Learn Horseback Riding — Articles & Video Lessons
Horseback riding training from beginner to advanced: Chaharnal's articles and video lessons on riding fundamentals, seat and balance, dressage and show jumping.
Where do I start?
You do not need a horse of your own, expensive clothes or any previous experience to start riding — you need a licensed club and an instructor who teaches beginners.
Find a few clubs near where you live, call them, and say plainly that you have never ridden. Clubs keep an introductory or beginner lesson for exactly this, taught on a school horse: a calm, experienced horse whose job is to carry people who are still learning.
The first lessons are not about speed. They are about finding your balance in the saddle, distributing your weight correctly, and learning how the horse answers your hands, your legs and the way you sit. Leave buying a saddle and boots until you are sure you will keep going; the club lends you what a first lesson needs.
One thing beginners learn late: regularity beats intensity. One steady lesson a week will make you a rider sooner than a burst of lessons followed by a long gap.
What happens in the first lesson?
Arrive a little early, so you have time to catch your breath and get used to the yard.
The instructor usually introduces you to your horse first, shows you which side to approach from, and lets you put a hand on its neck — those few minutes take most of the first fear away. Then the horse is brought out tacked up, or tacked up beside you while the girth and stirrups are explained.
You mount from a block, so nothing presses on the horse's back. A first lesson is almost always spent at walk: sitting correctly, holding the reins, halting, and turning left and right. If the instructor sees your balance settle, you may take a few steps of trot — on the lunge line and under their control.
At the end you dismount, cool the horse off and get the instructor's feedback. Aching thighs and calves the next day are normal, and they fade as you keep going.
What should I wear?
Wear long, stretchy trousers. Heavy jeans, or anything with a raised inside seam, will rub the inside of your thigh raw within minutes.
You need boots or shoes with a small heel so your foot cannot slide through the stirrup — which is exactly why flat trainers are the wrong choice. A properly fitted helmet matters most of all, and most clubs lend one for the first lessons; it should sit firmly on your head with the chin strap fastened.
Gloves are optional, but they save your palms from rope burn. Scarves, loose jackets and anything that flaps in the wind will startle the horse — leave them off or fasten them down.
Tie your hair back, take off rings and watches, and bring a bottle of water. Closed, comfortable clothing is the best choice for women riders too, and most clubs run women's classes.
What age can you start?
The club sets the starting age, not a general rule. Each one decides its own minimum from the horses it keeps, its insurance and its instructors' experience, so ask before you enrol.
What matters more than the number is whether a child can sit unsupported, hold their balance, and understand and act on what the instructor says; a child whose attention is still short is not safe even on the calmest horse. Many clubs run pony classes for children: a smaller horse and a shorter lesson.
For adults there is no upper limit. People who start in middle age usually progress more slowly and more steadily, because they listen to their bodies.
If you have a history of back, knee or neck injury, speak to a doctor first and then to the instructor, so the lesson can be built around it.
How long until I can ride on my own?
The honest answer is that there is no fixed number and everyone's path differs; what changes it most is how regularly you ride.
The order is usually this: first you find your balance and a quiet seat at walk and learn to halt and steer; then you sit the trot, and then you learn to rise with the horse's rhythm; then you ride your own lines in the arena without help, keeping your distance from other riders; and finally you try canter under the instructor's eye.
«On your own» has degrees, too. Riding independently in an arena comes first; hacking out, or riding a horse you do not know, asks for considerably more.
Ask your instructor to name a goal for each month, and measure progress against those goals rather than by counting lessons.
What does it cost?
Riding lessons have no fixed price — fees differ from one club to the next. Five things make the biggest difference:
The club and the city: facilities, the kind of arena and the cost of keeping horses all vary from city to city.
Private or group lessons: in a private lesson the instructor works only with you; in a group the instructor's time is shared between several riders.
The instructor's level: an instructor's experience and qualifications are reflected in the fee.
Sessions per week: fees are usually charged per course or per month, so the number of weekly sessions changes what you pay.
Horse and equipment hire: if you do not have your own horse, the school horse — and sometimes a helmet and riding gear — is part of the cost.
Before you enrol, ask how many lessons the fee covers, whether a missed lesson can be made up, and whether an annual membership is charged separately.
For current prices, contact the riding clubs in your own city.
How do I choose a club?
Visit the club before you enrol — half an hour on the yard tells you more than any advertisement.
Look at the horses themselves: clean coats and feet, a healthy weight and calm behaviour are the signs of a well-run yard. The arena surface should be even, free of stones and holes, the fencing sound, and clean water within the horses' reach.
Ask what qualifications the instructor holds, how many riders are in a class, and whether helmets and beginner-sized saddles are available. Ask for the lesson schedule and the make-up policy for missed lessons in writing.
If you want a women's class or a children's class, settle its days and times there and then.
Do not underestimate the distance from home: a club you can reach easily every week will do more for you than a better one you visit once a month.
