As a novice rider one of the prim responses you have to instill into your horse is that of it spontaneously moving straight ahead on receipt of your cue. You may have heard loose talk from folk who brag about how they move their horses along with a kick or a cut with a riding crop, but most horses will make a response to cues that are much more subtle. The typical horse is normally ardent on exploring new territory, and this suggests that he wants little prodding to get moving. The go forward cue is one of the simplest to teach.

You can’t teach your horse to spontaneously move forward without first having a correct seat. Your posture should be erect and tall; your legs should very nearly cuddle the horse’s body. If you’re seated the correct way, your heels will be down and your toes up a little. Depending on whatever riding style you have adopted, the reins should be in 1 or both of your hands. You must hold the reins with just enough tension to exert no force in the slightest on the bit but be in a position to immediately control or stop the horse as required. Once you are seated right with the reins held correctly, it’s time to go forward. You exert gentle pressure with the calves and utter sounds moderately like clucks or vocal kisses to cue the horse to move forward. If he doesn’t respond, gently tap with your heels on the horse’s ribs, while maintaining pressure with the calves. If you have squeezed too tight, or if you kick harder than necessary, the take off might be quicker than you were expecting; just relax and pull back on the reins softly but firmly, calling out ‘steady, steady’ to the horse. AVOID jerking back forcefully on the reins.

If you’d like to stop a moving pony, give a verbal whoa or stop command and pull on the reins extremely gently but firmly. Remember not to squeeze with the legs, as that would essentially be telling the pony to keep going forward. Relax the legs. Release pressure right away when the pony stops, give him a quick neck rub and completely free the reins to release the bit from any pressure. You would back up by getting the pony to stop with a ‘whoa’ and then maintaining pressure, squeezing his sides gently with your calves. As fast as your pony begins to move release all pressure so he knows he is doing right. If he stops put pressure again on both the bit and his sides.

You turn the pony by pulling softly on the rein on the side you want him to turn. You gently move your inside leg slightly back and apply a little pressure.

When you have perfected turning, beginning and stopping at walks you’ll be able to progress to faster gaits all the way up to canters. A great idea isn’t to permit the horse to move at a pace that seems to be too swiftly or that makes you uncomfortable.

Horses are Heather Tomspassion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers go here