IRL Riding Tips

[TheGoldenSnitch1234]

Hey all!

I know a lot of players ride in real life, so I'm starting this forum for anyone who has any questions about groundwork or riding, and I'll be more than happy to answer them! I've been riding for the past 10 years and have ridden just about anything! I've also successfully brought along babies/greenies, and use the Pareli method for all my horses. I hope I can impart some wisdom on anyone who needs it! No question is "stupid" or "silly"!

Ask away!

[Opal_and]

Hey all!

I know a lot of players ride in real life, so I'm starting this forum for anyone who has any questions about groundwork or riding, and I'll be more than happy to answer them! I've been riding for the past 10 years and have ridden just about anything! I've also successfully brought along babies/greenies, and use the Pareli method for all my horses. I hope I can impart some wisdom on anyone who needs it! No question is "stupid" or "silly"!

Ask away!

I have been struggling with keeping my hands low in the trot. Any tips on helping me to keep them at a reasonable height off the saddle?

[TheGoldenSnitch1234]

Hey all!

I know a lot of players ride in real life, so I'm starting this forum for anyone who has any questions about groundwork or riding, and I'll be more than happy to answer them! I've been riding for the past 10 years and have ridden just about anything! I've also successfully brought along babies/greenies, and use the Pareli method for all my horses. I hope I can impart some wisdom on anyone who needs it! No question is "stupid" or "silly"!

Ask away!

I have been struggling with keeping my hands low in the trot. Any tips on helping me to keep them at a reasonable height off the saddle?

Ideally, your hands should always match your horse's head, because if your horse has his head up in the air, if you keep your hand low you're going to 1) break the connection between the bit and your hands and 2)be pulling against him
But if it's just a normal everyday "vice", try 1) turning your wrists slightly downward- this makes it a little harder for you to lift your hands- try it, it's kind of awkward to raise your arms/shoulders isn't it! 2) make sure your legs aren't creeping too far forward- when your legs are nice and balanced underneath you, it's harder to lose your balance and post with your hands rather than your legs. 3)if you have a trainer, take some reinless lunge lessons where you keep your hands down low the whole time-this will instill the muscle memory for when you add rein back

Hope this helped!

[Opal_and]

I have been struggling with keeping my hands low in the trot. Any tips on helping me to keep them at a reasonable height off the saddle?

Ideally, your hands should always match your horse's head, because if your horse has his head up in the air, if you keep your hand low you're going to 1) break the connection between the bit and your hands and 2)be pulling against him
But if it's just a normal everyday "vice", try 1) turning your wrists slightly downward- this makes it a little harder for you to lift your hands- try it, it's kind of awkward to raise your arms/shoulders isn't it! 2) make sure your legs aren't creeping too far forward- when your legs are nice and balanced underneath you, it's harder to lose your balance and post with your hands rather than your legs. 3)if you have a trainer, take some reinless lunge lessons where you keep your hands down low the whole time-this will instill the muscle memory for when you add rein back

Hope this helped!

I will 100% try these tips!! Thank you so much! I'll give you an update soon!

[Naytrix2]

I will 100% try these tips!! Thank you so much! I'll give you an update soon!

When I was struggling with my hands, my trainer had me let go of the reins and hold onto the pommel of the saddle just so I can get used to the movement of the horse and how to keep my hands still. (I ride english, not sure what discipline but I hope some of these work) I have also tried holding some mane and a neck rope until eventually it felt natural to keep your hands still. I am in no way an advanced rider so I'm not too confident in my tips but these are things that helped me personally.

[Opal_and]

I will 100% try these tips!! Thank you so much! I'll give you an update soon!

When I was struggling with my hands, my trainer had me let go of the reins and hold onto the pommel of the saddle just so I can get used to the movement of the horse and how to keep my hands still. (I ride english, not sure what discipline but I hope some of these work) I have also tried holding some mane and a neck rope until eventually it felt natural to keep your hands still. I am in no way an advanced rider so I'm not too confident in my tips but these are things that helped me personally.

Thank you for the tip! I also ride English, so this really helps!

[Xzeina]

No question is "stupid" or "silly"

How do I ask to get to ride?

[TheGoldenSnitch1234]

No question is "stupid" or "silly"

How do I ask to get to ride?

If you're talking about riding someone else's horse, it's typically considered rude to ask without being offered- however, there are always special circumstances where this might be acceptable, and I don't know your situation, so no judgement at all! You can always offer, saying something like "if you ever get really busy and you need someone to ride the horse, just let me know". This lets them know you're interested, but still gives them the power to say yes or no.

If you're talking about signing up for lessons, there are tons of reputable barns around! If you'd like I can give you some tips on what to look for in a training barn. It' s just a matter of calling and getting signed up.

I hope I was able to answer your questions!

[Xzeina]

How do I ask to get to ride?

If you're talking about riding someone else's horse, it's typically considered rude to ask without being offered- however, there are always special circumstances where this might be acceptable, and I don't know your situation, so no judgement at all! You can always offer, saying something like "if you ever get really busy and you need someone to ride the horse, just let me know". This lets them know you're interested, but still gives them the power to say yes or no.

If you're talking about signing up for lessons, there are tons of reputable barns around! If you'd like I can give you some tips on what to look for in a training barn. It' s just a matter of calling and getting signed up.

I hope I was able to answer your questions!

I know it's rude, and I know that I have no right to ask since I haven't even helped out much lately.
The owner doesn't like me riding without her (or at least one of the two other people she trusts to ride without her there) being with me. I understand why she doesn't like it, and since I'm still relatively new at the barn I'm willing to accept the boundaries. Most of the time I'm content enough just being around them, but sometimes I just really want to ask and then I feel bad since she's given me so much already and I don't want to cause her more stress or anything like that.

[TheGoldenSnitch1234]

If you're talking about riding someone else's horse, it's typically considered rude to ask without being offered- however, there are always special circumstances where this might be acceptable, and I don't know your situation, so no judgement at all! You can always offer, saying something like "if you ever get really busy and you need someone to ride the horse, just let me know". This lets them know you're interested, but still gives them the power to say yes or no.

If you're talking about signing up for lessons, there are tons of reputable barns around! If you'd like I can give you some tips on what to look for in a training barn. It' s just a matter of calling and getting signed up.

I hope I was able to answer your questions!

I know it's rude, and I know that I have no right to ask since I haven't even helped out much lately.
The owner doesn't like me riding without her (or at least one of the two other people she trusts to ride without her there) being with me. I understand why she doesn't like it, and since I'm still relatively new at the barn I'm willing to accept the boundaries. Most of the time I'm content enough just being around them, but sometimes I just really want to ask and then I feel bad since she's given me so much already and I don't want to cause her more stress or anything like that.

If you're still new, don't worry! With time, the horse's owner will see that you're able to handle him/her and might just let you ride. Maybe you could do morning/evening turnout to get practice handling the horse. If you take regular riding lessons there, it's only a matter of time before she sees you ride. This happened to me a while ago- I had just given up my pony, and a boarder at my barn asked what I would do going forward, and I told her I'd just ride whoever. She said she'd let me ride her horse (TB mare), but she was a lot to handle. I told her I'd definitely be wiling to give it a shot, and a couple months later I rode her. The owner was there the first few times, but after a while she let me go ride whenever I had the chance. Long story short, keep working hard to prove yourself and don't give up hope! Like you said, you're fairly new there, so the owner probably just doesn't know you well enough yet, but it just takes time!