17 Beginner Horse Riding Easy Fixes – With Photos

Having your horse in a ‘leg vice’ can confuse and make communication with your horse difficult. We use our legs to give signals to the horse letting them know what we are asking them to do. If held in a ‘death grip’ the horse will not understand what is being asked of them.

A nice relaxed leg position allows you and the horse to relax while giving the range of movement necessary for clear aids (instructions) to the horse. The commands given by the legs are subtle and without the full range of movement afforded by a relaxed leg communication is restricted.

Riding with a helmet is required by most riding establishments. Helmets have been proven to save lives and reduce injury. You will fall off of your horse, many times and the further you progress with your riding skills, the chances are high that you will be completing harder and faster manoeuvres with the increased risk of falling.

There are a range of helmets to suit all riding styles and personal taste. Check out our recommendations on our resources page. Modern helmets offer great protection from injury and come in a vast range of styles. Even if you do not like to wear a helmet, there is one out there that you will ‘not mind’ too much that may just save your life.

Leaning too far forward can unbalance you and the horse. Your legs and hands will be in the wrong position, making control difficult and give confusing signals to the horse. Riding is all about balance, if your weight is too far forward the shift in balance will affect how the horse moves. This can make certain tasks more difficult, especially jumping where the horse needs to engage their hind legs to jump properly.

Leaning too far back will have the same effects as leaning forward, you will be off balance and the horse will be confused by your signals. Leaning back can signal to your horse that you wish to go faster, which as a beginner could be frightening if you are not prepared. A good upright balanced position is essential for basic groundwork and to teach horse and rider how to move in harmony with each other.

If your foot is located in the wrong position in the stirrup it will prevent use of the full range of motion needed for good communication with your horse. It is also possible that your foot may slip all of the way through the stirrup and potentially dangerous if you were to fall off with your foot in this position resulting in being dragged.

Good foot position in the stirrup promotes confidence and allows the rider to make small adjustments to the leg position necessary for good riding. Having a stable base from which to adjust your weight and balance makes for a good rider. It takes practice, but as with everything after a while it becomes second nature and you will position your foot correctly without thinking about it.

Straight arms prevent the range of motion required for smoothly allowing your hands to move with the horses’ head to prevent pulling on the bit. If your arms are straight out in front of you yours arms and shoulders will be tensed which is communicated through to the horse and will make them tense too. Ideally there should be a straight line from your elbow through your wrist, down the rein to the bit.

Bent elbows allow the hands to move backwards and forwards with the motion of the horses head, allowing a constant pressure on the reins and bit. In order to allow for the natural movement of the horse it is essential that your arms are able to move independently from the rest of your body, the way that we do this is, is by having a bend in the elbow.

Looking down can unbalance you and the horse. Your head is heavy and influences your centre of gravity and balance. If you are not looking where you are going from an upright position with your head in a neutral position you will unwittingly be influencing the horse’s direction and balance.

If you look where you want to go this will put your body into the correct position to encourage the horse to go in the direction that you are looking. While learning it is natural to want to look down at the horse to see what is going on. Concentrate on where you are going and on how the horse feels, as this will give you all of the information that you need to ride effectively.

Your horse will become confused and agitated if you keep pressure on your leg and through the reins. If you constantly hold the horse on a tight rein and with your legs tight to their sides they will not be able to relax and will not be listening to your commands.

A nice relaxed contact encourages your horse to relax and accept the bit. If you are relaxed, your horse can relax. A relaxed horse will listen to you and try to understand what you are asking of them without becoming tense and upset.

Riding for too long in one direction when schooling can cause stiffness and uneven muscle growth for both horse and rider. What ever you do in one direction try to do the same in the other direction.

The rider can form bad habits such as holding onto one rein too tight or leaning to one side or the other if direction on a circle is not changed regularly. Most people have a dominant hand, which if not monitored can lead to a bias on one side.

Pulling on the reins to stop will cause your horse to fight and throw their head due to the discomfort caused by the pulling action. If you constantly fight to stop your horse try to find the reason why? If you are unintentionally giving a signal to go faster through poor body or leg position stopping will be difficult because your horse is not understanding your commands.

Sitting quieter and deeper into the saddle tells your horse that you are going stop. A slight tension in the seat and back tell them to stop. Our natural instinct is to pull on the reins to stop, and this is often the way horses are trained to stop when they are first introduced to a bridle and bit. It is important that both the horse and rider understand the commands that are being given.

Incorrect leg positioning can put you off balance and giving confusing signals to your horse. Horses are trained to respond to commands that we call aids. The legs are a big part of the aid giving structure. Incorrect leg position will make it impossible to give a trained horse the correct aids.

Correct leg position encourages the horse to listen to the small commands (aids) given through the legs without the need for exaggerated leg movements. The legs are used to control speed and direction, some of these aids are very subtle and if your legs are in the wrong position you will be giving the wrong aid.

Holding the reins incorrectly can allow the horse to pull the reins out of your hand and make adjustments to the rein length difficult. There will be times when it will be necessary to adjust the length of the reins, holding the reins incorrectly could possibly lead to a loss of control.

Holding the reins correctly is safer and allows for a full range of motion. The reins should be held between the small (pinkie) and third finger with the loose end coming up through your hand and the thumb placed on top of the rein.

If your elbows are sticking out your hands are restricted in movement and ‘stuck’ right in front of you. This could prevent you from controlling the horse as you may ‘run out’ of rein. Keeping your elbows close to your sides also help to maintain a compact centre of gravity which helps with general balance.

Elbows by your side maintains an even centre of gravity and allows full forward and back motion.

If the reins are too short your horse will not relax and you will constantly be pulling on the bit. A light contact on the bit should be kept at all times. We tend to ‘pick up’ the rein (shorten) when we are about to ask the horse to do something. This warning to the horse is not possible if the reins are constantly too short and the contact on the bit too tight.

If the reins are too long you will not have contact with the bit or have any control. If you need to make a manoeuvre all movements will have to be exaggerated which could upset your horse. The reins should be the correct length for the pace and requirements at the time. The reins are much shorter when at a gallop then when at a relaxed walk.

Failure to breath regularly and smoothly can cause tension which is transmitted to the horse. This tension will be communicated to the horse through the reins, legs and saddle and can cause the the horse to become unsettled and upset. If you do not breath properly there is the possibility of light headedness.

Nice relaxed breathing will transmit calm to your horse helping them to relax. A relaxed horse will listen to you where as a tense horse will be on alert for threats and will not be listening to you. Deep breathing will help you to relax before you get on your horse if you are a little nervous.