Horseback riding is probably one of the most difficult sports to excel at. Namely because it is one of few that involves a large animal with its own thoughts and opinions. It is also one of the most open sports to participate in at any age or level, as you do not need to qualify for a team, club or league. You need only have access to a kind, willing horse and hopefully someone knowledgeable to help you get started safely. There is a logical progression of skills that riders should expect to learn to form a well-rounded foundation to reach beyond beginner level. These can be found in my post, “Basics Every Rider Should Learn”.

Being a Beginner Level Rider

However getting beyond beginner level can be very challenging and even scary at times. In my experience of teaching adult riders of all ages, including seniors, at least two out of three riders quit within the first year of riding. For teens it’s more likely that one out of three won’t continue riding for a full year. The comment I hear most is “I had no idea how difficult/involved riding is.” I certainly don’t want to discourage anyone from trying. How else will we learn what we can do? But rather I’d like to give a realistic vision of what learning to ride is. It is a full body workout which continually challenges riders to coordinate physical strength, mental fortitude, and comprehensive communication with their horse.

Taking On the Challenge

So how does one tackle such a seemingly overwhelming endeavor? One ride at a time! This post will outline what the first few rides might look like for a teen or adult rider assuming they have no experience with horses at all. Whether you are considering teaching beginner level riders or learning to ride yourself, hopefully you will gain a sense of what to expect and how to get started.

Beginner Lesson #1 – The Orientation:

• I mostly explain and demonstrate grooming and tacking. The rider will be hands on with grooming but only minimally with tacking. It’s more effective to allow them to absorb how everything goes together the first time.
• First, demonstrate how to lead a horse, then allow the rider to take the horse to the arena/ring. Preferably you would be using a flat enclosed area for quite some time.
• Ideally use a mounting block to get on to spare your horse being yanked by a beginner. Adjust stirrups and check the girth immediately upon mounting. I don’t bog my riders down with explaining how to do all of this just yet.
• Before moving the horse around, show the rider how to hold the reins and position the stirrup on the rider’s foot. The stirrup being right on the ball of the foot allows the rider’s heel to drop lower than the toe and the rider’s calf to lightly contact the horse’s sides.
• Explain and practice how to start and stop several times until the rider is comfortable. For now remain next to the horse. You may not need to use a lead rope unless the situation feels nervous.
• Explain steering – one hand at a time out to the side with contact, guiding the horse’s nose in the desired direction. This is the least problematic way to teach steering that doesn’t cause confusion later in the riding education. Set up cones or other objects to practice steering around.
• If the rider has become comfortable with “start, stop, and steer”, go over the two-point position. Riders must first place their hands up the horse’s neck so they can tilt slightly forward. Then have them stand on the stirrups to lift their seat a little out of the saddle. Challenge the rider to hold this position as you walk the horse forward. Most new riders will not be able to hold the two-point for long.
• More confident riders may move onto trying a little trot on lead or lungeline to get a feel for it. It’s also fine to wait until the second or even third ride to try trotting. I will often wait if the rider is nervous or you have a particularly bouncy horse.
• Dismount and allow the rider to practice leading their horse back to your tie area. Help them untack and groom, turnout/ etc.

Beginner Lesson #2:

• Refresh grooming and tacking allowing the rider to do as much as they can remember. I commonly allow riders to get well established with saddling before learning to bridle. It is very easy to sour a horse to being bridled when it is done poorly. A horse’s face is quite sensitive so being poked in the eyes, jammed in the teeth or having their ears grabbed repeatedly is a good reason not to cooperate. Allowing riders to get familiar with the bridle by use and unbridling for a while will spare your horses reason to object.
• Warm up with some variety of “start, stop and steer” exercises.
• Work on the two-point position, introduce steering while in two-point which also means explaining shortening the reins to keep contact.
• Once horse and rider are settled into the ride, I typically begin leadline/lungeline trot in this lesson. Its ok for riders to hold the front of the saddle initially and I inform them that the trot is bouncy. The instructor’s judgment dictates how much you ask the rider to do for themselves at this point. I prefer to teach how to stay in the saddle before how to come out of the saddle, so I begin with sitting trot if at all possible. If the available horse is just too bouncy to sit I may take one additional lesson before trotting and really work the two-point position so we can begin trotting in a solid two-point to avoid unpleasantly jolting either horse or rider while figuring it out.
• Again, assist the rider with untacking and putting away their horse.

Beginner Lesson #3:

• Provided lessons number one and two have been completed as planned, continue gaining confidence with grooming and tacking.
• Use the warm-up to review at the walk.
• Increase the pace of the lesson with more trotting. It’s good to build stamina by trotting a lot early on. Continue working towards a comfort level with sitting, posting and two-point trot and gaining more control of self and horse.
• Begin linking small skills together such as steering at the trot independently, or adding ground poles or patterns. If we are spending time on the lungeline, I will often challenge a beginner level rider to two-point with arms held straight out to the sides to test balance. On smoother horses, trotting on the lungeline with no reins is a great way to build seat and confidence quickly.
• Continue helping the rider with groundwork until they are completely comfortable handling the horse and tacking. This may take many lessons. Even then, spot check the rider’s tack every time they enter the ring.

In a nutshell, that is a basic outline for how I would work the first three lessons with a beginner level rider. The exact progression will vary but the core skills are the same regardless of discipline. Initially I’ll allow small things to slip by as many mistakes will correct themselves with practice and strength. What I will always emphasize is balance and leg position, because all else in riding will stem from there. It is also very important for riders to learn how a horse thinks and why we do things the way we do. So taking time in a ride to discuss or focus on these things is ok.

Whatever your ambitions with learning to ride, I encourage you to give it more than a passing glance. There is so much to be learned about ourselves and our lives from the back of a horse that simply must be experienced to understand. The same can be said for teaching others to ride.

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Testament Farm – Training and Lessons