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Novice riders will come across many unfamiliar words during the course of a few lessons. Many of these words are not heard on a day-to-day basis outside of riding circles so a little explanation for ...

For dressage, an arena is laid out strictly and must be exact. The arena is used for the different manoeuvres in the sport and each one must be completed at the right points. Therefore, there can be ...

Improving your fitness for horse riding should be a priority when you take up the sport and you should aim to maintain your fitness level while competing and riding. Horse riding is a physically ...

Mounting and dismounting a pony is a basic skill of riding and one which you will need to master before you proceed onto anything else. Nevertheless this does not mean that it is not an intimidating ...

So, congratulations, you have decided to take up a new hobby and learn a new skill. Along the way, you are bound to have lots of fun and make new friends, but before your first horse riding lesson, ...

Once you have mastered mounting your horse the next step is to establish the correct rider position. Having the right position is vital, as it allows you to ride comfortably - and your horse to be ...

One of the most important things for any rider to master is how to slow down and how to stop carefully and safely. If you do not know how to stop properly, the horse could bolt or stop suddenly, ...

Once you have made the decision to start jumping you will need to consider how to approach and tackle your first jump. Looking at a jump – especially if it is a big one in a competition – can be ...

You will find that once you start, riding quickly becomes addictive. Once you have got the hang of it, you will find you want to do it all of the time, come rain or shine. Most horse people will jump ...

Any rider who drives a car will be familiar with the concept of turning circles. This is a reference to how large or small a circle a car will make when turned around with the steering wheel on fully ...

Walking, trotting and cantering are three different gaits. The word gait refers to a movement of the horse, usually one which occurs naturally, which the rider can control. But different gaits are ...