To use a horse as the main means of transportation today, of course, there is no need. Nowadays, these graceful animals are kept mainly only for participating in horse racing or, for example, for organizing leisure activities for tourists. But in any case, even today, any horse should be able to walk under the saddle. To train a horse in this way requires a lot of knowledge, skills and patience. Read how to train a horse in horse riding below in the article.
What rules should be followed
Training with a trained horse should be done regularly. During training, you should definitely try to establish psychological contact with the animal. Teaching a horse is not worth it:
demanding too much from her, overestimating her mental abilities;
erupt, scream at her, much less beat.
Horses are quite wayward animals. If you want to teach a horse how to ride, you should first try to become a “leader in the herd”. Relations with the horse need to be friendly, but the main thing in them should still be the person.
Basic Training Stages
Anyone who wonders how to train a horse to ride under the saddle should, among other things, know that such animals should be trained from an early age. With age, horses become more moody and willful. Therefore, if time is missed, it will be problematic to train a horse subsequently properly.
How to train a horse to ride under the saddle? The answer to this question can be many different methods. But in any case, you can start teaching horseback riding only for horses who have completed basic training. The latter usually involves two main steps:
acclimatization;
work on the cord.
Halter training
Foals under the age of one year usually undergo such training. For an adult horse, contact with the halter can be a shock, which will complicate its further training. Foals, on the other hand, begin to teach movement about when their mother is nearby. The presence of a familiar and native object nearby calms the animal and avoids a stressful situation.
During such training, the trainer should stand to the left of the foal at the level of his shoulder. In order to lead a young horse, you should start first behind the mother, and then next to her or even in front.
Cord work
At the age of about 2 years, foals in growth already catch up with their parents. At this time, you can begin to train the horse to work on the cord and the implementation of various kinds of teams. Also at this age, instructors usually begin to work with the scourge. This tool is, of course, not intended to beat a horse. This will lead to misunderstanding and mistrust. A scourge is needed only to give the animal directions. In no case should his horse be afraid. The beach and cord (an occasion about 7.5 m long) are the answers to the question of how to train a young horse in such commands as “stand”, “step”, “trot”, etc. The horse will have to perform the same actions in the future and with a rider.
At the same time, the animal is also trained to work in fishing rod and bridle. Since the musculoskeletal system of horses at the age of two has not yet fully formed, it is still not possible to ride them. However, to start accustoming the horse to the empty saddle itself, such a horse is also necessary.
When can I start the main training
We will talk about how to train a horse in riding a little lower. To begin with, we’ll deal with when, in fact, such training can begin. To begin too early to such training, most instructors do not recommend. The later the race starts, the longer the horse will subsequently serve. In any case, it is impossible to mount a young horse before his skeleton gets stronger. The time of the end of the development of the musculoskeletal system in horses depends on many factors: conditions of keeping, breed, individual characteristics of the body.
They usually begin to teach horses how to ride in 3 years. Moreover, in the first months for the animal choose a gentle regime. First, work begins with light riders weighing up to 60 kg. Later, closer to 4 years, the load on the animal is gradually increasing. At the age of 5-6, the horse begins to be trained in jumping through logs. When using such a technique, a riding horse can subsequently serve faithfully to the owner for up to 20-25 years.
How to Train a Horse in Riding: A Saddle
Horse saddles are usually taught at the age of 2 years. The training technology at the same time uses a fairly simple:
The saddle is removed from the horse’s back during training only after it calms down - as a reward. After the animal understands that this new accessory is not dangerous for him, you can begin to tighten the cinch. The latter must be tightened each time with one fastener. After the horse gets used to the girth, it must be driven with a saddle on the cord.
How to train a rider
Of course, the main goal of training after obtaining basic skills is the ability to ride a horse in the future. How to teach horses not to be afraid of a rider? These animals also need to get used to the rider gradually.
This procedure can only be started when the horse has become accustomed to the empty saddle and is not afraid of it. One of the features of these animals is that they are not afraid of the rider’s severity, but when something hangs over them. Therefore, climbing into the saddle during training is not worth it right away. Typically, the technique of teaching a horse to a rider uses the following:
the horse is driven freely for a while about (until slightly tired);
bring the horse to the landing step;
stand on the step and, leaning on the saddle, hang over the horse (two assistants must keep the animal);
they begin to press on the saddle more and more, gradually transferring the weight of their body onto it.
Ultimately, the rider must hang on the horse. Next you need:
to sit down from the step into the saddle, carefully transferring the weight of your body onto it;
sit in the saddle for 10-15 seconds and get down on the step.
In nature, a predator will never let go of its prey just like that. Therefore, the last action at the beginning of training will certainly calm the horse and she will understand that no one wants to harm her.
Some time after the rider leaves the saddle, he again needs to climb a horse and sit on it for 10-15 minutes. Then you should get off the horse again. This procedure must be repeated several times.
How to train to ride a saddle
Thus, at the first stage, the horse must be trained not to be afraid of the rider himself. After this, you can begin to actually develop the animal's riding skills. How to properly train a horse to ride with a rider? To do this, you first need an assistant. After the trainer mounts the horse, the assistant must take a pretext and freely move the animal along the arena. Then you can drive the horse with the rider on the cord.
For the first time on a horse you need to ride only a few laps. Then you should calmly get off the horse, stroke it and treat it with top dressing. The next few lessons, the rider exercise should be repeated. The first stage of the race can be considered completed when the horse with the instructor on his back begins to move evenly and calmly.
Training
As soon as the horse gets used to move with the rider, you can begin to master such commands as:
How to teach a horse to ride a horse: shenkels
Schenkel training plays a very important role in training horses. Many people believe, for example, that in order to make a horse move, it’s enough to do with just a whip and a movement of the legs. However, experienced instructors consider this to be fundamentally wrong. During training, the horse must first be trained in the shenkel. Only after this can it be considered ready for various types of riding.
The method of sending a horse forward with a light grip is called a shankel. Depending on the force with which this movement will be made, the horse subsequently chooses the pace of movement. Using the shankel, you can make the horse move, turn left or right, go from step to trot, stop.
Initially, the pressure with the legs is supplemented with a light blow of the whip. This is necessary in order for the horse to understand the meaning of the shankel. When training in this case, it is important that the pressure, if necessary, force the animal to perform one or another action is the same. Otherwise, the perception of the impact of the shankel in a horse may become dull.
Useful Tips
The technology described above is a good answer to the question of how to train a wild horse to ride under the saddle. As you can see, such training is a really difficult task. In any case, a specialist should train young non-traveled horses. A newbie should take this task only under the guidance of an experienced instructor. And the more severe this or that horse is, the more knowledge, skills and abilities the trainer should have.
Many people are interested in how to train a horse at home riding, including. In this case, the novice, of course, should also invite a specialist to get around, for example, from the nearest stud farm.
In any case, when training a horse, you should, among other things, follow these recommendations of specialists:
no need to give the animal an excessive load;
the horse should be trained systematically, strictly following the chosen scheme;
any training should be completed in steps so that the animal calms down and dries.
Saddle riding lessons should last no longer than 45 minutes. According to experts, it is very difficult for horses to concentrate on a longer period of time.