If you are interested in the sport of Equestrian and admire the athletes for their grace and competing skills, you should know that you can ride a horse as well. There are many places where you can begin the beautiful trip to becoming involved with the equestrian sport and here are a few tips to help you.

The things you should know before riding are the basic safety techniques and the way to achieve certain skills. You should have some knowledge of both these things as this will help you feel more confident. The first thing you should fully understand is that you have to do with a horse. The horse is an animal and this means that it is a living creature that has a certain character and behavior but also strong instincts. So the first thing to do is to choose a horse that is calm and is used for beginners. Another thing you should know is that you should be calm as well. Horses are sensitive in understanding the feelings of humans. If you are not calm and confident the animal might feel threatened or believe that there is some kind of danger and react accordingly. This happens mainly because their instincts are strong and have routes in ancient times, when animals were used for other purposes or lived alone in nature and had to protect themselves from humans. So the right thing to do here is to feel relaxed. Take a few breaths and think you are in control. If you act this way, the horse will also believe you know what you are doing and will obey you.

There two ways to ride a horse, the English way and the western way. Their main difference is the saddle. The English saddle is lighter and has nothing to hold on to if you need to. Some people believe that it is better for beginners as they learn to keep their balance. The western saddle is heavier and has a horn to hang on to if you need to. It also keeps you in place better as it allows limited movements and many beginners feel they are more secure using one. Once you have decided on the saddle you can take your sit and move your highs a little bit towards the horse so that it understands you want to start riding.

In the English style of riding reins are held in both hands. This means that you can pull the rein according to the turn you want the horse to take. If you want to go left, pull the left rein with your left hand and if you want to go right, pull the right rein. In the western style the reins are held in one hand and so you have to pull the right rein according to the movement you want to achieve. Riding a horse can be your first step to becoming an excellent equestrian of all times, so take your time and enjoy the sport.