Bhuj Mounted Police Horse Riding Club.

uctor's guidance, and learn about all aspects of horsemanship, from putting tack on the horse, to cleaning and storing the tack when the ride is over.
• 3
Learn to properly groom the horse. This is important both in "bonding" with a horse, if you are fortunate enough to ride the same one regularly, and also gives you a chance to look the horse over for problems or injuries before and after a ride.
• 4
Feed and water the horse if you have opportunity, once again cementing a bond with the animal, earning its trust, and learning to trust it, as well. Many people are surprised, when they find themselves "up close, and personal," with a horse; with how large and powerful they truly are.
• 5
Learn the steps involved for a beginning rider. Actual horseback riding involves more than "hopping up" on the horse's back and galloping off into the sunset. The following is a checklist for preparing for a ride.
• Bring your tack out of the tack room, check it over to make sure it is clean and in good shape, with no holes or tears in the leather. Set it down, preferably on a rail, saddle rack, or stand. Ensure that it is out of the way of other riders.
• Catch or call your horse, and put on the halter. This is the leather or nylon harness that goes over the horse's head, and you will want to strap it tightly enough so it doesn't slip, but not tight enough to be uncomfortable for the horse. Ensure that it is completely on the horse's head; many an escaped horse could have been avoided had they simply ensured that the halter was on completely.
• 6
Lead the horse into the barn and attach the cross ties to the metal ring on the halter near the horses mouth. If there are two rings, the cross ties should be clipped to the metal loops on the sides, closest to the horse's mouth.
• Use the curry comb, dandy (hard) brush, and body (soft) brush, in that order. The curry comb should be used on the neck, body, and about halfway down the horse's legs, and likewise for the hard brush. The body brush is the only brush that should be used all the way down to the horse's hooves. Do not brush the horse's face; use a towel or a grooming glove on this area. Pick up the horse's hooves and use a hoof pick to clean out dirt and mud if they appear to be dirty. Pick them up from the side, never stand directly behind or in front of a horse's legs, for safety reasons.
• Standing on the horse's left side, slide the saddle blanket over the horse's back, with the front of the blanket just at the ridge of the front shoulders. Do this without sudden, jerking motions, as your horse may spook at any startling movement.
• Lift the saddle over the horse's back, letting the stirrups and girth (leather or other type of strap passing across the belly to secure the saddle) hang on the opposite side. Center the saddle on the horse, and check that the blanket is equally exposed beneath the saddle, with an inch or so showing all the way around. The blanket will help keep the saddle from slipping, and at the same time, keep the saddle from rubbing or binding on the horse, causing discomfort. If the girth is currently unattached, attach it to the saddle on the horse's right side. If only one side has elastic, this side should not yet be buckled onto the saddle. Ensure that the side in contact with the horse is smooth. Often, one side of the girth will have leather tabs sewn down to hold the buckles, while the other is smooth. These tabs must not be face down, as this may cause the horse to experience undue discomfort. Also, many saddles have three leather tabs to buckle the girth to, use the two outside leather tabs, ensuring that the middle tab runs beneath the girth and is not twisted or forming any sort of bump.
• Pull the girth (chest-strap) under the horse and pass the tabs on the saddle through the girth buckles on the horse's left side. Ensure that it is not twisted.
• To tighten the girth, pass the leather tab on the saddle through the girth buckle, and then pull up on the end of the leather tab, securing the buckle once the girth is tightened. Ensure that the girth is tightened, and if only one end has elastic, this end should be tightened last.
• 7
Put the bridle on your horse by holding it in your non-dominant hand and using the dominant hand to work the bit into the mouth. Secure all of the straps. The cavesson (strap passing around the muzzle) should be just tight enough to get one finger between it and the horse. The throat-latch, which passes near where the horse's head meets the neck, should be tight enough to remain in position without being tight. It should be relatively loose, with multiple fingers fitting between it and the horse.
• Walk the horse to a mounting block if so desired. Check that the girth is tight, the saddle should not shift significantly when attempts are made to move it. You should be on the horse's left side at this point.
• Catch the reins in your left hand, then grasp the horse's wither, mane, or the saddle horn with your left hand (do not pull on the horse!), and the back of the saddle with your right. Place your left foot in the stirrup, pull yourself up, and swing your right leg over the horse's hindquarters. Be careful not to kick the horse's rump as you swing your leg over his hindquarters, as he may begin to move if you do. Then again, they may do this anyway. It may be recommended to have someone else hold the horse while you are mounting.
