Learning to Horse Ride: Top 5 Mistakes Novice Riders Make

If you are beginning your journey into horse riding, it’s natural to be excited yet face challenges as you learn. Riding is a wonderfully physical and rewarding skill, but beginners often make a handful of common mistakes. These can affect your comfort, safety, and your horse's responsiveness. Understanding and addressing these early will enhance your confidence and enjoyment in the saddle.

Watching a video replay of your lessons or noting repeated feedback from your instructor can be invaluable. Here are the top five mistakes novice riders commonly make, along with practical advice on how to improve them on your horse riding journey. Remember, patience and consistent practice are key!

1. Maintaining Correct Posture and Balance

Posture is fundamental to effective riding. Your position in the saddle influences everything from your security to how well your horse understands your aids. A frequent novice misstep is slouching or looking down, which misaligns your body and can destabilise both you and your horse.

Focus on keeping your head up with your eyes looking ahead, not down at the reins or saddle. Keep your neck relaxed and your shoulders square. Lengthen your spine and allow your legs to lengthen down from the heel rather than the toes. This alignment forms an imaginary straight line from your ear through your shoulder, hip, and heel, providing balance and control.

Try this simple exercise when mounting: Hold your head up and relaxed, straighten your spine, pull your shoulders back gently, and let your legs lengthen naturally. You’ll notice an immediate improvement in your feeling of security and balance.

2. Correct Leg and Heel Position

Your legs are your main directional aids along with your hands and heels. Novices often struggle to keep their heels down, a common call from instructors.

Practice lowering your heels while relaxing your calves, which helps prevent gripping with your knees and encourages a secure, effective seat. If you find toes pointing down excessively or difficulty maintaining heel position, your stirrups might be too long. Shortening them slightly can help you develop better leg position and balance.

Over time, aim to use your whole leg subtly to communicate with your horse, but when starting out, focus on steady heels and relaxed legs to gain confidence.

3. Hands and Rein Contact

Your reins connect your hands to your horse’s mouth, influencing communication. Many new riders make the mistake of gripping too tightly, often to feel more secure, but this can cause discomfort for your horse and upset your posture.

The goal is a soft, consistent contact – light enough to feel your horse’s mouth but steady enough to communicate clearly without pulling. Resist the urge to hang onto the reins for balance; instead, if you need stability, hold the front of your saddle or a neck strap.

Keep your hands steady and close together above the horse’s withers, elbows relaxed and close to your sides. This position improves rein effectiveness and supports your overall balance.

4. Avoiding the 'Freeze' Reaction

Unexpected events like spooks or sudden movements can happen, even with the calmest horses. Novice riders may freeze during these times, becoming passengers rather than active riders.

When startled, focus on listening to your instructor’s guidance and keep your body relaxed. Maintain your posture and try to ride through the moment instead of tensing or letting fear take over. Practice and experience naturally build the confidence needed to handle surprises calmly.

Developing a rapport with your horse and learning to anticipate its responses can also reduce these moments over time.

5. Riding with Smoothness and Flow

Horse riding can look like an elegant dance, but for beginners, smoothness is difficult and may take months or years to master.

Try to make all your movements, transitions between gaits, and signals as gentle and fluid as possible. Avoid sudden jerks or heavy-handed cues as these can startle your horse and disrupt rhythm. Think about moving in harmony with the horse’s gait rather than fighting against it.

Patience is essential: progress will come with steady practice, and refining smoothness will build a better, more pleasant ride for both you and your horse.

Learning to ride well demands time, patience, and respect for the process. Don’t be discouraged by early mistakes; they are part of the journey. Consistently listening to your instructor, practising with care, and staying relaxed will help you develop into a confident wearer of the saddle.

Happy riding!