Conduct rigorous basic riding training for riders in the arena, focusing on posture, aids, and gaits. This helps riders learn the correct way to control the horse, develop good riding posture, and cultivate a brave, decisive, and quick-reacting mental attitude. The horse is trained to obey the rider's commands, developing its physique and abilities in a coordinated manner, making it calm, supple, relaxed, agile, confident, attentive, and alert. This ensures a harmonious partnership between horse and rider, achieving "a perfect union of horse and rider." Additionally, the horse is trained to develop endurance and stamina.
Horse Leading Methods
Horses are accustomed to being led from both sides, but it is usually required to lead from the left.
Leading the Horse Forward
When asking the horse to move forward, a well-trained horse will gladly walk beside you. If you face the horse’s head while leading, most horses will refuse to move forward.
If the horse hesitates, do not pull forcefully on the reins. You can use your other hand to hold a whip, gently tap the horse’s flank from behind, or have an assistant encourage the horse from the rear. You may also push the horse’s head outward and wait for its front legs to move before guiding it forward, or slowly lead it forward by lightly shaking the reins with your right hand. When leading a horse, the pace of the person and the horse should be synchronized to avoid the horse stepping on the person’s foot.
Mounting the Horse
Before mounting, ensure the girth is securely tightened to prevent the saddle from shifting, the stirrups are lowered, and the stirrup leathers are adjusted to an appropriate length. The saddle flaps should be flat. The mounting process begins from the standard position of standing and holding the horse. The rider stands on the left side of the horse, holding the reins with the left hand, and mounts from the horse’s left shoulder. There are generally three methods to mount: from the ground, with assistance, or using a mounting block. To learn accurate and quick mounting, practice the individual steps first.
Assisted Mounting: The rider stands on the left side of the horse, close to its body, facing the saddle. The left hand holds both reins and the whip, gripping the mane or the front pommel. The right hand grasps the right side of the rear pommel. The left knee is bent, and the leg is lifted backward. An assistant supports the rider’s lower leg with both hands. The rider pushes off the ground with the right foot, using the pulling force of the hands and the lifting force of the assistant to lift the right foot off the ground. The rider then uses the left leg to push up, straightens the right leg, and quickly swings it over the horse’s hindquarters, gently sitting in the saddle.
Mounting Using a Block: Lead the horse beside a mounting block and have it stand parallel to the block. The rider holds the reins with the left hand, gripping the mane or the front pommel, and rotates the stirrup clockwise with the right hand so that the outside of the stirrup faces them. The left foot is placed in the stirrup to mount.
Dismounting
Dismounting is usually done from the left side. The dismounting motion follows the reverse order of mounting until the rider returns to the standard standing position. There are two methods of dismounting: one without using the stirrups and one with the aid of the stirrups. Some do not recommend using the latter method regularly, as it requires an assistant to hold the horse; otherwise, the horse might move during dismounting, which can be unsafe.
Basic Riding Posture
The correct posture for a rider on a horse involves sitting on the lowest part of the saddle, supported by the two seat bones and the perineum. The upper body must remain upright, with the head held straight and eyes looking forward. The body’s center of gravity should be evenly distributed across the two seat bones. While maintaining an upright posture, the body should stay relaxed and not tense. The thighs and knees should naturally relax and rest against the saddle. The ball of the foot should rest on the stirrup iron, applying enough pressure to keep the stirrup in place. The sole of the foot should remain horizontal, with the ankle slightly bent and the heel slightly lower than the toes. From the side, the ear, shoulder, hip, and heel should form a straight vertical line with the ground.
The arms should hang naturally from the shoulder to the elbow. From the side, a straight line should extend from the rider’s elbow, through the hand and reins, to the horse’s mouth. Hand movements should be made primarily through the shoulder and elbow joints, while the wrist should remain flexible but not bent. The rider should adjust the height of their hands according to the movement of the horse’s head to maintain the straight line formed by the “elbow-hand-mouth.” The rider must always stay balanced and coordinated with the horse’s movements. This requires relaxed arms, as well as flexibility in the back, waist, and shoulders. The correct riding posture described above is the most fundamental. However, in different types of riding and disciplines, the rider’s upper body may make slight adjustments according to the horse’s movements, which will be introduced in the various gaits.
Beginners often adopt incorrect postures while riding, such as leaning to one side, sitting only on the seat bones, or sitting on the perineum. Special attention should be paid to avoiding these.
Practice-Style Reins Holding
This method involves holding the left rein with the left hand and the right rein with the right hand, also known as the practice-style reins hold. The reins are threaded between the little finger and ring finger, run upward through the palm, cross over the center of the hand, and emerge above the index finger, with the thumb pressing down on the reins. The excess ends of the reins hang down on the left side of the horse’s neck. Another method also involves holding the left rein with the left hand and the right rein with the right hand, similar to holding two single reins. However, the excess ends of the reins are passed through the other hand to form a loop, with the palm facing downward and the thumbs and index fingers forming a circle. This method is only used in flat racing and is therefore also called the racing-style reins hold.
Aids
Aids are the methods riders use to communicate instructions to the horse. The goal is to enable the horse to respond immediately with accuracy and speed whenever aids are given. In other words, the rider correctly manipulates the horse using their hands, legs, and posture, allowing the horse to perceive the rider’s intent and voluntarily obey commands. The horse should calmly and accurately respond to all aids without hesitation, demonstrating natural composure and coordination in both spirit and physical ability. This gives the impression that the horse is willingly performing the requested actions. The horse should fully obey the rider, remain confident and focused during straight-line movement, and maintain a perfectly straight body. During curved movements, the horse’s body should flex accordingly. There are two types of aids: natural aids and artificial aids. The former includes the rider’s hands, legs, posture, and voice, while the latter includes the whip and spurs.
Whip
The whip is used to supplement the leg aids and may also be used to discipline the horse, but it should never be used out of anger. If the horse does not respond to leg aids, repeat the leg aid while simultaneously using the whip to reinforce from behind the leg in question. In equestrianism, the whip is typically held in the inside hand because horses often do not respond well to inside leg aids. Therefore, when changing direction, the whip should be transferred to the inside hand. When the horse responds to the whip and moves forward, allow it to move so it understands the purpose of the whip.