• Drop your right foot in the stirrup, lean forward in a semi-standing position just above the saddle, and feel if the saddle seems tight. If it has a tendency to slip, or doesn't feel tight, dismount, again on the left side, and re-tighten the chest strap.
• Pull up the reins, and get each at equal length while holding them over the center of the horse's neck with its head facing straight ahead. The reins are, effectively, the "steering wheel" of the horse. To turn him left, you pull the reins left, so that the bit puts pressure on the horse's mouth, cuing him to move away from the pressure, turning the horse's head in that direction.
• A second style of steering the horse involves the reins in two hands, where you hold one hand steady while the other exerts gentle pressure straight backwards, thus causing the horse to move away from the pressure, turning in response. The left hand is pulled back while the right hand is held steady, and so the horse turns to the left. It is important for the inactive hand to remain steady and not travel forward. If the left hand is pulled back while the right hand moves forward, the horse may simply tilt its head while continuing straight on.
• Above all, listen to your teacher's instructions, since techniques may vary depending on the handler and trainer's methods for a particular horse.
• Urge the horse fore-ward by gently squeezing your calves into the horse's sides. Most horses respond to verbal commands too, commonly, "giddap", or "get up", to go forward, ("whoa", to stop).
• 8
Ride in open area as a beginner, staying away from fences, low branches of trees, or steep grades. Staying on a horse's back requires balance and concentration, and becomes much more natural and easy with practice. Be careful to keep the horse under your control, and watching for anything that may spook or cause the horse to rear up.
• 9
Consider all the costs and the commitment of horse ownership before looking at buying a horse. Horses are living creatures, requiring feed, water, and attention every day, as well as a clean pasture area and stable or stall to protect it from the weather. They also require regular veterinary care, and hoof care by a qualified farrier, who trims the hoofs and reshods the horse when needed.
• 10
When you think you're prepared enough and ready, you may buy a horse. If you or your parents don't want to buy a horse, you can always have a loan or lease a horse from your local riding school, pony club, or from a friend who may have stopped riding due to study, work or injury. Leasing is often cheaper as you and the owner agree on who should pay for what, most of the time the real owner pays for vet and the first pair of shoes. The rest is up to the new family. It is important to have the veterinarian look over the horse for possible health issues before purchasing, to avoid possible dishonest buyers.
• 11
When you look at a horse or pony that you are thinking of buying, take an experienced, knowledgeable friend with you, whether it's your riding instructor, coach, horse trainer or an experienced friend. A second or third opinion is always better than one. An instructor or coach can help you select a horse that is suited to your style of riding and to your ability and strengths. The things that you would want to look for when choosing a horse are listed below.
• Conformation: The horse should be sound and be well proportioned, not too big around the rear or the front, but look like an easy to control animal.
• Soundness: The horse should let you pick up all four hooves, so you can check for stone bruises (which grow out) as well as leg deformities, etc. Check the neck, as a thicker neck usually suggests the horse or pony is strong, and for a beginner rider, may be too hard to pull up.
• Age: This is very important. A beginner horse and a beginner rider do not mix. A good age for a beginner rider is about 10 to 12 years, this way, the rider can grow as the horse reaches its peak, the horse will have had the training and will be ready to go with the flow.
• Height: The height is also a major yet minor piece of conformation. Though a horse should be a decent height, if a rider feels confident on a pony of 11 hands, let them ride it till they are confident to ride a bigger pony, then a horse; if you push, you may push them too far. A good height for a horse for a beginner rider, novice or experienced rider is between 14 and 15 hands. This category is classed as the Galloway. This height is used for general purpose and is very hard to grow out of. A pony is any horse under 14.2 hands and a Hack is anything above 15 hands. 1 hand=4inches=10cm.
• Temperament. This is one of the most most important things when choosing a horse. The horse should be quiet and yet happy to see you. The horse should have a kind eye, and you should not be able to see a lot of white (sclera-the white part similar to the human eye). Appaloosa horses have a more noticeable sclera, but if the eyes look fiery, then the horse is upset and may be fiery.
• Gender: Different people have different opinions. Mares are sometimes better than gelding and vice-versa. This question and debate has been around for decades. Really it comes down to choice and situation. Mares come into season about every 28 days, and during this time can be moody, this is know as moody mare syndrome. Geldings don't get this, and are usually more docile and relaxed, though you can get a few that are between. It also depends on your child or you. Many kids say "I want a girl horse cause girls are better," boys retaliate saying "Nah, boy horses are better." In many cases, boys seem to get along better with girl horses (mares) and girls get along better with geldings. But it's entirely up to you.
