How to Ride a Horse

Learning how to ride a horse is a rewarding experience, but also takes time and patience. You can't learn how to ride a horse in one day, but almost anyone can learn how to ride a horse with practice and good instruction.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Find a person that is experienced with horses. A riding instructor is best, but anyone knowledgeable about horses can help you. This person should be able to answer any questions you have, point out mistakes you are making and help with learning to ride correctly.
2. Mount the horse from the left side. Take the reins in your hands. Don't pull them tight, let them hang loose enough so the horse's head and mouth are relaxed.
3. Squeeze the horse with your legs to move forward. Lean back and pull back on the reins to stop.
4. Pull the left rein while pushing the horse with your right foot to turn left. Do the opposite to turn right. Some horses are trained differently and will respond to different commands. Make sure you know how each horse is trained before taking off and confusing the horse and yourself.
5. Start slowly and gain confidence each time. Having a knowledgable horse person around is very helpful and important when learning how to ride a horse.

Tips & Warnings

• Never ride alone if you are not extremely comfortable riding a horse. Horses can be dangerous and are not safe to be handled by inexperienced people.
• Don't rush the learning experience. Take your time and learn things correctly the first time.