Figuring out how to ride a new horse can be tricky at first and sometimes a little scary if you’re not sure exactly how to communicate with your new mount. The same can be said for a hot or sensitive horse who might easily misinterpret your aids.
In this week’s video, I want to show you a couple exercises that are helpful when riding a new or sensitive horse. This video is actually an excerpt from one of my lessons with my student, Sylvia. She is riding Mercurio for only the third time, so not only is he a new mount for her, he is also sensitive and a little hot! It is great to watch how focused Sylvia remains throughout the entire lesson, and how she remains calm, uses her breath, and stays consistent.
The first exercise that I like to use when riding a new or sensitive horse is the snowman exercise. This is a great exercise because it really helps the rider figure out the canter aids for the horse, and also helps to prevent surprising the horse with a sudden canter aid.
Though the universal canter aid is inside leg on at the girth and outside leg behind the girth, each horse’s aids for the caner is a little different. The amount of pressure you put on with your inside leg, how much you support with your outside leg, and the use of your half-halts is different for every horse. It may even need to be different for the left and right leads.
To begin the snowman, you ride a small 10m circle at trot, tracking one direction. Then, you change direction and ride a large 20m circle and puck up the canter. Want more details on how to ride the snowman exercise? Check out the link here.
As you are watching, take note of the differences between Mercurio’s left and right lead canter. Even though one direction is definitely harder for both the horse and rider, Sylvia stays so nice and quiet, breathes well, keeps her hands down, and stays focused.
The second exercise that is great to ride with a new or sensitive horse is shoulder-in at the trot. I like to ride this movement in combination with a 10m circle to help get your horse in the correct bend and on the outside rein. For this exercise, you will ride shoulder-in down each long side and ride straight along the short side. As you are doing shoulder-in down the long sides, ride a 10m circle at the middle of the long side (at either B or E depending which direction you are tracking). Once you ride this exercise one direction for a while, you can ride half of your 10m circle and change direction at X, then complete another half 10m circle to change direction.
As you are riding, really focus on keeping a steady contact and rhythm. It is important to stay calm and quiet during any miscommunication, especially when you are riding a new or hot horse. Breathe and remain focused, wait until both you and the horse are reorganized, half halt, and then try your ask again.
I hope these tips help you with your rides this week!
Happy Riding!
Amelia
P.S. Wish you could have a lesson so that you knew what to do each moment of your ride? Check out my Ride Along Podcast package! Inside, you will find prerecorded audio “lessons” on different topics! Check out the podcasts here.
