Monday, October 26, 2015

Professional Horse Riding Lessons California Begin With The Basics

By Mattie Knight


Children as young as four can take equestrian classes. They will be mounted on ponies that are suitable in size. Horses and ponies are measured in height at the withers in increments of four inches. The withers is the place where the neck meets the back. A hand is equal to four inches. For example, a pony can be thirteen hands high and a tall horse can be seventeen hands high. Most horse riding lessons California provides will teach this to all beginners.

The children age six and under usually take a half hour lesson at a time. For those seven and older, including adults, the classes last an hour. Before riding, the class will tack up their horses. This includes learning to brush, saddle and adjust the stirrups. Then they learn how to put the bridle on.

About forty minutes are spent receiving instructions on how to ride. Lastly the students untack their horses and return them to a pasture or stall. A brushing over the back will leave the horse feeling comfortable.

Everyone, children and adults, is required to own and wear a helmet for safety purposes. A cowboy hat may appeal to a child, but, when riding he wears a helmet. Jeans or long pants are mandatory as are shoes with a one-inch or higher heel. Students may not wear shorts, tank tops or tennis shoes. A shirt may have either short or long sleeves.

The first class is used to observe and evaluate riders and place them in a class that matches their skills. The instructor will demonstrate how to interact with the mount while standing with him. At first, you should hold your hand out to him, keeping the palm down. He will perceive this as a friendly gesture.

Always approach the horse from the left side whether walking up behind him or getting up on the saddle. Stand on the left as you get him tacked up. If entering a slip stall, walk up on the left side. Always talk to him or make a sound to alert him that you are behind him. It may startle the animal if you fail to make your presence known.

To mount up, put your left foot in the stirrup on the left side. Then placing your weight in the stirrup, swing the right leg up and over the saddle. Settle both feet comfortably in the stirrups. Hold the reins in the left hand if riding Western style. Hold one rein in each hand if you ride English style.

Use the reins to signal the horse as to what you want him to do. To signal that you want to move forward, hold the reins loosely and shake them against the horses neck. Another signal for go is to make a clicking sound. Pulling back on the reins signals him to stop. Be careful not to pull back too hard as this may cause some horses to rear up.

First lessons are spent in an enclosed area for security purposes. You will learn to signal for a right turn by moving the reins in that direction and a left turn to the left. You will practice starting, stopping and turning until it becomes routine. This is step one in a series of lessons to enable you to learn to ride.




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