So I realize that my last post was kind of crazy and sad. Some of my posts are going to be like that, because my goal is to educate. But I'll keep it light and fluffy like this one too. In this post I am going to tell you some of the things I like to do while I'm riding (and while I'm not). It's all personal preference, and it might not work for you or your horse, but it might also really help. Try it out! Enjoy!
- Make Playlists:
Music helps you keep a beat; that's a well known fact. But what you might not know is that each gait (walk, trot, canter, gallop) on a horse has a different beat. Walking is a four beat gait, trotting is a two beat gait, cantering is a three beat gait, and the gallop is a four beat gait (same as the walk). Listen to some of your favorite songs (I suggest country... :P) and decide what gait they match best. Make sure you have a good playlist or three (I suggest making a 10 min, 20 min, and 30 min), and then make sure you know what gait the song matches. Then, go out and listen to this music while you warm up. When the song changes, make sure that you pick up that gait. Also, if you want, match your horse's speed to the speed of the song. For a big challenge, try get to a very slow gait by listening to a slow song with the given beats. Move your hips and hands to the beat of the gait speed you want to get the rhythm. Your horse will be uncomfortable moving until he or she matches your speed.- Chew Gum
- Leave Your Hair Down
Ok obviously all the boys reading this do not need to worry about this (unless you have long hair) but I still think that it would be fun to read. In english you wear a hair net, in western you wear a hat, and for the recreational sport, most girls put their hair back. It might just be me, because hats and having my hair up usually bugs me, but I love the feeling of riding with nothing. Having my hair down, no hat, and no helmet is the best feeling in the world. Especially when I am cantering. Having your hair down and nothing on your head is a way of clearing your mind and focusing on your aids and your horse. It clams down your senses and gives you a easier time focusing on rhythm because it lets you breathe easier. (Wasn't that a Beatle's song? Breathe Easier?) Anyway... sometimes parents do not let you ride without a helmet. Although this is not ideal, you can still leave your hair down (Some in front of your shoulders and some behind) and it will have the same ultimate effect, just toned down.- Ride Bareback Every Day
Riding bareback also lets you find out what mood your horse is in. You have to remember that horses are living beings too, and they have their good and bad days, just like you. It is important to start slow and know what mood your horse is in. Try to work with what he or she gives you, not get mad when it isn't exactly what you want.
- Pretend You Are a Vaulter
It's always fun to mess around with your horse, and it serves as a good desensitizing. However, kneeling and standing on your horse also means that you gain a lot of balance and control. I also enjoy laying across her back on my stomach, flipping onto my back, and getting on and off the wrong side sometimes. Riding sideways, backwards, and laying down. Try riding like this a lot, and work on your balance. Soon, you will be able to stand on your horse, canter sitting backwards, and kneel at a walk and trot. This also improves your trust and your relationship with your horse. Even just sitting backwards or sideways requires deep trust with your horse. Please do not try to do ANY of this outside of the arena, as falls do happen even to the most experienced riders!- Have Fun
Mess around with your horse. Zora puts up with a lot of my ridiculousness. I love driving her insane doing things like putting my hat an her, playing with her lip, messing with her ears, just little things to mess her around with her. We have a bond that, after only a few months, has grown. I'm just reminding you to not always be working on a workout, improving your skills, working your horse. Don't forget to play with your horse, too. In order for you to be friends with your horse, act like it too. Some of the things I like to do with her is bobbing for apples, tag, and stretching her.Some of the best stretches for your horse are super easy! And so worth it too. Try pulling on his or her tail. Take the very end of the tail, stand with it taught straight behind your horse, and lean backwards on your horse's tail with all your weight. When you are doing this, remember to ease your weight on and off slowly, so that your horse doesn't get thrown off balance and possibly hurt themselves.
- Start Up by Backing Up
Around the same time that I developed the habit of riding bareback first, I also started the habit of backing up before anything else. Horses are built off a fight or flight response, which means they are built to run. Horse's do not need to think in order to move forward, as it is an instinct. However, they DO need to think to move backwards. Horses need to calculate every step and every move when going backwards. This means that backing up gets their brains thinking and working. What better way to start a ride than to get your horse thinking? Once you have developed a habit of backing up as the first thing you do, then try backing up in a figure eight, pivoting and backing, backing up in a clover-leaf pattern, etc. Make sure to change up your routine, otherwise your horse may stop thinking and just know that you back one lap and then start the work. This defeats the purpose of backing, so make sure that you use the horse's brain to its fullest within the first 5-10 minutes of any work. It doesn't have to be entirely backing, either. Try backing at different speeds. Look up while you back, too. Try backing then going into a walk without standing still. Then try working into a trot, canter, and eventually a gallop. Work into this slowly, as not to hurt your horse. Back on the ground too, and you and your horse will bond and have the ultimate bond. Backing is the first step to having the best relationship with your horse.
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