If you're like most people, you probably want to just throw a saddle on your horse and jump on.  While this may have been how your grandfather approached things, today we seek a better way that is not only safer, but promotes harmony with our horse. This means that the first step when going out to ride is making sure a horse is actually ready to ride, rather than just jumping on and hoping for the best. This process actually takes place over all aspects of horse ownership, so you are preparing for this step when you catch your horse, lead him, groom him, clean his feet, and do groundwork.  If you haven't done so you should study catching and leading your horse to make sure you have the first two stages of your horsemanship developed properly. In this guide, we are going to assume you are  leading your horse properly, have been doing basic groundwork, and you have taken her out for the purpose of riding.

In this lesson, we will learn how to get a horse ready for riding and perform some basic exercises in the saddle.

    Getting the Attention of the Horse

For a horse that you are going to ride, you should be able to get the complete attention of the horse within about ten seconds. If you do not have this, then you need to work on groundwork  prior to putting a saddle on and riding. You can determine whether or not you have the attention of the horse by noting where they focus their eyes. Is the horse looking off to the outside when you're circling him? If so you don't have his attention at all. Is the horse looking at you with one eye but keeping an eye on the outside, just in case something interesting or scary happens? If so you don't have the complete attention of the horse. If she takes time out to sniff poop on the ground or look at weeds when you're asking her to move or backup, you don't have her complete attention.
To safely ride a horse, you must have her complete attention on the ground first. That means having both eyes looking at you no matter where you are when you are working with the horse. If someone comes over to chat with you when you're with the horse, and you stop what you're doing and talk to the other person its OK for the horse to sniff around and look to see what's happening around him. But if you're working the horse, he needs to be looking at you with both eyes. You get them into the habit of doing this by bumping them with the rope when they are distracted.

So suppose that your horse is looking off in the opposite direction when you want to ask her to backup. Bump the rope (toward you) and kiss or click. Just bump once to get her attention. When she is focused on you with both eyes waiting to hear what you have to say, then its OK to ask her to back up.  If she looks at you but then her attention wanders of again, you need to repeat the process. Keep doing that until she stays focused on you long enough to do what you ask. You can also talk to the horse, for example say “I'm over here” when bumping the rope.

    Tip

The horse has to be in tune with you before riding. The idea is to open up her mind so you can control her emotions. This leads to controlling her movements with confidence while in the saddle.

    Moving the Horse on the Ground

When getting ready to ride, take your horse into an area where you can comfortably  do groundwork, meaning find yourself an open area where you have enough room to move her around. There are four basic areas where you can focus your attention at this time:

•     Assertively moving the hindquarters

•     Backing the horse up

•     Dropping her head

•     Flexing

    Moving the Hindquarters

Grab the lead rope with your left hand and position yourself facing the withers of the horse on her left side. Raise your left hand to about shoulder level. You will use the other end of the rope to put pressure on the hind end of the horse. Leave a couple of feet loose from your right hand and swing the rope at the left hind end of the horse. Walk toward her hind end. She should start moving in a circle.



Position yourself to the horse's left side. Raise your left hand and use the end of the rope in your right hand to put pressure on the hind end.

You and your horse should be moving in a circle. Keep putting pressure on her hind end so that she keeps moving. The amount of pressure should be varied. Increase the pressure to make her move faster, then drop it down to slow her down a bit. You want to get her emotions stirred up and then bring them back down again and repeat this several times. Vary the timing and intensity of this exercise.

    Tip

As you are making the horse move around in a circle, watch the hind legs of the horse. When the horse crosses one leg past the other, you are ready to stop the exercise.
    Ask for a Backup
When we stop this exercise, its not time to rest yet. When your horse crosses his hind legs one past the other, then move in front of the horse and ask him to back up. Have him back up 3 or 4 steps.



Ask the horse to backup after her back legs cross. Then repeat in the other direction.

    Next move the horse forward

You should still be positioned directly in front of your horse. Assertively walk backwards so that you're asking your horse to come forward in your direction. When you ask look at the horse and lean forward a bit and then pull on the rope towards you. When you are pulling on the rope, the instant you feel her give and start to come towards you, let out the slack in the rope. This rewards the horse for moving in the proper way by releasing the pressure.
The pulling stage when asking the horse to move toward you is nothing more than direction of energy.
This isn't quite like asking the horse to walk in while you stay still, you should be moving backwards assertively, even at a slow jog for a few steps. When the horse comes forward 3 or 4 steps, we are going to repeat the process just outlined but apply it to the right side of the horse. As you're moving backwards, change the lead rope in your hand so that the right hand is grabbing the end of the rope attached to the halter. Then hold some loose rope in your left hand that you can swing to put pressure on the hindquarters. You will position your body toward the withers of the horse on her right side and repeat the steps above.

