Riding Part:4

This week I will tell you how to canter a horse. The canter is a three beat gait. It is between the trot and the gallop. In the canter a horse leads with his right hind and there is a moment of suspension when all four legs are off the ground. On average a canter is faster than most horses' trot and slower than the gallop. It ranges between 10-17 miles an hour but in western riding where it is called a lope it's usually no faster than 8-12 miles an hour. To ask for a canter you put your outside  leg behind the horse's girth and one at the girth. There are four variations of the canter. One is the collected canter which is often slower and has shorter strides. The other is the most common type of canter the working, in which the horse uses an average pace and average stride. Next is the extended canter which has a longer stride and is often faster than the other canters. Lastly there is the counter canter in which the horse leads with the wrong lead. The counter canter is harder to maintain because both horse and rider have to be very balanced. Now that you know the different types of canters there are two ways to ride it. One is sitting back and scooping your hips back and forth with the horse's movement. The other way is just rising slightly out of the saddle and leaning forward. That is all you need to know about the canter.

What To Do With Your Horse When It's Raining

Today I will tell you somethings you can do with your horse when it's raining. When it's raining its best not to ride for your health and your horse's as you can get a fever and the horse can slip and fall injuring you both. Even though you can't ride there are other things you can do. One thing you can do when it's raining is groom you horse. This is relaxing for your horse and is good for bonding as in the wild horses groom each other as a form of affection. Aside from grooming you can lunge your horse. Lungeing your horse will get him some exercise which is good since he won't be high energy when you ride him or kick around in his stall and get injured. To lunge your horse you put him on a lunge line. Then you let him move around you in a circle. Also you can turn the lunging into join up which creates a good bond with your horse and he learns to respect you and listen to your commands.Lastly you can just walk around with your horse on the lead line. This is a fun activity that can get both you and your horse some exercise. Those are somethings you can do with your horse when it's raining.

Riding Part:3

  As you know last week we talked about riding at a walk. This week I will tell you about riding at a trot. The trot is a two beat gait. In it the the horse moves his legs diagonally. The trot is the most bouncy out of the four gaits. You can either sit the trot or post. In western riding it is called the jog and you usually sit. In English riding it's called a trot and you can either sit or post. Posting is when you rise up and down in the saddle with the horses movement. This is the most comfortable way to ride the trot but if you plan to do dressage you need to learn to sit the the trot as well. There are three main trots. One is the basic working trot which is an average medium pace with a medium stride. Then there is a collected trot which is slower and has shorter strides. Lastly there is the extended trot which is the fastest out of the three and has the longest stride. To ask for a trot you should get your horse into a walk and gently squeeze his sides with your calves again to send him into a trot. In the trot you might want slightly shorter reins so you have more contact with the horse since it is a slightly faster pace. Well this is all you need to know about the trot next week we will talk about the canter.

Riding Part:2

 This week you will learn the different gaits that horses have and how to turn. To turn a horse you can pull slightly on the rein in the direction you want to turn. Using reins is easier but a better way is by using your legs. You can pull the rein a little then but you should really depend on your legs more. First put your outside leg behind the girth and inside one on it curving your horse in the direction you want to go.At first it may feel hard directing your horse without using the reins too much but it gets easier with time and as your horse gets used to taking questions from your legs. Now that you know how to turn we will talk about the first gait which is the walk. The walk is a four beat gait and the slowest of all. There is a collected walk which doesn't mean that the walk has no energy, but instead that the horse just takes smaller steps. Then there is your medium walk which is just relaxed and average. Next there is your working/marching walk. This is a faster walk and is a good walk for warming up your horse and transitioning into a trot. Lastly there is a free walk which the horse has his neck stretched out at a medium pace. Well that is all you need to know about the walk next week we will talk about the trot.

Riding:Part1

Horseback riding is super fun. Here, are the basics of riding. After you tack up your horse you have to lead him into the arena. Check your girth and make sure it's tight and the saddle does not move. If you aren't sure tighten it as much as you can and have your instructor or someone experienced check it for you. Next you want to run your stirrups down. If you don't know their length you could estimate with the length of your arm and putting your fist where the stirrup straps start then adjusting them so the end touches your arm pit. After you adjust your stirrups and tighten your girth it's time to get on. Lead your horse to a mounting block if you don't know how to mount. Climb up onto the mounting block and stick your foot in the stirrup. Next swing your other leg over the horse, and sit gently on his back. Make sure your well seated and gently squeeze your calves against the horse's sides to make him go forward. Keep your heels down and legs turned inward so your whole leg has contact on the horse and keeps you in a secure position. Also remember to keep your hands down and your torso straight up. If you need to slow down squeeze with your thighs and lean back also you could pull back on the reins but these shouldn't be depended on. You should depend on your legs. To go faster squeeze with your calves. These are basics of riding next week I'll tell u how to turn and elaborate on the different gates/ speeds.

Tacking Up Your Horse:Part 2

Last week you learned how to groom your horse before tacking up. Today, you will learn how to actually put your equipment on. So, now that your horse is clean the first thing you need to put on is the horse's saddle. The saddle is what you sit on for those of you who don't know and goes on the horse's back. Before putting the saddle on you need to first put on the saddle pad. Put the saddle pad on up on the withers. Then put the saddle on top. Make sure everything is even then slide the saddle into place behind the shoulders so that the girth is three inches behind the horse's elbow. After that you need tighten the horse's girth. You should tighten the girth just enough so the saddle stays in place, but then make it tight right before you get on. Next you need to put on your bridle. First take off your horse's halter and fasten it onto his neck so you still have control over him. Next slide the reins over his head and grab all the other straps. Place the bit on your palm and your other hand on the horse's poll. Offer the bit to the horse, but if he doesn't open his mouth slide your thumb in his mouth behind his teeth. After you get the bit in, slide the headpiece over his ears and buckle up the straps. The throatlatch should be loose enough so that you can fit four fingers and the noseband should be tight enough so that you can fit in two fingers. Now you know how to tack up your horse.

Tacking Up:Part 1

    When getting ready to ride a horse, one thing you must know is how to tack your horse up for the ride. Tacking up means to basically put the saddle and bridle(tack) on the horse.First, you must get your  saddle, bridle, grooming kit (brushes,hoof pick,and etc.),and helmet because once you get your horse you'll have to supervise him and you don't want to be running around getting all of your gear since it would also waste a lot of time. Next you should halter your horse and take him to the cross-ties or tie him outside his stall,which are the most convenient spots , but you can basically put him wherever you put your tack. After that start with the hoof pick and scrape out all the dust and stones from your horse's hooves,but be careful not to poke the triangle thing in the middle (the frog) because it is very sensitive. After that you should curry comb his coat. This is the harder rubber thing with little round teeth on it. Move this in a circular motion all over your horse to loosen up the hair and dirt. Finally brush off all the dirt using quick strong strokes. Now you have a clean horse to tack up. Next week I'll tell you how to put everything on.