Horse riding a.k.a. ‘Equine Riding’ is not that much easy as it seems from the outside. Horseback riding, like all other sports, is difficult when you start initially. Horseback riders must stay balanced while their sessions, maintain proper posture and footing, and have to communicate with their horse using subtle cues from their seat, legs, and reins. Many people who have a passion for Equestrian riding might feel hesitant because of the learning difficulty involved, but the reality is that when you concentrate and practice the right instruction, you can learn the basics of riding fairly quickly.
You will feel horseback riding is difficult if you don’t receive formal training. Yes, you should get formal training from a qualified instructor if want to make it on your way. But, having a good instructor alone is not adequate to sustain the difficulties of horseback riding. You must also be a teachable and self-effacing student with a willingness to learn. If you wanted to improve your capability in horseback riding you have to maintain an attitude of a teachable student as well as the mindset of a beginner. Then you can improve your riding skills and can be a pro within months.
Let’s have a glimpse of three hacks for staying secure while riding:-
- Practice nerf-ball posture and be alert:
Just think, you must hold a nerf ball in the middle of your back and between your shoulder blades, by keeping your shoulders back and down. This requires an upright upper body posture, which helps you to sit down perfectly in the saddle without inconvenience, which means perfectly into the pockets. Even though the position of the nerf ball may be more uttermost than you’d want to maintain all the time, it helps to exaggerate a new position when you’re creating new muscle memory. So it’s very essential to practice a nerf-ball posture during riding sessions by making yourself overtime to sit more erect in your torso and deeper in the saddle with your seat.
- Stand up in your stirrups and deliver balance:
Balancing is what it all needs in horseback riding. You have to stand upright in your stirrups and make sure your full weight slows down into your heels. It’s also significant, that stirrups are on the balls of your feet. By keeping this position using your stability, you’ll notice that in order to do so, you must have to keep your legs directly under your equilibrium point exactly where you opt for them. And also, you should remember to grab a bit of mane as a safeguard, to make confident you don’t snatch your horse’s mouth with the reins when you lose your stability and plop back down. Practice at a standstill and when you feel safe, move up to a jog, then a brisk trot, then a lope. By continuously doing it for a week, you will be able to do the art of horse riding with ease.
- Power post:
You have to make your pelvis up and forward during every stride while doing a brisk trot. That means, dropping your stirrups and posting to the rhythm accordingly. Don’t make yourself saddle sore, so you can start with a short duration of time and build, as this exercise can be exhausting. By doing this, your legs will obviously lengthen and can wrap around your horse’s barrel.
Initially, you’ll find yourself gripping more than is preferably in ordinary riding, but as your leg position enhances and specific leg muscles tone and nourishing, you’ll find the posting easier to do with slighter gripping. You can notice your legs feel competent when you pick up your stirrups again, especially after many days of no-stirrup posting practice.
So next time, if you are trying to practice horse riding, make sure you are sticking with these hacks, which will in turn help to improve your confidence as well as aid to stay secure in the saddle. And also make sure you are using helmets and other safety equipment while doing horse riding especially if you are a beginner. If you are in search of outstanding horse riding classes and formal training sessions, visit our Champions Ranch. As we are providing the foremost horse riding sessions, you can learn equine riding within a short span of time. We are offering riding courses to all age groups from beginners to professionals besides providing advanced maneuvers.