    Tip

Remember at all times that the eyes of the horse should be focused on you. If this isn't happening you are not getting her complete attention and you need to go back to square one with basic groundwork exercises.
 Secondly, have the horse moving fast when you first put pressure on her hind end. Then slow it down and bring her to a stop.

    Dropping her head

After you have moved the hindquarters in both directions, you can ask the horse to drop her head. This should also be done from both sides. Move so that you are positioned on the left side of the horse. Pet the horse once with a swipe along her neck. Grab the end of the lead line an inch or two below the halter with your left hand, and place your right hand on top of the horse's head. Pull down with your left hand while simultaneously applying pressure with your right hand. As soon as you feel the horse being to drop her head, release the pressure at both places.
The purpose of this exercise is to promote relaxation. A horse with his head up is not relaxed. A relaxed horse will have his head low. The ideal position for the head of a horse is so that his neck almost appears straight out from his body. At first, don't ask or expect the horse to put her head like this for you on command. Accept small steps as progress. If she lowers her head just an inch, take the pressure off and praise her. Then repeat. Keep doing this until she lowers her head the way you want, which means all the way down.
When the horse lowers his head the way you want on the left side, move around to the right side of the horse and ask him to lower his head from that position. This time your left hand should be on top of his head while the right hand is holding the lead rope just below the halter.  Again, seek small gains. The first time you do this exercise praise the horse if they lower their head  just an inch and don't ask him to go from not lowering his head at all to dropping it all the way to the ground.



   


Position for dropping the head of the horse, as seen from another angle.

    Tip

If a horse resists lowering her head without progress at all, don't just give up and stop asking. She is putting energy into doing the opposite of what you are asking. Think of dropping the head as forward directed energy. If the horse is resisting, that means she is directing energy backwards. Our goal in this situation is to make it uncomfortable for the horse to direct the energy in the opposite direction. In other words, ask the horse to back up assertively about 5-6 steps. Then position yourself to lower the  head again and repeat the exercise. Be sure to pet once each time before asking the horse to lower her head.

     Touch the Horse All Over

When you reach the point where the horse will drop her head you want to make sure you can touch her all over her body and she is comfortable with you doing so. You estimate her comfort level by :

•     Making sure her head doesn't just pop back up when you release the pressure. That is, you lower her head and then she keeps it lowered for a few seconds when you stop asking.

•     You can rub the horse all over her body from her withers back to her hind end without her raising her head. If she raises her head when you're touching her hind end, she isn't 100% comfortable with you doing this.

You should be able to walk all the way back to the tail rubbing the horse all over, without her popping her head back up. Then lift the tail up. If the tail is tense, this is another sign the horse is not completely relaxed. Keep lowering the head and petting until you feel that the tension is released from the horse. Lift her tail and rub it. This is comforting for the horse.  You should be able to do this touching exercise before putting the saddle on.

    Tip

Providing comfort by releasing pressure is reward enough to a horse. You don't need to offer a treat say when asking her to lower their head or asking them for a backup. The release of pressure is what provides the reward for the horse.

    Tip

Breath in deeply and exhale loudly when asking a horse to lower his head or when picking up his tail. This helps a horse relax.

    Flex the Horse

Now stand at the withers on the left side and put pressure on the rope to flex the head of the horse to you. Don't pull on the rope. Bump it several times until the horse responds. Stop bumping when he brings his head all the way toward you. Repeat on the other side.

    Showing the horse the Saddle

When you are able to satisfactorily complete the ground exercises outlined above, you can show the horse the saddle. Rather than just putting it on, begin to teach the horse that the saddle is to be associated with comfort. This is done in the following way:

•     If the horse is away from the saddle, she has to work-which means her feet should be moving.

•     If the horse is next to the saddle, she can rest.

You introduce rest by the saddle by asking the horse to earn it. If she shows comfort or interest in the saddle by sniffing it say, then you let her rest by it. Proceed as follows:

1.    Put the saddle in a location where you can bring the horse up to it and have room to exercise her near it.
2.    Bring her in the area but not exactly next to the saddle. Circle her or proceed with some exercises to move her hindquarters. The idea is just to keep her feet moving for a minute.
3.    Continue moving closer to the saddle. When she gets next to the saddle, then stop asking her to move.
This is not like the old-school approach of lunging a horse to burn off energy before riding. Instead we are seeking the key to the mind of the horse. That is, we want to teach her that the saddle is associated with comfort, which we are conveying by allowing her to rest at the saddle. When she is away from the saddle in this exercise, she must do some work by moving her feet.

