Longeing
If you've worked regularly, preferably daily, with your horse in and around the barn (and not just let him wander like a mustang around the field ever since you owned him), your first step toward riding is to teach him to longe. Again, if you've never learned how to properly longe horses (as opposed to just chasing them around a circle at the end of a long lead rope), you should take lessons with someone who can demonstrate the technique of giving aids (commands) from the ground in a way that the horse can understand and that will translate to him when you sit on his back.
Your goals in longeing are to reinforce to the horse the necessity of obeying your aids and to teach him to go forward (that means using his hindquarters and back to develop strength and a forward-thinking attitude) in a calm, confident manner.
Start on a small circle (5 to 8 meters) at the walk so that you can easily control him. Then expand the circle to about 20 meters as the horse becomes more attuned to your aids to trot and then canter. We start longeing young horses in an enclosed ring or round pen so they can't get away if they spook.
Once they're longeing in a relaxed manner, it's time to introduce them to the saddle. Start this process in a stall, after longeing, for a few days. And when you start longeing them with the saddle, either take the stirrups off or make sure they're secured to the saddle and not flapping. After a few sessions, put the stirrups down and let them flap to accustom the horse to movement on his back. For flightier types this can be a big deal, but most horses, if you've proceeded quietly and confidently to this point, just accept the flapping stirrups as the next step in their education.
Ponying
Another one of our favorite things to do with young horses is to pony them around the property or on trails off a reliable older horse. This exercise increases the young horse's fitness and strength in a low-stress manner and introduces him to new situations and obstacles in a quiet, confidence-building way, while providing a break from longeing.
But ponying requires an extremely well-behaved horse who will be tolerant of a youngster spooking, crowding and biting him. And it requires a rider of significant skill and experience to manage two horses in a safe and educational manner.
You can begin to accustom them to the bridle (using a rubber "D"-ring, hollow-mouthed loose ring or soft plastic bit) at this point. It's usually best to introduce the bridle for the first time after you've longed them, when they're more relaxed and a bit tired. Some people like to put an old bridle on them in the stall for a couple of hours each day, and that's a good idea for horses who are fussy about their mouths. (Use an old, leather bridle so you won't care if it gets ruined and so that it will break if they catch it on something.)
Once they're going quietly at all three gaits, on a regular circle, in both directions, you can start to longe them with both the bridle and saddle. Keep the sessions short (maximum of 10 minutes) for the first several days because young horses have short attention spans and will likely become naughty when they get tired. And it's best not to longe them every day-let them absorb what they've learned and not get bored.
You have four longeing options once you've put the bridle on them: You can place a longeing cavesson over the bridle, you can pass the clip through the inside bit ring and over their head to attach to the other ring (remember to reverse the longe line when you change direction), you can clip the longe line to the inside bit ring or you can use a bit attachment. This is a matter of preference and of the horse's temperament.
Once they're confidently accepting your directions on the longe line, we like to start longeing them in either elasticized or sliding sidereins or in a chambon, adjusted loosely at first and attached to either the girth or to a longeing surcingle.
These artificial aids have two primary purposes. First, they accustom the horse to rein contract and start him associating rein contact with your aids. Second, they begin to develop youngsters physically by encouraging them to stretch their necks, raise their backs, and bring their hindquarters underneath them-useful in pretty much every discipline.
Now comes the question of how much do you want to or need to teach them before you sit on their backs. Your mandatory goal is to teach them to obey voice commands and the whip, and the way you do this is by frequently asking them to make transitions. Tell them to "w-A-l-k," to crisply "trot!" to "trot ON," to steadily "can-TER," and to "stea-dy" within gaits, and keep doing it until you get immediate or at least quick responses. Don't be afraid to cast your whip to send them forward or to hold it in front of them to slow them down, and point it at their shoulder to keep them out on the circle (often the toughest lesson to learn).
How long should you longe them before you take the big step of sitting on them? It depends largely on the horse, but you should be prepared to spend a minimum of three weeks to develop enough fitness to hold you on his back. There's no need to hurry.
Remember, the aids you've introduced on the ground should carry over when you ride. You'll initially use voice commands to teach them your leg, seat and rein aids.
