Have you ever been puzzled why the horse your riding is acting a certain way? Or found it challenging to stay balanced in the saddle?
You’re definitely not the only one.
My journey from a newbie in the equestrian world to becoming a seasoned instructor has been filled with its fair share of ups and downs—literally. I’ve had my moments of light bulbs, and my fair share of mistakes, much like the ones you might be facing right now. This post is more than just a list of tips; it’s about sharing the lessons I’ve learned through a bit of dirt and a lot of love for horse riding.
Why should you stick around and read this post?
Because knowing the common blunders beginners make can change your riding game.
In this post, I’m laying out these mistakes—not just what they are, but why they happen, how they affect you and your horse, and how to dodge them. This advice comes straight from my heart, shaped by personal experiences and those of many students I’ve had the honor of guiding.
Remember, the path to becoming a skilled rider is packed with learning, and these are just the first few steps. Getting these basics down can make your journey smoother and way more enjoyable.
1. Standing on Balls of Feet in Stirrups to Post
In the early days of my riding journey, I quickly encountered a typical beginner mistake at the posting trot—standing on the balls of my feet in the stirrups. This approach felt intuitive, like trying to catch my balance on an uneven surface.
My memories of those attempts, especially on Shenandoah, a patient Appaloosa who bore my unsteady efforts, are vivid. As I awkwardly tried to rise and fall with the trot, my legs swung, and my balance shifted precariously, making for a bumpy ride.
Why It’s a Mistake:
Relying on the balls of your feet raises your center of gravity and throws off your balance. This not only makes it easier to fall but also stresses your horse, which can hinder their performance. It’s a natural but misleading instinct to grip tighter or push upwards when we feel unstable.
I’ve witnessed countless students experience the “aha” moment when they realize this instinct doesn’t help in riding. The stirrup should serve as a foundation for balance and a means of communication with your horse, not just a spot to place your foot.
Main Tip:
Achieving a secure and effective riding position means letting your heels down and balancing your weight across your seat and legs. This lowers your center of gravity and aligns you with your horse’s movement, enhancing stability.
A transformative practice for both me and my students is to visualize your weight sinking into your heels, imagining roots extending deep into the ground with each breath. This exercise helps solidify the concept of being grounded and stable, essential for harmonious riding.
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2. Using Reins to Balance
In my early days of horseback riding, I quickly grasped a critical lesson that I now passionately impart to my students: avoid relying on the reins for balance. I recall the initial instinct to clench those reins tightly, especially when Shenandoah, my trusty Appaloosa, decided his trot needed an extra bounce. Clinging to the reins felt like the only way to stay on, but I soon understood it was counterproductive for both of us.
Why It’s a Mistake:
Using the reins for balance not only creates discomfort for the horse but also disrupts effective communication.
Picture trying to talk with someone pulling on your mouth with every word—it’s far from a pleasant experience. This can lead to the horse becoming resistant or even developing bad habits as a way to escape the discomfort. Moreover, it inhibits the rider’s ability to develop a balanced, independent seat, essential for skilled riding.
Observing beginners, it’s clear this reflex to grab the reins is a common challenge. Overcoming this instinct is crucial for the horse’s comfort and the rider’s progression.
Main Tip:
The cornerstone of overcoming this mistake is cultivating a strong, independent seat. This involves activating your core and learning to balance in the saddle using your body, not your hands.
An effective method I’ve used and recommended is practicing on a lunge line. This allows you to focus solely on your posture and balance during movements without the need to steer the horse. It feels like starting from scratch, but the boost in confidence and competence is immensely rewarding.
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3. Squeezing Legs and Pulling Reins Simultaneously
One of the more subtle yet crucial lessons in my early riding days was understanding how easy it is to send mixed signals to a horse, often without even realizing it.
This hit home during a lesson with a beginner who was unintentionally telling her horse to move forward by squeezing with her legs, while simultaneously holding the reins too tightly for balance, effectively asking the horse to stop. It was a significant moment of clarity for her and a reminder for me about the critical importance of being aware of our cues.
Why It’s a Mistake:
When we squeeze with our legs, we’re telling the horse to go, but if we don’t relax the reins, we’re also saying stop. This sends confusing signals, akin to pressing the gas and brake pedals at the same time in a car. It’s usually not a deliberate message; riders might hold the reins tightly because they’re nervous, seeking balance, or simply unaware of the mixed message they’re conveying.
