Horse Training Success

The worst horse-human combination possible is a green or young or unbroken horse and a beginner/novice rider.

The idea that the untrained horse and the new rider will 'grow together' is one of the most believed, but most dangerously wrong ideas that floats around in the horse world.

Let me break it down for you.

Green horses (horses with little training) have the least experience of humans, being ridden, and what they are expected to do. In contrast, an older, much handled, well trained horse has 'seen and done it all'. Which one is more likely to spook unexpectedly and which is likely to be the more predictable? Which one is ideal for learning to ride?

If you are still figuring out how to ride a trot and get your horse to slow down, the last thing you need thrown into the mix is a giant leap sideways and a buck or two. In short, a beginner rider is unlikely to be able to ride through something like this:

(YouTube Video of a horse freaking out and the rider doing a remarkable job of staying on. No further comment on the silly plastic bag nonsense that kicked it all off)



And to be quite frank, if you're not able to stay on like the person in that video, in my opinion you shouldn't be on a green horse. Until you're able to ride at walk, trot and canter WITHOUT stirrups, you probably don't have 'an independent seat'. In plain English that means that your balance on horseback isn't good enough (yet) to be able to not get hurt by a horse that freaks out.

While there are always exceptions to the rule, what I am trying to say is that the safest way to learn to ride is on a safe horse. Then when you can ride, move onto the greenies. I mean, why put yourself in harms way?