No matter if you are engaged in horseback riding lessons on a horse provided by your school or riding your own animal, it is critical that you are able to maintain the horse's complete attention. If not, you will not get much out of your lessons.
When using a school horse you will find it may often doze during a lesson, this is because they have done the routine so many times and it is simply bored. When first taking horseback riding lessons, as a beginner it can be difficult to change a sequence of movements because your full attention is on steering the horse and producing the correct aids.
However if you want to keep your horse interested while learning to ride a horse you need to vary the routine a bit. There are a number of easy things you can do to keep your horse awake and interested during these lessons.
Choose the exercises within the scope of your abilities and use them to make riding more interesting for both of you.
When taking horseback riding lessons request from your instructor permission to try the following exercises, or at least those that are within your skill level. Perhaps the entire class would like to try them.
1. Walking Techniques
Walk your horse on a light contact once around the arena on both reins. Then walk a 20 meter circle - starting with his easier side - taking up a stronger contact. Ask for longer strides, then shorter strides, then longer ones again.
Slow down and then turn in the other direction and circle that way. Before you turn the horse around walk it for at least one horse length in a straight line. Swap between long and short strides again.
Your horse should now be alert to your aids because you're switching movements and he has to pay attention.
Now ride figures of eight, keeping a steady rhythm and concentrating on smooth transitions between left and right bend. Remember to walk one horse's length before changing direction, and prepare your horse properly for the new bend.
2. Trot Exercises
The walking exercise can be done at a trot as well as a walk, it is a great way to avoid leaning on one rein and getting the horse bogged down in one direction.
Introduce changes between trotting and walking, and then return to trotting once more. Try hard to make easy changes, in order to get the horse to listen compliantly to our aids and starts to accede to your contact.
More advanced riders can ride trot serpentines across the arena in three even loops. As you ride from one long side to the other, ask your horse for a few strides of walk before transitioning up to trot again. Your horse will start to wait for your aids - which you want - but use your legs to ensure forwards movement at all times. You don't want him to become hesitant as he anticipates a downward transition. For that reason, don't always ask for walk in the same place.
3. Canter Exercises
Ask for lengthenings down the long side, and collect your horse before the short side. Frequent transitions from canter to trot and back to canter, with canter transitions from walk, will keep your horse attentive, as will lengthening and shortening his stride on 20 meter circles.
The preceding techniques will assist in maintaining your horse's attention, as it changes his accustomed routines and acclimates his body to the desired movements, facilitating his cooperation. Helping the horse enjoy the things asked of him will result in more enjoyable horseback riding lessons for you.
Through his how to horse ride website, Milton provides simple and comprehensive lessons with video instructions. Learn how to ride a horse the easy and the comfortable way.
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