This confusion can lead to frustration for the horse and potentially unpredictable behavior as they try to interpret these conflicting instructions.
This issue is a common oversight for beginners, who may grip with their legs for stability or leverage without realizing the mixed signals they’re sending through the reins. This not only disrupts the horse’s ability to respond appropriately but can also erode the trust essential for a positive and effective partnership.
Main Tip:
Awareness and differentiation of cues are vital. Practice being mindful of your actions:
- To move forward, gently apply pressure with your legs, ensuring the reins are loose enough to allow movement.
- To stop or slow down, ease the pressure off your legs as you gently pull back on the reins.
Understanding and separating these actions, especially as a beginner, are fundamental to clear communication. This practice helps avoid unintentional mixed messages, ensuring your horse receives and trusts your guidance, fostering a harmonious ride.
4. Locking Joints Up
During my late teens, transitioning to my third personal horse, Storm, a sensitive off-track thoroughbred, I confronted a challenge that reshaped my riding approach.
Despite my years of experience with various lesson horses, Storm’s keen responsiveness illuminated my tendency to lock my knees and ankles during moments of tension. This habit, stemming from an instinctive push to secure my seat through jamming my heels down, was something I hadn’t fully acknowledged until repeated rides highlighted the issue. Storm rarely bolted or spooked, but his quickness demanded a level of suppleness and adaptability I hadn’t fully mastered.
Why It’s a Mistake:
Locking your joints acts like an invisible brake on your riding experience, hindering the smooth flow of motion and risking both your balance and your horse’s natural gait. For a horse as perceptive as Storm, my stiffness was not just a personal discomfort but a barrier to our communication, creating a feedback loop of tension.
The path to improvement began before meeting Storm, during my time on the college dressage team, where weekly Pilates sessions were a revelation. They highlighted the critical role of core strength and flexibility in effective riding, areas I realized needed attention. Storm’s arrival further emphasized that equestrian learning is an unending process, always offering new lessons in rider-horse dynamics.
Main Tip:
The key to better riding lies in embracing the journey of continuous learning and integrating practices like Pilates to improve flexibility and core strength.
Adapting to Storm’s needs wasn’t just about physical adjustments; it required a mindset shift towards seeing each ride as an opportunity for growth. Focusing on exercises that enhance suppleness and body awareness helped me learn to move in sync with Storm, making our rides together a dialogue of mutual understanding and respect.
This journey underscored riding not just as a skill to be honed but as a partnership that evolves with every ride, highlighting the endless possibilities for personal and technical development in the saddle.
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5. Hunching and Leaning Forward
Feeling nervous or uncertain in the saddle? You’re not alone. It’s a sensation I’ve battled throughout my riding journey. Early on, I noticed an unconscious habit of curling forward, especially when I felt off-balance. This wasn’t just about trying to maintain my posture; it was an instinctive move, almost as if I was preparing to catch myself.
Why It’s a Mistake:
Leaning forward in the saddle puts you in a precarious spot. It’s not merely about posture—it’s a safety issue. This forward lean can significantly increase your chances of falling and disrupt your balance, causing your legs to slide back. This reaction might prompt your horse to speed up or, depending on their sensitivity, slow down or stop, creating confusion and potentially compromising both your safety and effective communication.
For me, it was a tough lesson in how these instincts directly impact my horse, affecting our ability to move as one cohesive unit.
As I transitioned from a learner to an instructor, the journey illuminated how common and impactful this reflex is. Correcting it is not just about looking composed; it’s about fostering confidence, ensuring balance, and prioritizing safety to cultivate a true partnership with your horse.
Main Tip:
Tackling this begins with a conscious effort to realign your body:
- Position your shoulders directly over your hips,
- Maintain a line from your ear, passing through your shoulder and hip, to your heel.
Core-strengthening exercises are crucial, but also embrace visualization to enhance your riding posture.
Imagine yourself as a stack of building blocks, perfectly aligned from head to feet. This mental image is incredibly effective in preventing that forward lean. Beyond improving your appearance, these practices build confidence, foster balance, and enhance the trust between you and your horse, making every ride more rewarding and secure.
6. Too Abrupt with the Reins
Feeling nervous or uncertain in the saddle?
