What is Taught in a Riding Lesson

Horseback riding is a fun but challenging venture. Many equine facilities offer riding lessons. These lessons cater to riders of all ages and skill sets, from the young and inexperienced, to the seasoned riders who are looking to learn some new skills.

Basic Horse Care

At the start of a riding lesson, most teachers concentrate on the basic tenets of horse care. These include horse grooming, feeding and washing. This gives the student the skills necessary to care for a horse during its downtime. Once these skills are covered, the student is then taught how to tack up. Tacking includes putting a blanket and saddle on a horse, as well as a bridle and reins.

Leading the Horse 

Once the horse is tacked, the student is taught how to lead the horse to the riding ring. This includes learning how to guide the horse out of its stable and walk calmly to the equestrian ring.

Mounting and Dismounting

After the horse is in the ring, the student is taught how to safely mount and dismount the horse. In most cases, the trainer will teach a student how to perform an emergency flying discount in the event of an emergency.

Walking, Trotting and Cues

After the student can successfully mount the horse, the trainer will review all of the cues that are used to communicate with the horse. These include the cues for walking, trotting and cantering. The student will be able to practice these cues and gain insight as to the proper way to ride a horse as it is performing each of these movements.

Control and Steering

As the student progresses through the lessons, they will learn how to control a horse. This includes getting the horse to move and stop on command and turn as directed. The trainer will review these skills as they pertain to different types of riding, whether it is trail riding, showing, English or Western riding.