5 Rules of Horsemanship (June E-News)

Photo by Nicole King

'5 Rules' of Horsemanship

Over the past ten years of teaching riders, I have come to develop a simple set of rules that I feel are necessary to follow in our pursuit of horsemanship. I have listed them for you here. Learn them. Practice them. Commit them to memory. Once you understand them, you will catch yourself violating a rule and are more likely to get back on track quickly.

You may even decide to post these rules in your tack , on a stall door, or around your arena to keep yourself in check.

Rule # 1 - THINK

When asked to autograph a book, Ray Hunt would often sign his name and leave a simple, yet earth shaking message: THINK. This is a hard rule for many riders to follow. THINK about what you want to accomplish. THINK about how you are asking things of you horse. THINK about what you need to do. THINK about what foot you want to do what task..... the list could go on forever, but always the same: THINK.

Rule # 2 - FOCUS

FOCUS is an important factor. Your FOCUS when you are riding will affect your posture, weight, and balance. FOCUS on where you're heading if you're riding. FOCUS on the task at hand. FOCUS on where you want to head with your personal progression as a horseman as well as your horse's development.

Rule # 3 - PLAN

It is said that if you fail to plan you plan to fail. This holds true when you are riding. Many times I ask riders, "Where are you going?" and get a quizzical look in response. "What will you do next? And then next after that?" I'm not suggesting that you PLAN your entire ride, but PLANNING the next few moves would sure be helpful. It is rare to find a rider with even a three step PLAN. You must PLAN what you are going to ask before you ask it. Without having a PLAN, we are relying on reaction alone, instead of action.

Rule # 4 - ADJUST

Things don't always go as planned, considering you are working with a living, breathing, decision making individual - the horse. You need to ADJUST your plan as you go along to fit the situation as it may change. I'm certainly not saying that a rider needs to be 'wishy-washy' with their requests. I am saying that you may need to ADJUST how you get to what you are asking of your horse. Your horse may spook, or brace, or have other ideas of his own... You will find yourself needing to take care of some of these other things as they come up, so you make ADJUSTMENTS to your plan.

Rule # 5 - BREATHE

I know you are reading and thinking, "Goodness, breathing is natural. I don't need reminded to do that!" You may be surprised how often riders fail to BREATHE regularly when they are riding. Holding your breath causes tension in your body which translates to your horse. BREATHING is as natural as THINKING, but the two are both large challenges when we throw a horse into the mix.

Follow these rules and you'll find yourself achieving more in a couple months with your horse than your friends might accomplish in a year.

Stay safe and enjoy the journey!

Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.

~Julie Andrews, actress