Horses 101
August article

Let's Get Moving

Now that you are sitting nice and balanced, laterally and vertically, (See July's article) it is time to get that horse moving. A new rider will almost always try to make the horse move by moving their upper body in a back and forth pushing motion. That does not communicate your desires to the horse.

In order to learn the proper technique, let's begin with holding the reins. Take one rein in each hand, holding them so that they are in an "ice cream cone" position, with the part of the rein closest to the horse coming out from the little finger part of your hands. This is "English style" riding, or direct reining. Almost every horse has learned this type of reining before they learn Western or neck reining. Our reason for having a new rider hold the reins this way is to help them hold their body balanced. I have never seen a new rider take the reins in a Western style, with one hand that did not end up with their body twisted, and one shoulder more forward than the other. So make your self ride two handed until correct balance becomes normal to you.

If you remember, as you begin riding your body from the waist down talks to the rear of the horse, and your hands talk to the front. To ask your horse to move forward, take a deep breath in, release the pressure on the reins, and slightly squeeze with your legs (inner calf area.) In doing so, you are removing pressure from the horses' mouth, the bit, and allowing the head to move forward. You are indicating to the horse's hind legs to begin moving. You will learn to regulate the amount of leg pressure so that the horse knows from the degree of pressure how fast you wish to go; slow walk, faster walk, sitting trot, faster trot, or even into a canter. This comes with practice.

Now let's tell the horse to stop. You can use the word "Whoa", but your body's action speaks much louder. First release that deep breath you took. That drops your weight into the saddle seat and tells the back end of the horse you are going to stop. Then gently squeeze tight onto each rein. That tells his head to stop. If you don't get a complete stop from the first try, repeat the steps, with greater intensity. If that still doesn't stop the horse, he needs some retraining. If you are following the steps in these articles, that retraining is still beyond your abilities.

Just as a reminder, while you are following all these communication steps, keep your body in a soft, supple upright position. It is very important that as the horse walks, you allow your body to "flow" with him. As a new rider, if you are nervous, this is the biggest challenge you will have. Practice relaxing, breathing softly and relaxing each body muscle one by one. If you are stiff as you sit in the saddle that will be what the horse feels. He will be unaware of any other body language communications.

These steps will take you forward. Next month you will learn to turn the horse.

Written by Darleen Finnigan, CHA & ARIA certified instructor, teaching at Saddle Soar Ranch, Inc. Puyallup, for over 10 years, specializing in adult beginners. 253 927-6899, or www.saddlesoarranch.com