There is nothing more joyous than teaching your friend something you are good at. But horse riding isn’t like taking a stroll in the park, since it takes a lot of time and effort to master it. So, how will you ensure that your friend’s first day at horse riding is better than what they are expecting it be?
Since it is your friend whom you’ll be teaching, you want nothing but the best for them. That being said, it’s better that you start with the basics no matter how excited they are to ride the horse. Below we have mentioned some tips for you so that you can teach them in a better way:
#1. Introduce your foal
Before you begin your friend’s training session, take them to the stable and introduce them to your horse. Besides, a foal is more likely to bond with people when they meet them in their home. So, when you take your friend to the stable ask him/her to touch them gently and feed a fruit. This way they will start building good bond with them. Teach them about horse’s various body parts and while you are at it, teach them how to use curry comb, hard and soft brushes for cleaning and shining their hair. Also, train them how to pick their hooves using hoof pick and explain why good horse clippers are needed to maintain their mane and tail. After it is done, tell them to lead the horse outside.
#2. Teach how to take proper care
It is necessary that you take good care of horse before you are going to ride it. So teach the same to your friend and make him/her understand the horse’s behaviour. If they are not able to understand their feelings, then they are certainly not yet ready to ride. A good bond is necessary between a horse and its rider because the better the bond, the more likely a horse will follow the rider’s commands. Also, let them start out with activities like feeding, grooming, leading and tying down in order to develop a bond.
#3. Tell them the importance of gear
Make sure your friend is properly geared up for the ride. Provide them with the right clothes and riding shoes, especially made for horse riding. Make them wear safety helmet, riding gloves, jodhpurs and ankle or wrist support, if necessary. Getting all geared up will definitely give them a feeling of being a horse jockey.
#4. Saddle them up
Before you saddle up, make sure the horse is tied down and teach them the proper procedure in a very slow manner. It will be better if you show your friend how it Is done first and then let them do it themselves, because at the end its them who’s got to do it. Teach them about safety precautions as well and some instances, as to what might happen when a horse isn’t saddled properly. This will make them follow the precautions every time they go for a ride while keeping safety in mind.
#5. Take them for a trial ride
Now that the horse is saddled up and ready, so should be your friend. Teach them the correct way to mount and dismount. This, of course, is going to be difficult for the first couple of attempts, so always stand near them to help. If your friend is shorter, you can use a mounting block to help them mount and dismount.
#6. Precautions
i. It is necessary that you teach your friend how to balance themselves on a saddle. Once they sit on the saddle, tell them to maintain the correct posture and understand horse’s body language. Make them aware about proper riding positions, so both the rider and horse is at ease.
ii. Tell them how to hold reins properly and the amount of pressure that’s needed to squeeze horse’s legs for a spur movement, stopping and taking turns.
iii. Instruct them that they must never attempt to calm down a horse that is panicked, as they are not experienced enough and might end up injuring themselves and the horse as well.
Now that you know where to start your friend’s training session and where to end it, we hope you do a really good job at helping them master the art of horse riding. Apart from that, also tell them about the mistakes that you made while you were learning. In this manner you can ensure that they’re able to avoid an injury or prevent the horse from getting injured. Once they get good enough at riding, maybe you both can gallop away on a windy sunset.
