From: Veronica
Hi - I've been digging thru your archives, and I don't think I found an answer to a question like this.... I hope I don't repeat something that has already been asked!
I have just "inherited" a wonderful 14 yr. old Thoroughbred gelding. He's really calm, and allows me to mess up on him on a regular basis. But I really want to ride him correctly and comfortably - for his sake and mine. It has been years since I rode on a regular basis.
I can't afford riding lessons - and it would probably be out of the question anyway since I live about an hour from the nearest stables. I don't really want to ride "dressage" or anything of that sort - I just want to ride him for pleasure.
I am however, terrified. Two years ago I was riding a friend's 4 yr old Arabian mare who decided she wanted to go home. (It's important to let you know she wasn't ridden nor exercised often...in fact, and in honesty, she was rarely taken out at all.) Well, this mare took off home with me on her back, trying to slow her down. I panicked, and she stumbled on some asphalt patch, we went down, myself underneath her. I managed to break my collarbone, shoulder blade, and 3 ribs. She rolled over me, and got a few scratches. Both of us were really shaken up. :o)
I don't want to fall.... So - I'm hoping you can tell me how to properly ride this fellow without bumping his poor back or tossing myself off. I've read many of your articles on balance and posting, but I'm still confused.
I know this is a tall order to fill, but I'm hoping you can give me some sort of help. I really appreciate you trying!
First, I'm sure that you know I'm going to say this, but DO manage to get a series of lessons from a good instructor. It will be much, much less expensive and convenient to get them now than it will be to get them after you have an accident or incident.
Not all instructors are competition-oriented - and not all are devoted to a specific discipline. There are instructors who specialize in casual riders who just want to go out and enjoy themselves safely on horseback, and there are a lot of riders looking for those instructors. The ARICP certifies instructors in many specialties, and one of these is "Recreational Riding" - so you have to know that you are not the only rider in the world who just wants to have a good time. You're still going to need an instructor, though, because whether your interest is competitive or strictly recreational, your horse's needs must be met, and one of those needs is to have a reasonably well-balanced and coordinated rider, one with a reasonably stable seat, and one who understands the fundamentals of riding. Without that mimimum level of accomplishment, there's no way that you'll be able to ride in a way that will be comfortable or safe for you or the horse.
Imagine someone asking you "Please tell me how to ride a bicycle, I don't want to ride in the Tour de France, I just want to have fun and be safe and be able to stop and start and change directions and not wipeout on gravel and not get hit in traffic and not fall off.... but I don't actually plan to take lessons, just tell me what to do and I'll teach myself to ride the bicycle." It's a pretty safe bet that you couldn't do it, and not only that - since you are a good human being, you would be worried sick about the thought of this person wobbling about on the road, tipping into ditches, sliding on gravel, and getting in the way of automobiles.
And that's with a bicycle - not a horse. A bicycle will stay where you put it, won't get excited, isn't constantly on the alert for Things That Are Scary. A bicycle doesn't feel pain, so it won't buck or rear no matter how badly you adjust the seat or how tightly you grip the handlebars. A bicycle can be badly damaged in a fall, yes, but you can get replacement parts for it... but you cannot get replacement parts for your horse or (in most cases) yourself.
Riding properly and well is a complicated matter. Unfortunately, it's not a skill set you can acquire in a "learn by doing" mode. You need someone there to show, to tell, to explain, and to answer your questions - and you need to put in time practicing CORRECT riding. No matter how many miles you log, if you are hanging off one side of the saddle or hanging on to one side of the horse's mouth, the horse will be miserable and you will be unbalanced and ready to go flying off at the first stumble - and a stumble is very likely to happen under those circumstances. Riding for pleasure only works if the horse is a pleasure to ride, if the rider is a pleasure for the horse to carry, and if the whole experience is a comfortable one.
I know this sounds harsh, but I don't know any better way to say it: If you absolutely don't want to fall off a horse, the only way to guarantee it is to never get ON a horse.
If you want to minimize your chances of falling, choose a nice, sweet, quiet horse - and it sounds as though you've done just that! But that's not enough - a horse is still a horse, and any horse can trip or spook or become fed up with tack- or rider-caused pain. Your safety and security have to be protected in every possible way, and a nice, kind horse is just one factor. Your balance and coordination and physical fitness are also factors that have a great deal to do with your security in the saddle. These are things you can work on at home - yoga and Tai Chi are ideal, but any exercise program will help. Knowing how to fall without breaking body parts is useful, too. If you can find a local gymnastics or martial arts class, or arrange for a few private lessons with the instructor, you can learn what to do during a fall to minimize your risks on landing. (It's not the fall that hurts you - it's the landing!)
Your understanding of tack and equipment will help as well - you need to know what fits, what doesn't, what's in good enough shape to be used, what should be replaced, and how to notice when something is wearing out or no longer fits the horse. You can learn a good deal of that on your own, too. But in the end, it's going to come down to your ability to ride. Riding skills are a very important factor - so please find someone to help you with your riding! Your horse sounds wonderful, and it would be lovely to know that you were able to keep and enjoy him safely for many years to come. Make the up-front investment in your own safety. Once you've acquired the necessary skill base, you'll have more fun than you can even imagine right now. At that point, you'll be able to get by with an occasional lesson, and with what you've learned and your own good sense.
The three questions you'll want to ask yourself as you prepare to go down the trail are these:
1) Is everything - me, my horse, and all the tack and equipment - in good shape and ready for the ride?
2) Am I wearing my properly-adjusted and fastened ASTM/SEI helmet?
3) If I'm riding alone, am I sure that someone knows which trails I am taking and what time I am leaving - and what time I plan to return?
Those are reasonable, responsible questions to ask yourself. The question you do NOT want to be asking yourself is "Do I have ANY clue what I'm doing here?"
Be safe, find a good instructor and get some good help. You may be able to "earn" some of your lessons by doing barn chores or exchanging some professional skills - don't you dare say "I can't afford lessons" and leave it at that. For your own sake and your horse's sake, say, instead, "How can I manage to afford lessons?" or "How can I manage to negotiate/trade/barter for the lessons I can't afford?" But either way, GET THE LESSONS. They're not a luxury, they're essential to your enjoyment and to your safety.
Jessica
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