If you have an inexperienced horse and need to put miles under his feet and don’t feel as if you have the confidence or ability to get the job done, have an experienced rider take him out the first few times. Then, when the horse is confident on the trail, you can get in the saddle.
Just as an inexperienced horse gets the best start to his career with a confident, in-control rider, a beginner rider gets the best start to their horsemanship career with a well-trained, confident horse. If you’re a beginner, do yourself a favor and learn to ride on a horse that will take care of you.
Good, well-trained horses dummy up to their riders. What I mean by that is they meet their rider’s ability. If you’re an experienced rider, the horse willingly performs advanced maneuvers. If you’re a beginner, he’ll do what he needs to do to take care of you. In other words, he doesn’t take advantage of a beginner’s lack of knowledge. As the rider gains more confidence and ability, the horse ups his game. Those horses are worth their weight in gold because a lot of training has gone into them.
On the other hand, sorry-broke or poor-minded horses take total advantage of an inexperienced rider and often wreck any confidence the rider may have. It’s a lot like the troublemakers in a classroom when the teacher is out and a substitute comes in. Unless the substitute makes it clear right from the start that they are in control and expect the same level of respect from the students as they give their teacher, chaos breaks out.
Lacking Confidence? We’ve Got Resources to Help.
Fundamentals In Action on the Trail
In the Fundamentals In Action on the Trail Series, learn everything you need to know about training a trail horse, from selecting the right horse to safely negotiating obstacles and troubleshooting common problems.
August 2014 No Worries Club Video, A Call for Help: Confidence on the Trail
In this training session, the focus is all about leadership – becoming a good leader for your horse and stepping in to give him confidence when he’s unsure of a situation. I travel to Paige, Texas to give a one-on-one lesson to a No Worries Club member and her mare.
