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Learning to ride part 1

Horse: ANGEL
Owner: Allison Beaudry
Photographer: janice carabine

It is most important to know a little about horses before we begin to try to master the art of riding them.

A lot of people have NO IDEA about the horse before they jump full on into riding lessons. We all must start somewhere and the best place to start is at the beginning. You don’t need to learn about the horse at all if you want to just go out on the odd trail ride at your local riding school but if you are keen to buy a horse it is important to remember that riding the horse is our reward for good horsemanship. If we don’t look after our horse it will not be sound for us to ride it.

The basic, or more common, words you will hear are some of the terminologies we use to refer to "horsy things"!

I have listed some of them here.

· A Mare is a female horse 4 years of age or older.

· A Gelding is a castrated male horse

· A Stallion is an adult male horse 4 years or older who is entire

· *Entire is a male horse who has not been castrated.

· A Foal is a “Baby” male or female horse which has not yet been weaned. *Weaning usually occurs between 4 and 6 months, more usually 6 months, of age.

· A Weanling therefore is a foal at 4 or 6 months of age.

· A Colt is an ‘entire’ male between weanling age and 4 years

· A Filly is a female between weanling age and 4 years.

· A Yearling is a horse which is 1 year old but not yet 2 years old.

· A Hand is the unit of measure to determine how tall a horse is. 1 hand is equivalent to 4 inches. A horse's height is taken at it's wither, which is the highest point of he back found at the base of he neck.

· Broken is the term used to identify that a horse can be ridden. Un-broken means it has not yet been ridden.

· Mouthing is the term used to describe the act of teaching the horse to accept and respond to the bit.

· The Bit is usually stainless steel or sweet-iron and is the piece of equipment that fits inside the horse’s mouth.

· Backing is teaching the horse to accept weight and equipment such as the saddle on their back.

· Green refers to the horse’s experience under saddle. A green horse is one that has been broken but is either not educated or has only just begun its education.

· Tack is the general term given to horse gear.

· Lunging is a way of exercising the horse without riding. It is also a useful tool for teaching beginners. It is easier to concentrate on the instructor if you don’t have to concern yourself with steering and controlling the horse. A Lunge Lead is fitted to the horses head collar and the horse is exercised for a length of time usually no longer than 40 minutes in a circle around the handler. It is wise to stop half way and change directions. The lunge lead is usually around 6 meters long. (like an extra long dog lead) Special Lunge Gear such as a lunge roller or lunge cavesson can be purchased. These will be discussed in later articles.

· Jodhpurs or Breeches are comfortable riding pants which help to minimize chaffing which often occurs when the rider wears jeans.

· The Near side of the horse is the horses LEFT side and is the most common side used for mounting, dismounting, and doing up gear.

· The Off side is the horse’s RIGHT side. It is OK to do up ear on the off side and it is important to be able to mount and dismount from the off-side as the need may arise one day when you have to so it is good to practice it occasionally.

· Bomb-proof does not mean the horse won’t explode. It is the term used to describe a horse which is quiet enough for children and beginners to ride. ALL horses can be naughty!!!

So, this is some of the terms you might hear being used by some of the people while you are at the riding school having your first few lessons. It is daunting enough so it helps if the words that the people around you are using don’t sound as unfamiliar to you as another language would. It is hard to relax and enjoy the moment if you feel out of place and awkward. So let’s list things you are going to take with you. You must wear comfortable loose fitting jeans or trousers or tracksuit pants or better still (unpopular with men but good idea for ladies) you can wear tights but jodhpurs are best. The seam on the inside leg of jeans can leave a nasty rub on your leg and is very painful so be aware of that. It is helpful to wear stockings underneath if you prefer to wear jeans. Very important: A Helmet. You cannot ride without a helmet! It is a requirement of LAW that riding schools make you wear a helmet to participate in rides or lessons. Please do not arrive at your lesson with your push-bike helmet or dad’s motor bike helmet or some other form of head wear! Buy your own helmet!!! ALL Saddleries can advise and assist with the fitting and purchase of a helmet for you. They start from as little as $45 AUD and are a wise investment. The helmet must fit you properly and must be approved for use in horse riding. Don’t borrow one from your girlfriends high school memorabilia box in the back shed that she used in the 70’s to have her lessons! It won’t be suitable. Too many people do not place any value on the safety of their own head and turn up with the most ridiculous things to protect their head in case of a fall. Make sure it complies with the current safety standard; the number inside the helmet should read 3838. When purchasing a helmet for your children please do not buy a larger helmet thinking that it will do for longer as they will grow into it. The helmet must fit them NOW! If the helmet is too large it will not protect their precious little heads if they fall off. Riding gloves, these retail from around $7 AUD at Saddleries, are a good investment, especially for the littlies, as they help soft hands to hold onto the reins without getting a pain similar to rope burn. The other thing you should have are well fitting smooth soled boots that are elastic sided and not lace up. An investment in yourself of around $120AUD should see you ready to attend your first lesson with all your proper riding equipment. It is a small price to pay compared with a head injury. Take a pen and paper to have on hand should you need to take notes. What I have outlined here are the things that are useful to know BEFORE your riding lesson. You will learn much more on your first lesson and it is handy to be able to jot them down to refer to later.