Do you think horseback riding is easy? Well, you are wrong. Horseback riding is one of the most challenging sports in the world today.
As you know, a horse has the instinct to run away when afraid. When he becomes puzzled, he becomes afraid. When your silent communication is confusing, he does not ask you to repeat what you have said. Instead, he runs forward, he jumps to the side, he kicks out, or he freezes in place. Most of the time, however, you won't know your communication is confusing until it is too late. When he runs forward, you will fall back. When he jumps to side, you will fall the other way. When he kicks out or freezes in place, you will fly over his head.
If you want to be good at horseback riding, you must practice. Being ridden does not come naturally to horses. They have to be trained. For example, to ask them to go forward, you usually tap them with your heels. But, if you get on untrained horses, they won't know that a tap means go. Instead, they will most likely run around like a wild animal out of fear.
Contrary to popular belief, horseback riding does take skill. If you believe horseback riding doesn't take skill, you most likely have only ridden at a farm that provides a well-trained horse. To me, that is not actual riding. And although it may seem easy to you, you were not the person to teach that horse that a saddle is not frightening. You were not the person to fall off that same horse at the beginning of his training. When horses are first taught to be ridden, all they do is run, kick out, and rear, which is the act of standing on their back legs only.