Riding Technique & Training
- A new study on the need for suitable bras for female riders says
- Preparing riders for the equestrian finals
- لونژ با چرمکمکی؛ پایهای در آموزش اسب درساژ کلاسیک
- راهکارهای بیرون آوردن ایمن اسب از چراگاه
- فواید سوارکاری برای کودکان؛ از اعتمادبهنفس تا مهارتهای زندگی
- افسانه یا واقعیت: دهنه اسنفل خشن نیست
- سوارکاری چه چیزهایی درباره سالمندی به ما یاد میدهد؟
- Middle age should not hinder your equestrian goals.
- Protect your lower back, strengthen your core.
- Performance pressure in the saddle; a study on riders' self-doubt.
- Isn't there another saddle size? 5 warning signs in horses
- How to accustom your horse to double lungeing
- Teaching "Neshan" to the horse; a simple way to guide purposefully.
- The importance of sleep for riders: the key to performance and recovery
- Proper training with a simple bit; why an unsuitable bit ruins the work.
- How to Deal with Failure and Get Back in the Arena
- Ted Coffin explains; how and why to ride in a forward seat
- 8 Tips for Excelling in Hunter Flat and Equitation Classes
- Why self-carriage is important in all equestrian disciplines
- 2 Practical Exercises for Improving Hunter Rounds
- Improving the rider's position for better coordination with the horse
- Scott Brash's simple exercise to control a horse's rush in jumping
- Diamond exercise for improving the bend and alignment of the horse's movement
- Yoga exercises with Biz and Boyd for better riding
- This simple ground exercise strengthens the horse's coordination and core stability.
- Bize and Bouid talk about the role of yoga in riders' performance.
- With this exercise, judge the speed of Chaharnal more accurately.
- Eight simple exercises to improve balance and self-carriage of the horse in canter
- Jumping practice with horses to strengthen stride recognition in related distances
- Christoph Hess's simple exercise for collection while maintaining forwardness
- Three 10-minute exercises with two poles to strengthen the horse from the ground
- Three core exercises for riders recommended by a spine surgeon
- Joe Stockdale's suggested jumping exercise for improving the horse's straightness and balance
- Turn limitations into opportunities.
- A simple exercise of transferring steps to improve the horse's balance and responsiveness
- Flexibility, collection, and responsiveness of the horse with a sequence of 10-meter circles
- Improve the balance and obedience of the horse with simple walk and rein-back exercises.
- With Ashki training, teach your horse Chaharnal opposition.
- How lowering the heel too much damages jumping posture
- Principled planning for the readiness and fitness of horses
- Safe and reliable gallop training in horseback riding
- 4 exercises to relieve body stiffness and improve riding
- Paul Blazík about working with lateral movements
- Four tips from the show jumping lesson with Hannah Sue Hollberg
- How can we prevent a horse from rushing in jumping?
- How to fix the seat position in the saddle
- A three-stage system for improving riding in any discipline
- Five exercises from Marcia Kulak for using cavaletti
- Three-Part Rule: How to Manage Your Horse’s Body in Motion
- Developing body awareness to improve riding
Video lessons
- A day with a farrier
- Preliminary lunge
- Common mistakes in bandaging a horse that you should know!
- How to easily mount a horse?
- Important points about horse stable management
- Principles of Care and Grooming of Horse {Part Two}
- Controlling the horse in the stable
- With these methods, your horse will always stay clean!
- 5 important tips for horse hoof care
- 5 important tips for easy saddling
Frequently asked questions about learning to ride
How do beginners start horseback riding?
Start with supervised lessons at a licensed riding club: learn mounting, a balanced seat and basic rein aids on a calm school horse before riding independently.
What happens in a first riding lesson?
You meet the horse, mount from a block and work at walk — halting, turning and sitting correctly. If your balance settles you may take a few steps of trot on the lunge line. Aching legs the next day are normal.
What should I wear to a first riding lesson?
Long stretchy trousers, boots with a small heel and a properly fitted riding helmet — most clubs lend helmets for the first sessions. Avoid loose clothing, trailing scarves and flat, slick-soled shoes.
What age can children start riding?
Every club sets its own minimum age and safety rules. Ask the club directly. What matters more than the number is whether the child can sit in balance and act on the instructor's words.
How many lessons before I can ride on my own?
There is no fixed number; it depends on how regularly you ride, and on the horse and instructor. The order is balance at walk, sitting trot, rising trot, riding your own lines in the arena, then canter under supervision.
What does a riding lesson cost?
It depends on the club and the city, whether the lesson is private or in a group, the instructor's level, how many sessions you take each week, and horse and equipment hire. Ask the riding clubs in your own city for current prices.
How do I choose a riding club?
Visit before enrolling: look at the horses' condition, the arena surface and fencing, the instructor's qualifications, how many riders share a class, and whether fitted helmets are available. Ask for the schedule and the make-up policy in writing.