If you don't know how to ride a horse yet I don't suggest getting up onto one just like that. To be able to ride well you need to start to get to know horses from the ground as it were because in riding it's not just a matter of riding but there are also some telepathic skills that are needed if you want to be good at it.

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So I would suggest to first learn how to groom it, stroke it, talk to it, take it out for grass and get familiar with the animal. See how it reacts to things and try to understand it and most importantly try and get a good and trusting relationship between you and the horse. Once you achieve this you are already half way there because you will always be safer on a horse that has begun to trust you and which has a relationship with you. This will mean that he will try and take care of you and try to be on his best behaviour because he likes and respects you.

Horses have their characters just like people and just like a student will respond better to a kind and sympathetic teacher rather than one that is really not that devoted to his profession so goes the same for horses.

Once you have achieved a good interaction between you and your horse then it is now time for you to get up on him and to hire a teacher to take you through your first paces which will be to learn how to walk which is probably the most important pace as it is here that you have to learn how to move your body with his rather than just to sit on him like a sack of potatoes. The way you move with him can make all the difference as you can help him rather than hinder him by tuning into his gait and moving with it and if you do this he will feel that he is carrying only half your weight instead of all of it and this will help him no end to perform well.

A very good way of doing this is to go into a dressage arena with a riding instructor having you and your horse on a lunging rope and for you to close your eyes while you walk round. With your eyes closed you can concentrate more on both the movement of your horse and your movements and try to get the two to move in harmony. As they say, when you take away one sense (such as eyesight in this case) the other senses work better for you.

Once you have mastered how to walk well with your horse, how to turn him and how to stop him gently then you will be ready to go on to the trot, canter and eventually gallop. Always remember to keep the contact of the reins between your hands and the mouth of the horse as light as you can as the lighter your hands are the happier the horse will be. It should really be a sort of give and take. When you pull slightly (squeezing your legs round him and sitting back at the same time) to slow him down and he obeys is when you should immediately soften the pull as that way he will get the idea that when he obeys he no longer gets pulled at the mouth.

Horses are much stronger than any of us and if they really wanted to they could cart us all over the countryside in a non stop gallop but the reason that they don't do this is because they are very noble animals (after all how many animals can you think of in the world that will let a human being get up onto their backs and let themselves be controlled completely). Most horses are really fantastic and so noble that they are used to give confidence and fun to children with problems just like dolphins are used, but as said before they all have their own charcters just like humans and just as among us humans there are murderers and mad people so goes the same for horses. So make sure that when you choose your horse you not only choose one that has a clean bill of health but also one that has a good and kind character.

Once you get riding you will find that it is such a lovely experience and at the same time one that will take you away from all your every day problems and give you a well earned break from any stress that you have. When you are on a horse all you can think about is his movement while taking in all the lovely nature that you are walking through.

I had my own horse for over 18 years and we got to a point of having so much telepathy betwen us that when we were going out for a ride and I thought to myself 'let's take the right turn today and go down that path' my horse had already turned before I had even given him any aids (instructions). This is a fantastic feeling and one that proves that you are really united with your horse. Look after him and give him a lot of love and he will return double the amount to you.