If the horse does not relax by the saddle, move her away again and ask her to move her feet. Back her up, move her hindquarters, or circle her a few times. Then bring her back over to the saddle. You are looking for signs the horse is accepting the saddle. She will indicate this to you by looking at the saddle and sniffing it.

    Introduce the Saddle Pad

After the horse has shown she accepts the saddle, it is time to introduce the saddle pad. Hold her with the lead rope (or if this is a horse you have experience you can have her tied) and bring up the saddle pad to her nose so she can sniff it. After she sniffs it, rub her down with it all along her back from the withers to her tail. This is good to do even with a horse used to be ridden, especially if they have issues like bucking or being stubborn. After rubbing her down with it, put the pad on in position. Then go ahead and put the saddle on. Don't cinch up the horse real tight at first. Also note it will loosen up when you ask her to move after putting the saddle on.
When you have the saddle on but before putting the bridle on, you can proceed with more groundwork. Perform the following exercises:

•     Ask her to backup.

•     Circle her in both directions. First have her walk around once or twice to your left, then trot around once or twice to your left. Repeat in the opposite direction. This is not to tire the horse out, but to get inside his mind and having us control his emotions by controlling the speed and direction of his movements.

•     Ask her to move forward toward you in the manner discussed earlier.

    Let her relax and ask her to drop her head.

After moving your horse around, tighten the cinch. Then put your reigns and bridle on. Before doing this, ask her to drop her head.

    Finally time to Get on Your Horse

Ground exercises are all about getting a horse to yield to pressure. The direction of energy changes, but the general principle is the same. When you ask a horse to back up, you are asking him to yield to pressure. When you pull on the rope and ask him to move forward, you are asking him to move into pressure, which results in the pressure being removed.

In the saddle, putting a leg on the horse is similar to backing him up. You put pressure with your leg, and the horse moves away from it to yield to the pressure. The reigns are more like asking a horse to move forward. When you pull on the reign, you are asking the horse to move into the pressure to release it.

    Mounting the Horse

A large fraction of injuries associated with horseback riding occur when mounting or dismounting a horse, so you should take mounting seriously and practice doing it correctly. Be ready at all times for the horse to come unglued. If it seems like the horse is about to run off or panic, jump off.

To mount the horse, stand at the side and follow these steps:

•     Flex the horse toward you.

•     Grab a bit of mane. If you are mounting from the left side, grab the mane with your  left hand.

•      Put your other hand over the back of the saddle seat.

•     Don't just jump on. Ease up on the stirrup. Go up about three times (count) in a bouncing fashion and take a deep breath. Then stand up in the stirrup.

•     When you get to the top exhale loudly. Stay in position, and don't put your leg over.

•     A good exercise to desensitize the horse is to get off the horse and pop them on the rear end with an open hand while dismounting. This is a training exercise, not something you will always do, but is good to practice. That way the horse won't come unglued on the trail when you have to dismount.

Now repeat the procedure from the other side of the horse. Although its traditional to mount a horse from the left side, do the same exercise on the right side of the horse. Although you may prefer to follow tradition, you should be able to mount your horse from both sides.

When mounting, its good to always delay for a moment before swinging your leg over. This gives you a second to react to the horse coming unglued. If he does, you can drop off and walk back away from the horse. Pull the reign so that the nose of the horse is toward you. This is procedure you can use in emergency situations to avoid getting kicked.


 
                    When mounting the horse, exhale and stay in this position for a moment before                                      swinging your leg over. Pause for at least a couple of seconds. The first few times, assume this position and then get off the horse.

    Now Get on and Flex

 When you are comfortable doing this exercise, you can ease up and then swing your leg over her back. Sit in the saddle for a moment rather than just asking the horse to walk out. Now flex the horse while in the saddle as follows:

λ    Slide your hand down the reign toward the head of the horse.
λ    Pull back toward your opposite shoulder. If you are flexing the left side, pull the left reign with your left hand up toward your right shoulder.
λ    Do not release until the horse brings his head around toward your knee.
λ    Repeat for the opposite side.
You should practice flexing in the saddle everytime you get on your horse. You want her to flex without moving her feet.
The flexing exercise has two major benefits:
λ    It teaches the horse to be light to the reigns.
λ    It can be used to stop a horse in an emergency situation.




Now you're in the saddle, practice flexing to both sides without having the horse move her feet.

Since flexing can be used to bring a horse to a stop in an emergency, you need to get it to be second nature. That means flex, flex, flex every time you get on a horse. Make a habit of doing it five times to each side before moving to the next exercise. Flexing is also good to do when a horse starts bucking, its harder for the horse to buck when you are asking her to flex.

