#now THAT'S some choice horseposting baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[meirimerens]

hello meiri!!! i have a. perhaps odd favor to ask. i have Very little knowledge about horses, and i have reason to believe that you contain Vast amounts of knowledge about them.

im currently in the midst of writing a longform fic that includes horse riding as somewhat of a major element and, while i do plan to do my own research especially for the time period it takes place in, i was wondering if i could perhaps pick your brain as someone with personal experience. if you were to introduce someone, who has pretty much never interacted with horses in their life, to them, how would you go about it? and what would be your method for introducing that person to even just the fundamentals of riding?

if youd prefer answering this privately feel free, if you want to release your horse knowledge to the world thats also totally fine! if its also just. too big a topic or you dont get around to answering at all no worries at all. hope youre doing well !

THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT BABEYYYYY THAT'S THE KIND OF QUESTIONS I WANNA BE ASKED!!!!!

STAY RIGHT THERE I'LL TELL YOU!!!

Ok. so basically.

people who have never interacted with horses can be a little Scared of them because of their sizes and stature right. also because horses might do things that To Horse People is literally just how they function, but to people Not In The Know it can be scawy.

before anything i would tell/have the person Who Know tell the person Who Doesn't some very simple safety tips wrt horse behavior:

explain to them that horses are PREY ANIMALS and they will behave as such!! they are biologically hardwired to Be Scared, so Do Not do things that could scare them, such as: screaming, running, making loud noises, wild gesturing. have the person In The Know make sure the Unknowing doesn't go behind the horse's back: explain to them that horses cannot see right behind them, but have a very Wide field of vision, and if they Feel You behind but can't see you, they Can and Will kick, because they will register you as a predator, and they evolved to be able to Kick predators, so they might do that.

explain that horses communicate A Lot with their ears: tell the Person Who Doesn't Know to watch out for ears pinned back, which indicate discomfort or anger: that helps them decipher the horse' mood in a Very Needed and instant way, which can help them assess the situation and avoid tragedy, such as getting bit because the horse was showing discomfort & they didn't register it.

the person Who Doesn't Know might get scared of a horse's snort, which is literally just. a sigh, mostly, it mostly means the horse is chilling. explain that. if the horse whinnies very hard and there are horses somewhere else, have the Knowledgeable person explain that it's just trying to talk to its friends. the person Who Doesn't Know might get scared of a horse approaching and trying to nibble: have the Knowledgeable explain it's just cos it thinks you have treats for it, and all you need to do is tell it now / push its head away.

then, have the person who Doesn't Know interact with the horse. have the knowledgeable one ask them to make the horse sniff their hand -> helps the horse register Your Smell and check out that you're not a threat. have them then touch the horse: explain that,, just like You wouldn't like if strangers reached for your head first, horses don't like that either, so have them pet the horse on its shoulder or neck -> first contact is important.

to make the Person Who Doesn't Know get more comfortable, i 100% have them participate in the brushing of the horse + putting on the tack before riding. that way you get used to The Presence, see that horses are mostly placid/chilling, helps getting used to a horse's bodily cues (for example, some mares might pin their heads back and turn to you when you brush their flanks or stomach or put on the girth because they're sensitive, so having the Person Who Doesn't Know learn how to understand that and react [by keeping an eye on the horse is often enough to deter it, or learning to say "no"])

for riding, it all starts with getting them on the horse innit. legitimately To Me the "method for introducing that person to even just the fundamentals of riding" is to just Get Them on that horse.

have them maybe walk the horse to an area where they can use a little stool / out of the stable so they have room so they get comfortable having the horse next to them.

