I know how to ride a horse, and I'm not a beginner rider, but I don't feel like I completely understand, listen, and connect with my horses. Is there anything I can do, I know this is something for the most part you just have to learn by just riding and through experience, but if anyone can help me just a little, it would be appreciated. Thanks
Answers:
Spend some time ground training your horses. Watch and study all of their body language, reactions and expressions. It is amazing how you can read your horse after a while just by seeing the way they are standing, the set of their head, tail, ears, shoulders, hip, and the expression in their eyes. After a while, you will know your horse so well, that you should kind of know what they are thinking in certain situations. You will also start to feel the position of their body, whether their muscles are tense or loose and relaxed... what they mean when their ears are in a certain position and so forth. I've found that working in a round pen with them gives me a great opportunity to learn their individual signals. Also spend some time watching them play, graze and lounge.
Hope this helps and good luck.
take some lessons from an instructor w/ a good reputation. make sure that he/she knows what they're doing, too! you could read some books or attend a natural horsemanship clinic or seminar to help you understand; natural horsemanship is all about connecting and understanding your horse. good luck!
You should take some lessons.
Find a really good trainer/teacher in your area. I would suggest riding in an english saddle as it gives you more contact with the horse or even bareback. Either one with give you more contact with your horse and help improve balance and aids. Bareback especially for connection with your horse as you really have to pay attention to body language or you could end up on the ground.
I feel I know what you are feeling. I felt the same way about getting my granddaughter the best riding lessons available. She is 8 and great on the ground, even longes her horse with little help. But when I did my homework on lessons, I found a jewel of an instructer who said she had become saddle dependent herself, and is now starting her beginners bareback, and teaching them to stay in touch with the horses every twitch or tightening of their muscles, hard to do from a saddle. Call me crazy, but it makes sense.
all this crap ppl r sayin bout takin lessons r dumb. if u want 2 truly understand. go 2 a wildmustang reserve.spend more time with ur horse. create a bond with it. dont be a fraid just jump on and ride like theirs no tomorrow. b able to feel ur horses movements and no wat its gunna do b4 it evr duz it. get 2 no horses better do research. save horses who r abused it rele makes u feel good a bout urself and understand how they feel. horses r not just bout speed and riding. there bout bn able 2 understand how they feel
You maybe should talk to your horse a bit more. Visit him/her in his stall, give him treats, etc. Get to know him better.
well first of all there is more to connecting with your horse than just riding it. You have to talk to it brush it spend time with it just like you would with one of your friends. Because your horse probably is having the same problem that you are having they probably don't fully understand you.
Some of it comes from experience, when you reach a stage when you can stop your brain having to think 'when he does this, then I must do that' then you can open yourself up to reading him and really making those connections.
At the risk of upsetting Elizabeth more, the people who are giving you advice about having a good trainer are not 'crap' or 'dumb' it's good advice. If you have a person teaching you who you can connect with, and who can help you understand what affect you are having on your horse by your actions, and can help you read your horse, then they are a real gem.
If you haven't seen it before watch this clip of a horse and rider with great understanding, and check out the Parelli clinics in your area.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcxcbxa9o...
I understand completely when you go riding try to spend atleast 30 min. just bonding with him then when you get on he will probably listen to you a ton better hope this helps!
You should get more involved. Do other things with horses. Take some horses out to graze, ride trails, groom them, bathe them, tack them, longue them, pet them, etc. When you spend more time with your horses outside of the saddle, you will get to know them better. Other suggestions: Do fun stuff with them like 4H. If you can, put on a "parade" with other horsey friends. Sometimes it's fun to get all fancied up without having to compete with them. Go to some fun shows and sign up for egg and spoon, simon says, and musical stalls with your horse. If you can, watch them out in the pasture. It's fun to see how your horses behave when nobody's riding them.
It will probably help to do something like a half-lease where you can get the (almost) full horse experience. It might be just that you only ride and never spend any quality time with the horses.
You could go to a stable
Completely understanding, listening, and connecting with your horses is an art form. At it's highest level, it's the art of dressage, which can be seen when performed by the Lippazaner Stallions of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria. These artisan riders perform training that had historically been given to war horses for battle. This required not only significant musculature development for the horse, but enhanced communication between horse and rider to perform the difficult manuvers.
It takes years of training to develop good dressage horses. Knowing that you want it, is a good first step. Many people can ride without a sense of partnership with their horses, but they are missing something truly wonderful.
Lessons with a local knowledgeable trainer can guide you, if not in dressage, then in general horsemanship. Even though you are not a beginner, it helps to have someone watch you and give feedback. If that is not feasible due to expense or availability, there are other options available.
There are many commercial programs such as Ray Hunt ,John Lyons, LInda Tellington-Jones, Pat Parellli, and Clint (last name escapes me... the Australian guy),all have video tapes, books, seminars, and clinics that help people develop this connection with horses. Alot of these start with developing rapport with your horses while working them on the ground in a round pen. They do get into riding work as well. Another really good source is Sally Swift's "Centered Riding". She does a wonderful job of creating visualization images to help you connect and move well with your horse while riding it.
Of course, dressage training would be the best, but it's a lot like doing bar exercises as a dancer. It's very disciplined and not for everyone.
Good luck,and good riding!
Learning to ride is very complicated. Some people find it helpful to read books to help them. I would suggest a good trainer/instructor. Thats my best thing.
Learn a few things about horse language. Work on observing how the horses react to things and see if you can tell how they feel. Once you have a good idea, try working with the horse instead of against it. It's hard to achieve that perfect, magical harmony you see between some horses and riders. That kind of thing takes time, sometimes years, so don't expect it immediately. But if you understand your mount, you will work better together.
Lessons are the best. If you ride western, switch to english for a cuple months, you have more leg contact in english.
First, take lessons. Then if you do better and you love it and your horse(s), and if you feel better on your horse, Good. But if it isn't just what you ALWAYS want to do then that's O.K., too. Then your just not a natural rider, but it's fine. There are so many other things you can do with your horse. But you CAN always ride... Good Luck!
Read "Dressage Questions Answered" or "The Principals of Riding". They have both been around forever and break down movements, aides, etc. in a way that is easy to understand. You don't have to ride dressage to learn from them.
learn how and why your horse reacts to different things and when you understand him better it will help you work with him on the ground and in the saddle.
get some help with peralli in balance with your horse. You can either get professional help who teaches peralli methods, or watch RFD tv and catch their shows or even their clinics when they are near your town. That and try riding bareback in a secure place until you feel comfortable with yourself and your horse.
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