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Western Horse Riding Lessons Will Improve How Scared Of a Horse You Are
When you are unfamiliar with a horse, the best way to get to know a horse is to take western horse riding lessons.
You will learn so much in just 3 or 4 sessions, that you will find, you are no longer scared of the horse.
But rather you are actually looking forward to seeing the horse again. Petting the horse and riding the horse, and you are now getting pleasure from the activity.
Some Reasons Why Riding Is a Great Activity For You
Horseback riding is a great pastime. Not only can the rider get out in nature and spend time with an amazing animal, but there are also health benefits associated with riding.
Horseback riding can improve the rider’s core strength, it increases muscle tone and flexibility, and it improves coordination.
You will also find that bringing the horse to and from the stable strengthens the muscles and increases cardiovascular capacity.
Riding a horse isn’t something that a person will instinctively know how to do. Before riding, the individual will need to know how to ride a horse step by step.
[toc]Let us take a serious look at what is involved in learning how to ride a horse.
One thing leads to another thing, Its baby step 1, then baby step 2, etc..
Before learning advanced horse riding techniques, the individual will need to know a bit about horseback riding for beginners.
To get these basics you may go to my posts titled, The Beginner’s Guide to How to Ride a Horse Western Style, I cover it in detail there for you.
I also have found an excellent training source for this, called the nearly the same name, The Beginners Guide to Horseback Riding, You can check it out here Horseback Riding Guide
Even with knowledge of the basics, first-time riders should work with the professionals in your area, as you progress with your knowledge of western horse riding lessons.
Let’s Now cover the 6 Basic Steps in Western Horse Riding Lessons.
Step 1: Preparing For the Ride
Before riding the horse, the rider needs to be prepared. First, they should wear long pants. Closed-toe shoes with a small heel should be worn.
Please make sure the clothes do not have any loose ends or pieces hanging down or around. Be aware of having anything loose hanging that could be caught suddenly on something.
This could be very dangerous, as the rider could be pulled from the horse very abruptly, causing major body injuries to the rider.
The heel will keep the foot from coming out of the stirrups. Finally, the rider should wear a helmet. I have written several post on this site about about how important I feel wearing a safety cowboy helmet is.
Whether the rider as a beginner is young or older you need to protect your skull. The number one horse riding injury involves head injuries.
You may read these two articles just to start with on helmet safety importance.


Here are two articles to get you started on Helmet Safety.
Cowboy Hat Helmets Help You Protect Yourself
Buy Only a Riding Helmet Certified By ASTM
The rider should be aware of the fact that horse response to any nervousness or fidgeting, the rider brings with them. Being calm before and during the ride would be highly recommended.
That way the horse is very calm, and thus very great thing, to be a much easier to be ridden, if both the rider and the horse are relaxed and not uptight.
Finally, the rider should arrive at the stable 15 minutes before the ride so they can get to know the horse and the horse can get to know the rider.
Step 2: Getting On the Horse (Mounting the Horse)
Most first time riders won’t be able to get on the horse without help. Most stables will have a mounting block beside the horse which looks like a small set of stairs.
This will help the rider to get their foot into the stirrup so that they can swing their other leg over the horse.
When getting on the horse, the rider should hold the reins in their left hand or hold onto the rounded knob on the saddle which is called the pommel.
When the rider is up on the horse, they should put both of their feet in the stirrups.
Step 3: Using the Reins
The reins are what the rider uses to steer and stop the horse. They are connected to a bit in the horse’s mouth, which is how it knows what the rider wants it to do.
When starting to learn to use the reins, it would be very important that the new rider would be very alert as to what they are being taught about holding to the reins with the horse.
The rider should always be gentle with the reins. If the rider wants the horse to move left, they should gently pull the left rein toward them. To turn right, the right rein would be pulled.
To get the horse to stop or slow down, the rider should pull back on the reins gently.
Step 4: Changing Speeds
Horses have four speeds, walk, trot, center, and gallop. The horse will start out walking. As a beginner with western style riding you will nbeed to get use to the slowest which is the horse walking.
The other 3 speeds are something you can be taught and work into the longer you have ridden a horse.
Very important to do what you and the horse a most comfortable with. The other speeds are great but not neccessary at the beginning of your experience.
If the rider wants the horse to speed up to a trot, they should gently squeeze the horse’s side with the inside of their legs.
In some cases, a gentle kick with the heel will be necessary. To increase the speed, the rider should put more pressure on the horse’s side.
To stop the horse, the rider should pull back on the reins gently.
Step 5: Cooling Down
Riding a horse exercises it. As with any exercise, the horse will need a cooling down period before the individual completes their ride.
So at this point you need to know that you will need to cautiously dis-mount your horse. After dis-mounting the horse needs to have all of the tack removed.

This will make the horse much more relaxed and then you can calmly walk the horse for a few minutes in the cool down mode.
The cool down period, if done properly will help in you develop a tighter relationship with the horse.
In turn you will have a safer ride and a much more fun ride as well.
They should walk the horse slowly for 10 to 15 minutes until the horse’s neck cools down.
Step 6: Dismounting the Horse
Before getting off the horse, the rider should make sure that it has come to a complete stop. They should hold onto the pommel with the right hand and slowly swing the right leg over the horse’s back.
This will allow them to slowly slide toward the ground. Once the rider is safely on the ground, they should pet the horse and praise it for doing a good job. This will help the horse bond with the rider.
First-time riders should always work with a professional. Their experience can be invaluable to the inexperienced rider.
Riding a horse is a very involved thing, and should be very respected by the rider.
It is not that it is hard to do, but rather that it is very different than anything a person has ever done before. Western horse riding lessons will help first-time riders enjoy a safe and enjoyable ride.
Over time, the rider will learn advanced horse riding tips and techniques.
In Conclusion
The Beginners Guide To Horseback Riding
Horse riding is a fun experience. But always remember you need to respect riding and the horse you are riding.
Horse riding demands good physical condition as well as a sharp mind and the ability to communicate well with your horse.
All that you need to learn can be taught, and putting it into practice will always maximize the fun of riding as well as the safety of riding will always be remembered.
My recommendation for a great study of riding a horse would be to start with this well written and common sense packed knowledge of that special relationship between you and your horse.
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The beginners guide to how to ride a horse western style is a detailed report on basics that you need to know. I cover many different areas that a new horse rider should be informed of.