You’re not alone.
It’s a sensation I’ve battled throughout my riding journey. Early on, I noticed an unconscious habit of curling forward, especially when I felt off-balance. This wasn’t just about trying to maintain my posture; it was an instinctive move, almost as if I was preparing to catch myself.
Why It’s a Mistake:
Leaning forward in the saddle puts you in a precarious spot. It’s not merely about posture—it’s a safety issue.
This forward lean can significantly increase your chances of falling and disrupt your balance, causing your legs to slide back. This reaction might prompt your horse to speed up or, depending on their sensitivity, slow down or stop, creating confusion and potentially compromising both your safety and effective communication.
For me, it was a tough lesson in how these instincts directly impact my horse, affecting our ability to move as one cohesive unit.
As I transitioned from a learner to an instructor, the journey illuminated how common and impactful this reflex is. Correcting it is not just about looking composed; it’s about fostering confidence, ensuring balance, and prioritizing safety to cultivate a true partnership with your horse.
Main Tip:
Tackling this begins with a conscious effort to realign your body:
- Position your shoulders directly over your hips,
- Maintain a line from your ear, passing through your shoulder and hip, to your heel.
Core-strengthening exercises are crucial, but also embrace visualization to enhance your riding posture. Imagine yourself as a stack of building blocks, perfectly aligned from head to feet. This mental image is incredibly effective in preventing that forward lean.
Beyond improving your appearance, these practices build confidence, foster balance, and enhance the trust between you and your horse, making every ride more rewarding and secure.
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7. Not Releasing Pressure
Learning the balance between applying and releasing pressure was a game-changer in my riding and training journey. It wasn’t an overnight revelation but a lesson learned through repeated experiences and guidance.
One memorable lesson on the ground clarified the importance of timely pressure release to acknowledge a horse’s correct actions, teaching me the significance of precise communication.
Why It’s a Mistake:
Holding pressure constantly leaves horses in a state of confusion, muddling their understanding of our requests. They interpret and learn from the absence of pressure, not its persistence. Neglecting to release pressure is akin to speaking in an unintelligible language, leading to mutual frustration and potentially stalling the horse’s learning process and eroding their trust.
Many beginners, despite their commendable eagerness to communicate effectively, miss the mark on the critical moment to “let go.” This often stems from a misunderstanding of how horses process cues, mistakenly associating continuous pressure with clearer communication.
Main Tip:
Practice initiating commands with the minimal pressure necessary and immediately release once your horse responds. This approach:
- Signals to the horse that finding the correct behavior brings relief,
- Reinforces their understanding and willingness to comply,
- Can be applied in various training scenarios, from simple commands to more complex maneuvers.
Emphasizing this give-and-take in your interaction not only clears the path for smoother training sessions but also fosters a deeper connection and trust between you and your horse, enhancing the effectiveness of your communication.
8. Gripping with Legs to Stay On
Finding myself gripping tightly with my legs wasn’t something I was fully aware of, especially as a beginner learning to canter.
Often during those faster gaits, like the exhilarating canter or the challenging sitting trot, I’d instinctively clamp down, trying to ensure I wouldn’t fall. This was particularly true during my lessons on Buddy, a level-headed thoroughbred gelding who responded to my unintended signals by picking up speed—exactly the opposite of what I thought I was asking for.
I was still mastering the canter, even on the lunge line, when this realization hit me. It was an enlightening lesson on the consequences of my unconscious actions.
Why It’s a Mistake:
Gripping with your legs might feel like a safety measure, but it often leads to confusion for your horse. Instead of slowing down or maintaining pace, you might be signaling them to speed up. This can create a cycle of tension, disrupting the natural harmony and understanding needed for a smooth ride. It’s a reminder that our instincts, while well-intentioned, need to be honed and refined for effective communication.
This gripping reflex is a common challenge, highlighting a broader lesson about the subtleties of interacting with our horses. It underscores the need for a balanced, relaxed approach over our natural inclination to tighten up.
Main Tip:
Achieving a balanced seat is essential for clear communication and safety. Here’s how you can work on reducing the urge to grip unnecessarily:
- Instead of solely relying on exercises like Pilates or yoga, which we’ve talked about before, consider also incorporating targeted riding drills that focus on relaxing your leg grip while maintaining a secure seat.
