How to Saddle Train a Horse

Horse training has come a long way from the days where "breaking" horses was the norm. Gentle, effective methods leave the horse emotionally intact and the rider physically intact. If you saddle train a young or green horse can be an immensely rewarding challenge but is not for the beginning horse person. If you have never done horse training, it is highly recommended that you hire a professional trainer that can work with you and advise you through the process. The training will go more smoothly, you and your horse will learn more quickly, and supervision will provide safety. There are also several excellent horse training books and horse training DVDs written by expert trainers on the topic of starting a green horse. In the steps below, I provide a basic overview of the saddle training process. However, a professional will have their own detailed methods of horse training and, more importantly, will adapt to the individual needs of the horse.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• halter or lungeing cavesson
• two lunge ropes or one lunge line and two driving lines
• lunge whip
• driving whip
• bridle
• saddle pad
• saddle (English or Western)
• a short length of rope for securing stirrups
• sturdy mounting block
• fenced arena with good footing (preferably indoors)
• horse training DVDs
• horse training books

1. Hire a professional trainer to help you if you have never done horse training before.

2. Before you start saddle training, the horse should already know how to lead well, how to back away from you, move away from pressure, know the cues for different gates such as walk, trot, and canter, and perform them in a balanced manner on the lungeline in a halter or cavesson. He should also have been slowly taught to accept the bit and wear the bridle.

3. 

   Find a fenced arena with good footing and as few distractions as possible, indoors is often best. Bring either the horse trainer you have found or a friend with a lot of horse experience. After lunging the horse, casually approach her with the saddle pad while your assistant holds the lungeline. Be sensitive to the fact that the horse might be scared or spook but don't act too cautionary. Try to convey the message that the saddle pad is an everyday occurrence and not dangerous. Allow the horse to smell the saddle pad and then rub it on her shoulder and back letting her get used to the way it feels. Once the horse is calm while you rub her with the saddle pad, gently settle it over her back where the saddle would go, keeping a hold on it, in case the horse spooks. The only thing scarier to a young, spooky horse than a saddle pad is a flying saddle pad! If the horse does spook, you have the extra length of the lunge line to work with. Praise her while she has the pad on her back so that she knows it is a good thing. Repeat these sessions until the horse is reliably calm. Then, slowly start pushing her comfort zone by having the saddle pad around while you groom and rub, tap, and flap her with it all over so that she becomes accustomed to the sights, sounds, and feelings.

4. 

   Introduce the horse to the english saddle or western saddle the same way you did the saddle pad. While the saddle is less colorful than the saddle pad, it has stirrups that move and is heavier, so take your time when putting it on the horses back for the first time on top of the saddle pad. Roll up, tie, or hold the stirrups so that they don't hit the horse in the side. Once she is more comfortable, you can put them down so she can get used to the feeling. Then introduce the girth, loosely the first couple of sessions, slowly adjusting it to normal tightness.

5. 

   Once the horse is comfortable with wearing the saddle pad and the saddle, lead the horse around everywhere with it on so that she can get used to the way it moves. Horse training takes patience, so try to take your time and go slowly. eNext, begin to lunge her with it on. Stirrups should be secured so that they do not flap. Lunge the horse wearing the bridle. Thread the lunge line through the bit on the inside over the horses head on top of the headstall behind the ears and clip it onto the other bit ring. This gives you lots of control and prevents the bit from sliding through the horses mouth. For safety, the reins either need to be removed or twisted up and kept out of the way by the throatlatch of the bridle. Let the horse get used to balancing the weight of the saddle at a walk, trot, and canter. Praise and encourage her when she is calm and concentrated. If you normally ride English, using a western saddle on the lunge line a couple of times can be good for getting the horse used to carry weight.For more tips and pics on lungeing see https://www.horseland.com.au/ponypaddock/lunging_tips.htm

6. 

   Once she is comfortable and balanced wearing the english saddle or western saddle and bridle on the lunge line, you should begin ground driving. When working with a trainer on a young horse for the first time, I found driving awesome and invaluable. The horse learns to turn and back in response to the bridle, so when you mount her for the first time, not much is new. Most importantly, she will know the rein cue for "whoa"! In ground driving, two lungelines or long lines are used. They are fed through the secured stirrups on a saddle or the loops on a lungeing surcingle and then attached to each side of the bit of the bridle. One of the lines runs from the inside bit ring to one of your hands. The other one runs from the the outside bit ring around the horse's hindquarters or over her back to your other hand. If you have never ground driven, consult a horse training book or horse training DVD. There are many well written ones out there on lungeing and ground driving. "Making not Breaking" by Cherry Hill is a great horse training book if you are looking for simplicity in working with a young horse. Work your horse with a trainer, especially the first couple of sessions. Ground driving takes some coordination and getting used to, plus, you're dealing with lines that could get you or your horse tangled. Ground drive your horse in a closed, distraction free setting at first (fenced, with good footing, and preferably inside). You will teach the horse to move forward using a driving whip and your voice. Keep the rein contact balanced as though you were riding. Use pressure/shortening the left and right rein to teach left and right turns and steady pressure on both to teach backing (after at least a couple of sessions). You can work on figure eights, ground poles, and even weave around cones at a walk and a slow trot. It will build the working bond between you and the horse while giving you both the confidence you need for that first time in the saddle.

7. 

   Now comes time for backing. Have your assistant hold the horse on the lungeline in the bridle next to the mounting block. Have him or her talk to the horse while you stand on the mounting block. For some horses, this looming figure is intolerably scary, for others, it's nothing big. Take however long is needed to get her used to you standing there (might be a couple of sessions) and then to your weight leaning on/over the saddle. When she is calm and willing, slowly mount. Stay low and set down in the saddle very gently so as not to scare her.

8. Some people prefer to have the horse on the lungeline under the control of the trainer for the first ride, others begin to rely on the reins right away. As you taught your horse to ground drive, the first ride will be much easier as she will already know how to respond to the reins. This is why ground training can be so helpful for horse training. Remember, she has to figure out how to move with all of this new weight on her, so keep the reins very loose and your muscles very relaxed. Gently squeeze into a walk and go with the flow. Let her find her balance and rhythm. When asking for left and right, be gentle yet distinct (hold the rein out rather than back) as she won't know subtle signals yet. When you both feel confident and balanced at the walk, try lightly squeezing or bumping her into the trot (do not kick!). Be prepared for her to go fast and don't restrain her. She won't understand the mixed signals of stop and go. You want her to learn to move forward and, since she is green and unbalanced, she might move more quickly and with her head higher to compensate. From there, you can practice stopping, starting, and turning. It will take a few weeks-months for the horse to become balanced to the point where you can introduce the canter cue.

9. 

   My descriptions are meant to introduce you to the process of saddle training, and I hope they are helpful. Horse training books have dedicated whole chapters to the first few rides with lots of details and trouble shooting. Hire a knowledgeable trainer to aid you (I know from experience how much he or she will help) and then enjoy creating a wonderful riding companion! For more horse tips, see the resources above.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that each horse is different and for one, a step will be no problem while for others, it might take several sessions.

• For more tips and pics on lungeing see https://www.horseland.com.au/ponypaddock/lunging_tips.htm

• For more detailed instructions on working with horses, see the resources above and below.

• Never ride without a helmet, especially with a young horse

• Seek assistance from a professional horse trainer

Resources

• How to Choose and Properly Fit Tall English Riding Boots
• How to Take a Horse's Temperature
• How to Lease a Horse