explain that you will most often (unless the situation calls for it) get on the horse from the left side, explain the history as of Why [ = in ancient warfare, having your sword on the left side made it so you always got on from the left side so as to not wound your horse, and since then it has become codified as such]. you'd likely re-tighten the girth here because horses kinda deflate while walking + some like to Puff Up when you tack them. explain how to get in: foot in the stirrup, you do a little bounce, you bring your other leg WELL ABOVE the rear of the horse and you sit in the saddle SLOWLY. once the Person Who Doesn't Know is on the horse, that's a lot of the hard stuff done. have the Person Who Knows adjust the length of the stirrups for the one who Doesn't so they're comfortable enough & hold out the stirrups for the other to tuck the feet in. explain that you need to keep your heels down and put weight in the stirrups, and if you're able to do that you're already well on your way to success. explain to the new rider that you need to sit straight and look up directly in front / where they want to go. a thing a New Rider will do is of course hold reins Incorrectly because they were never told, so have the Knowledgeable show them. if it's shippy fic, of Course you have the knowledgeable one hold the new rider's hands and move their fingies around to take the good hold. (if they're riding the european way, holding the reins will look like this for an absolute beginner). have the Knowledgeable one explain the reins need be not too long and not too short, enough for the horse to move. then explain how you turn (if shippy fic, by holding the hands into position. but even in not-shippy fic actually. if if it's shippy it can be More Interesting. this is how you turn btw just the small bit from 1:08 to 1:30. i've also learned to do it while also twisting the wrist out so the nails are towards the sky so to speak). give small instructions on how to go forward (press of the legs / SMALL kick of the heels against the flank) and to slow down (sit deeply and pull on the reins).

THAT'S A WALL OF TEXT LET ME BREAK IT DOWN ACTUALLY

have them bring the horse to a clear area

re-tighten the girth so the saddle won't fucking. slip on da side

explain why we mount on the left side (ye olde ancient warfare code bc you'd wear your sword on the left)

explain how you do it (foot in stirrup, bouncy, other leg above croup, sit down SLOWLY)

have em do it while holding the horse in place from the ground so it doesn't walk (some horses LOVE to just start walkin while you mount bc they know they're gonna walk anyways)

adjust stirrups & explain how to use them (heels down + weight in them)

explain how to hold the reins and how to use them for turning (if shippy -> good time to "omg we're holding hands" bc most people show that by moving the new rider's fingers around bc it's not like Intuitive)

explain how to go forward (press legs / SMALL kick in flank) and slow down or stop (sit deeply and pull on reins)

explain they can hold onto the pommel (the thingy) or a piece of mane for balance but ideally they would need to learn how to Not and only depend on their legs + seat [what you call basically The Weight Of Your Ass]

ok 👍 from there that's basically it.

ideally have them do that in a closed space so the horse doesn't like. book it to michigan. from there, Knowledgable Person can start moving -> if the horse is theirs, chances are it'll follow, and now you can start a whole array of "ok now try to turn the horse away from me. ok now try to turn the horse the other way. ok now try to stop. ok now you're gonna try to trot: hold onto the mane/pommel [holed part at the front of the english saddle], careful you're gonna bounce, keep your heels down and sit straight. ok if you're bouncing too much try to post the trot = sit then stand then sit then stand on the stirrups in rhythm with the trot, it's actually easier than sitting it for a beginner."

ideally, if the horse belongs to the Knowledgeable person / it was trained a bit, it will respond to voice commands, so you can go fast [even canter!] & you'll still be able to make the horse slow down on foot by telling it like "ooooh..." (descending)

you can also have the Knowledgeable person also on their own horse: since horses are gregarious by design & evolution, the new rider's horse will likely just follow the more knowledgeable rider's & do what it does: that way you can trot & it will follow, turn & it will follow, etc, that way the new rider doesn't have to worry about where to go but just learn to be stable, hold the mane, post the trot, etc.

from there All Is Let To Do is get the new rider stable enough on their legs / independent enough in using the reins & slowly down / going faster so they can eventually be stable posting the trot + have enough weight in their stirrups so they don't lose them so they can canter. cantering while up on your stirrups & holding a piece of the mane for balance i've found actually easier than sitting the canter because God Is Bouncy. then fuck it we ball

tldr the Fundamental of riding that you learn asap are:

HEELS DOWN. weight in your saddle and your stirrups. ankles as bouncy cushions.

SIT STRAIGHT. unless you are cantering up on the stirrups (in which case your are slightly forward) or wanting to slow down or stop (in which case you are slightly backward)

REINS ADJUSTED. not too long that you can't make your horse turn or slow down, but not too short that it can't move its head when it walks or canters.

LOOK WHERE YOU WANNA GO. if you're looking at the ground You Will Go To The Ground.

you want to be stable on your own feet but as a beginner you can grab the pommel or a piece of mane for balance, but you need to learn to go without.

hope you enjoyed 👍 everyone put horses in your fics and stories or feel my wrath