How To Ride A Horse Katarina Cahoon Mrs. Gaspari English 10 Pictures/ illustrations For beginners: Trying to figure out how to ride yourself can be dangerous. If youre a beginner I suggest finding a trusted friend that has a horse or hiring a person to give you a couple of lessons to learn the basics. Being a beginner youll need a calm horse that is patient and accepting. 1. Prepare your horse for Riding Before you ride you should groom and tack up your horse. Youll need: reins, saddle pad, saddle (english or western), and a brush. 2. Mount your horse 3.Find your balance If you move at a brisk pace, you'll be able to feel a rocking motion as you ride. Your seat should naturally move with the motion. Your arms also need to move with the motion of your horse look straight forward and keep your back straight Your shoulder, hip, and heel should all be aligned. 4. Use aids to Control your horse Aids are what you use to control your horse. They range from your hands, seat, legs, a crop or spurs. To make your horse move forward, squeeze with your calves. To make your horse halt, sit deep in the saddle and apply pressure with the reins. You can also say "whoa". 5. Learn to trot Once you're confident at the walk, squeeze tighter and start trotting. 6. Learn to Canter The canter is a rocking gait similar to a rocking horse, except faster. To canter, move your outside leg slightly back and squeeze. Use this signal while you're at a slow trot; don't just speed up your horse or he'll usually start trotting quickly instead of cantering. 7. Having fun and taking care Riding a horse is an extremely fun activity that many people do from jumping to trail riding. Just make sure you take care of the horse and keep him healthy and youll be having a great time in no time.