Make sure your fitting the horse tack right. 

The saddle shouldn't interfere with the shoulder and the girth shouldn't be pinching any skin. Here's a tip for tightening up the girth: do up the girth so that you are just able to fit four fingers snuggly between the girth and the horse's belly. 

2. Work on balance. 

Balance is important in horseback riding. Work on staying on the horse with your arms out, and your feet out of the stirrups. Bareback is also the best style of riding to improve your balance a lot! It's a great exercise. 

3. Build your muscles. 

When it comes to horseback riding, the main muscles you use are your calves, thighs, core and lower back. (Lower back not as much as all the others.)  Do exercises that work on really strengthening your lower body, more than your upper body. Squats are great for building muscle in your legs, both calves and thighs. And sit-ups are great for your core. Do these exercises everyday and your seat and balance will improve significantly! 

4. Stay relaxed even when you're not. 

We all know that, "horses feed off your emotions," meaning, horses can sense what you're feeling and then they will usually "mirror" your emotions; if you're feeling stressed and irritated, so will your horse. Same goes for if you're feeling tense and unrelaxed, your horse will act up also. So, keeping hold of your emotions and having self-control is very important when it comes to horse ownership and even horseback riding. Riders that are nervous and scared have more chance of falling off their horse than a rider who is confident. There's a well-known saying; "horses mirror our souls." In other words, horses mimic our feelings and emotions. Always remember to stay relaxed. 

5. Be assertive. Horses are big, and your relationship with them kind of mirrors your relationship with horses in the wild. In the wild you have a leader horse, and the others respect him. You have to establish that your the leader of your horse. Horses naturally pursue a leader, and you have to show your horse that you are the leader, if you don't you will end up with a dominant horse. 

6. Have confidence. 

If you trust in your horse, your horse will trust in you. You need to be confident in order for your horse to trust you and listen to you. 

7. Ask questions. 

There's so much to learn about horseback riding. And asking your riding instructor/trainer questions is very important if you are wanting to improve your riding. Always ask questions, most riding instructors are more than happy to answer questions. 

If you want to have more fun with horseback riding you must make sure your following most of these essential tips. They will help you will not just riding, but with developing a good relationship between rider and horse. I hope this article helped you all, whether you are very experienced riders, competing in shows, or if you are someone who's only ridden a horse once. Have fun horseback riding! 

 

 If your horse is suspected with a health issue, consult your vet straight away. 

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