• 12
Get the necessary equipment. The basics include the below.
• Saddle and saddle blanket. The saddle helps many young and old riders stay on the horse, it is a means of providing comfort for riders over long distances. They come in many styles and varieties, and sizing can be an issue. When buying a saddle, second hand or brand new, don't always go for cheap or expensive, its true, you do get what you payed for, but most of the time a mid range saddle is ideal and can last up to and past 12 years, depending on how its treated. When selecting a size, make sure you have the horses height and breed as well as conformation and size (as in fat or skinny). A child rider usually is a 10 inch or so, but some saddles are suited to stocky fat ponies and some are suited to elegant lanky horses. The rider should always try the saddle, even just by sitting in it at the saddlery. Saddles come in many styles and varieties each depending on the style and purpose of riding. A Western Saddle is usually only used for Western and a Jumping Saddle is used for Show Jumping. The best type is a General or All Purpose. They have a seat that allows a child to compete in Dressage, Flat Riding, Hacking, Showjumping, Cross country and games. The saddle cloth should be large enough to fit the saddle and have about an inch or two all the way around the saddle. This helps protect the saddle and stops the saddle from pinching the horse.
• Bridle. The bridle provides a means of control. In layman's terms, the bit helps control the horse, the reins help to turn. Though this is only partly true, your riding instructor will do the teaching, so you only need to know what type is better. A general bridle, Cavesson or Hanovarian is best, a Cavesson has a Flash nose band, which helps prevent the horse opening its mouth, a Hanoverian does not. Each are basically the same, it really depends on the horse and rider combination. The bit and bridle must be proper for the horse, and different bits and bridles must be tried with the horse to find the best combination, as each horse is unique and sensitive to minute changes within the bridle setup. Most bridles now have a cavesson to prevent the horse from opening its mouth, and may have one or two bits, depending upon the skill and preference of the rider, and the preference of the horse. It is highly recommended that this component be handled by a trainer or other person highly experienced with horses, as an improperly chosen bit or poorly adjusted bridle may result in difficulty, and possibly danger while attempting to control the horse.
• Grooming kit. Brushing a horse helps blood circulation, lets the rider bond with the horse, and makes him clean and shiny. You should always groom a horse before going for a ride and after, before removes any dirt and prickles that may cause the horse to react as he is in pain,, after allows you to remove any sweat marks which at a later time will be harder to remove. A basic grooming kit should have: Curry Comb (Used to remove dry dirt and excessive hair), Dandy Brush (A stiff brush used to remove mud and hard stains), Body Brush (a soft bristled brush for bringing a shine and used on the face and delicate areas), hoof pick (to remove mud and stones from hooves), Mane comb (used to brush mane and forelock), a sponge (for cleaning nose and eyes and remove sweat marks after riding). Many kits do not include a hair brush, which is very good for brushing the tail. You can pick them up at any cheap outlet, they are the same as human brushes. It is also recommended, however not necessary to have a towel to towel off sweat after a ride (for horse and rider), and to have a grooming glove (a plastic or rubber glove with small studs, specifically for grooming very delicate areas, such as the face).
• Riding attire. The rider should have a helmet designed specifically for riding, that is ASTM/STI certified. Helmets such as bike helmets are not satisfactory, as riding helmets cover more of the head and are specifically designed for safety against falls while horseback riding. Boots should be flat-soled, preferably pointed, and they must have a heel, all to facilitate the easy removal of the boot from the stirrup should anything go wrong. Material, lace vs. zipper, and height are usually a manner of preference, or dictated by the discipline one wishes to compete in. These two components are of high necessity for safety reasons, while other articles are more for comfort. Jodhpurs (tight pants designed specifically for riding) are usually considered the best choice, giving the most flexibility and give for riding, although any long, durable pair of pants would be satisfactory, as long as they allow for a full range of movement. A shirt would usually be another choice, preferably with sleeves of some sort for outdoor riding to prevent sunburn, or simply any shirt which breathes well, for comfort while on the horse. Gloves may be another choice, as some may see their fingers irritated by the reins, or they may prefer the grip provided by the material.
• 13
Learn the art of horse riding. Though it seems easy, and yes; it is easy once you get the hang of it! It is hard work and while some people have a natural riding ability, some do not, and they need to work at it. Below are links to explain about each specific part of horse riding. Though, it is beneficial if you have an instructor helping you until your abilities have improved.