- Emphasize exercises that enhance the independent use of your seat, legs, and hands. This not only improves your overall riding technique but also helps prevent over-gripping as a reflex action.
Adopting these methods helps bolster your confidence in your balance and your ability to send clear, consistent cues to your horse, making every ride more enjoyable and effective for both of you.
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9. Looking Down
Falling into the trap of looking down while in the saddle is something I’ve worked on with many beginners—and, truthfully, a habit I’ve had to monitor in myself, especially when jumping. It’s easy to find your eyes dropping to the horse’s mane, your hands, or the ground below when you’re trying to master a new skill or if uncertainty creeps in.
This might seem minor, but it significantly affects your riding, from altering your balance to influencing how your horse responds to your cues.
Why It’s a Mistake:
When you look down, you’re essentially tipping your balance forward—remember, your head weighs quite a bit! This can throw off your equilibrium and unintentionally signal your horse to slow down, become unsteady, or misunderstand where you’re asking them to go. Plus, it takes your attention away from your environment and your destination, a crucial misstep whether you’re in an arena or navigating a trail.
I’ve noticed this tendency in students, particularly when they’re honing their technique or battling nerves. It’s instinctive to watch what our hands or legs are doing, yet in riding, this instinct can lead us astray.
Main Tip:
Breaking this habit revolves around conscious effort to keep your gaze up and ahead, focusing on where you want to go. I often encourage my students to use their eyes to guide their horse, envisioning their gaze as a beacon pointing towards their path. This approach:
- Ensures you maintain a balanced posture,
- Offers clear, assured guidance to your horse.
Making a habit of this during all riding activities, whether casually riding around an arena or taking on outdoor trails, emphasizes the critical role of forward-looking awareness in effective riding.
It’s advice that resonates across the board, from dressage circles to show jumping arenas, highlighting a universal principle in horseback riding.
10. Not Directing the Horse
Learning to provide clear direction to your horse is fundamental, a lesson that resonates whether you’re just beginning or have years of experience under your belt. I’ve had moments, both early on and later in my riding career, where not having a clear plan led to confusion—for both me and the horse.
Whether it was deciding on a path, timing, or pace, a lack of decisive guidance often meant the horse I was riding would choose his own course, sometimes quite different from what I had in mind.
Why It’s a Mistake:
Horses seek a leader. If you’re not taking the reins (figuratively speaking), your horse might feel lost and take the initiative. This isn’t about dominance; it’s about providing the comfort of clear expectations and boundaries. Failing to direct can erode the trust and rapport essential for a harmonious relationship, potentially leading to situations where your horse might react in ways that compromise both your safety and theirs.
I’ve seen this play out with students too, especially those new to riding or moving towards more autonomous riding.
The reluctance to take charge usually comes from a fear of errors or a lack of self-assurance. Yet, this hesitancy can unintentionally signal to the horse that they’re the ones making the calls, setting a precedent that might not always lead to the safest or most rewarding riding experiences.
Main Tip:
Effective riding hinges on confident, clear communication. Entering each ride with a plan—be it a training objective or a trail route—is key.
Utilize a combination of body language, verbal cues, and rein instructions to express your wishes. Engaging in activities that require you to guide your horse, like weaving through obstacle courses or executing specific maneuvers in the arena, not only boosts your confidence as a leader but also strengthens your horse’s responsiveness to your direction.
These practices ensure that you both enjoy a secure and fulfilling ride, grounded in mutual understanding and trust.
Wrapping Up
Wrapping up our journey through common beginner horse riding mistakes, you’re now equipped with insights that could significantly refine your riding technique and deepen your connection with your horse. The errors we’ve examined originate from both my personal journey and my experiences as an instructor, serving as signposts on the vast landscape of equestrian learning.
Each misstep, whether highlighted here or encountered through your own riding, is a golden opportunity to grow into a more assured and skilled equestrian.
As you look ahead to your next ride, ponder this:
What minor adjustment could you introduce right away that would improve your interaction with your horse?
Every reflection and application of what you’ve learned paves the way not only to sidestep these common mistakes but also to begin an enriching path of endless improvement and discovery.
I encourage you to keep this conversation alive—share your own stories and insights. Together, let’s create a community of learning, sharing, and growth.
