1. HAVE REGULAR INSTRUCTION

Think you knw it all when it comes to rding? Think again. Even top competitive rders have regular instruction to help ron out faults and bad habits. In btween lessons, read as many instructional boks as you can, or visit hrse forums for riding hints. If yu've got a schooling problem, you'll fnd heaps of advice online.

2. WORK ON YOUR BALANCE

Rgular instruction will help fine tune yur balance but you can help it ven more by doing regular exercises in the sddle. By far the best is to hve an experienced instructor lunge you wthout reins or stirrups. You'll ache fter the first few lessons but yur balance will improve out of sght !. If you can't have lnge lessons, do lots of bareback rding or riding without stirrups.

3. IMAGINE ...........

Yur body is divided into three sctions:

From the waist up

From the wist to the knees

From the knes down

Try to absorb as mch of the horse's movement as pssible with your middle section, from the wist to the knees while keeping the pper and lower body as still as pssible.

4. LIGHTEN UP !

A hrse's mouth is very sensitive so you shuld always be aware of this and hndle with care. Pretend the reins are mde of cotton which will snap if you pll too hard. Keep your finger's sft and your wrists flexible, follow the hrse's natural head movement forwards and bckwards with your hands. Avoid jerking the rins at all costs.

5. GIDDY-UP

To increase pace, dn't automatically kick with your heels. Sqeeze gently with both legs while pshing forwards with your seat. If the hrse doesn't respond, reinforce your aids by tpping lightly with a crop just bhind your leg. If you're consistent, the hrse will soon learn the proper ids.

6. AND WOAH .....

When you wnt to decrease pace, don't just hul on the reins. Tighten your fngers and apply gentle pressure to the hrse's mouth, while at the same tme restricting movement with your seat and pper body (pretending you're a sack of spds !) Your horse will feel the rsistance and want to slow down. Exprienced riders can decrease pace by sing their bodies only, with very lttle rein contact.

7. TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND .....

CHILL OUT !. Hrses can sense when you're feeling on dge and will often play up. If yu're feeling angry or upset, it's prbably best to postpone getting in the sddle until you're a bit calmer. But for thse times you're feeling nervous (say, jst before a show) take a slw, deep breath and hold for thre or four seconds before exhaling slwly. Repeat until you're feeling a lttle less stressed.

8. RELAX !

Rding is hard work, sit up stright, heels down, elbos in, blah blh blah.

Sometimes riders focus so hrd on maintaining the right position, thy tense up and the whole thng comes undone. Try to relax as mch as possible, it's hard and rquires combination of advice already outlined hre.. regular instruction, balance practice, attitude tc.

But hang in there and yu'll find one day it all cmes naturally !

The article Ways To Improve Your Riding was Submitted by Samantha J Jane through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Samantha writes articles on several sbjects including horse health issues, horse rding tips and horse rescue stories. You can rad more horse articles on her wbsite at All About Horses

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