    Flexing and Moving the Hindquarters

Now extend the flexing exercise to asking the horse to move the hind end. We start with the left side.

•     Flex the horse on the left side.

•     Look down and toward her left hip.

•     Bump her with your left foot once or twice, asking her to move her hip away from you (that is, she will move to the right).

Your left foot talks to the outside leg (the right hind leg) of the horse. Bump with the foot, then the right leg will move first, then the left leg. Do this until you have the horse backing up so that you are moving in a circle.

If she doesn't move, keep putting pressure with your foot until she does so. Repeat for the other side. To get nicer lighter control with the horse, start fluttering with your reigns instead of pulling.

    Stopping the Horse

Now its time to bring the horse to a stop, and practicing during this exercise is a good way to learn it. If you are working by flexing on the left reign and bumping with your left foot, then you will stop with the opposite or right reign. Instead of pulling back with both reigns as is traditionally taught, you are going to learn to stop the horse with one reign.

As she is moving to your command, stop bumping with your foot and simultaneously lift straight up with the right reign. Exhale loudly as you do this so that the horse will begin to associate an exhale with a drop in energy (when trotting, the exhale will be associated with dropping down to a walk-in this case its from walking to a stop). 



To stop the horse, lift up one reign. In this example, the rider lifts the right reign up to stop movement.

    Drop the Head in the Saddle

When you can have the horse respond to the previous exercise, stop and ask her to drop her head while in the saddle. This is done by taking the slack out of both reigns simultaneously. Grab the reigns so that your knuckles are facing forward. Pull back and roll your wrists downward. At first, the horse will think you are asking for a backup. Make it uncomfortable by avoiding the release of pressure. Only release the pressure when she drops her head. As on the ground, reward for the slightest try.



Note hand position on reigns to drop the head in the saddle.

    Moving Forward in Small Circles

The next exercise to perform is moving the horse forward in a circular motion. First to the left, then to the right. Make sure you proceed in both directions.

•     Ask the horse to move out by kicking or squeezing.

•     If you squeeze, be sure to release the pressure when the horse starts to move.

•     Flex a little in the direction you want to turn. Start by bumping the reign to the left so that you trace out a leftward circle. Keep the horse at a walk and move along slowly, circling 5-6 times.

•     Then repeat the process in the other direction. Bring the horse to a stop by lifting the right reign straight up, then bump the right reign to get her to move to the right.

    Tip

When riding, don't clamp down on the horse. Keep your hips loose and let them swing side to side with the horse. You will feel the hips of the horse move to the left and to the right as he is walking forward. Learn to let your hips swing in with his in a synchronous fashion. We will discuss this more in the next lesson.
When you are comfortable moving the horse in circles in both directions, then extend the exercise by having the horse walk in figure eights. A key aspect of turning is to keep your hips moving at all times. Do not lock your hips up in turns. Many novice riders lock up their hips in a turn when moving at a trot or canter, and this tells the horse to slow down. If you trot your horse and notice she drops to a walk when executing a turn, then this can be the cause of the problem. To keep your horse from shutting down, you should learn to keep your hips moving in unison with the horse at a walk first.

    Tip

To stop the horse at any time:

•     Lift up one reign. Lift it STRAIGHT up.

•     Exhale loudly.

•     Do not pull back on the horse or clamp down.

    Turning the Horse

Now if we are going to be moving a horse in circles we have to ask her to turn. Let's briefly cover the steps we want to use. Turn the horse by executing the following steps. Suppose we want to turn right.

•     Look where you want to go. Do not look down at the horse or at your equipment.

•     Lift the right reign up and out to the right. At first you might want to exaggerate by pointing in the direction you want to go.

•     Put pressure with your left leg. The pressure applied with the leg is done by pressing against the horse with your calf. Keep the pressure steady until she turns.

•     Release the pressure with your leg and release the reign when the horse moves where you want her to.

To turn in the other direction lift with your left reign and put pressure with your right leg.

    Lesson Summary

In this lesson we learned how to prepare a horse for riding, and how to perform basic riding exercises. These exercises were used to ask the horse to move out, ask the horse to stop, and ask the horse to turn in different directions. We also learned to keep our hips moving in unison with the horse and not clamp down.

This article is an exerpt from Teach Yourself Natural Horsemanship in 14 Days, which is available on Amazon.com or as a free download when you purchase Eric Bravo's Natural Horsemanship training video software. Click here for more info.

• © 2009 Gentle Natural Horsemanship Productions Incorporated. 
• Home
• About Us
• Contact Us
• Disclaimer
• Sitemap