New Rider Checklist

The Foundations Every Rider Should Learn

1. 🐴 Before You Get On

☐ Approach the horse calmly

☐ Safely halter and lead the horse

☐ Understand basic personal space around a horse☐ Groom safely

☐ Pick up and handle the horse's feet with supervision

☐ Understand how to safely saddle and bridle

☐ Check girth/cinch before mounting

☐ Know where to stand when mounting

☐ Check that reins, stirrups, and tack are correctly adjusted

2. Your Position in the Saddle

☐ Head & Eyes

Look where you're going—not down at the horse's head.

☐ Shoulders

Relaxed and open, not rounded forward.

☐ Back

Tall and neutral rather than stiff or leaning.

☐ Hips

Centered in the saddle and following the horse's movement.

☐ Legs

Long and relaxed, with your weight dropping through your heels.

☐ Knees

Not gripping tightly.

☐ Feet

Centered in the stirrup with the heel lower than the toe without forcing it down.

☐ Hands

Quiet, carried in front of you, with a soft connection to the horse's mouth.

Am I balanced, or am I using the horse to balance myself?

3. Your Hands: What Are You Actually Asking?

☐ Hold the reins consistently

Your hands should have a steady relationship with the horse's mouth rather than constantly moving backward and forward.

☐ Don't use the reins for balance

If you feel yourself pulling on the reins to keep yourself in the saddle, stop and reset your position.

☐ Understand the difference between contact and pulling

The reins are a communication tool, not a handle.

☐ Learn what your rein aids mean

Depending on your riding system and instructor, rein position can influence:

• Straightness

• Direction

• Bending

• Turning

• Stopping/slowdown

• Positioning the horse's shoulders

4. “Whoa” vs. “Go”

☐ Go

Your leg is primarily asking the horse to move forward.

Think:

Leg → forward

But there's an important distinction:

More kicking doesn't necessarily mean more forward.

The goal is for the horse to learn that a light leg cue means “go,” rather than requiring increasingly harder kicks.

☐ Whoa

Stopping isn't simply:

Pull → stop.

Ideally, you're combining your seat, body, and reins.

Think:

Sit deeper + stop following with your seat + close your fingers on the reins → slow/stop.

The reins reinforce the request rather than being the only thing stopping the horse.

That gives new riders a really useful concept:

Your seat tells the horse what you're doing. Your hands and legs help communicate how you want him to do it.

5. Your Legs Are More Than “Go”

New riders should learn that where and how they apply leg pressure matters.

☐ Leg at the girth/cinch

Generally asks the horse to move forward or maintain impulsion.

☐ Leg slightly behind the girth

Can be used to influence the horse's hindquarters or ask for lateral movement, depending on the specific exercise and riding system.

☐ Both legs

Can ask for forward movement, impulsion, or—in combination with other aids—different responses.

☐ One leg

Can communicate that you want the horse to move away from that leg, helping with turns and lateral movements.

And then:

☐ Learn the difference between pressure and release

This is critical.

The goal isn't to squeeze the horse continuously.

You ask → the horse responds → you release.

That release is part of the communication.

Think of your leg like knocking on a door. You don't keep knocking forever after someone opens it.

6. Learn to Feel What the Horse Is Doing

Eventually, a rider needs to stop thinking only about what they're doing to the horse and start paying attention to what the horse is telling them.

☐ Can you feel when the horse is walking rhythmically?

☐ Can you tell when the horse is speeding up?

☐ Can you feel when he's slowing down?

☐ Can you recognize tension?

☐ Can you tell when he's distracted?

☐ Can you feel when he's falling onto one shoulder?

☐ Can you recognize when your own body position is affecting the horse?

☐ Can you tell the difference between a horse ignoring an aid and a horse not understanding the aid?

That's the beginning of riding with feel.

7. Learn Your Basic Aids

What I want	What I use
Go forward	Leg + seat
Slow down	Seat + body + rein
Stop	Seat + rein
Turn	Inside rein + outside rein + leg
Maintain straightness	Both reins + both legs
Move away from leg	Leg + appropriate rein support
Bend	Inside leg + appropriate rein support
Back up	Seat + rein + appropriate leg/position

These are starting points, not formulas. Your instructor may teach specific aids differently depending on your discipline, horse, and riding system.

8. Rider Safety

☐ Helmet every ride

☐ Properly fitted footwear

☐ Know how to adjust stirrups

☐ Know how to safely mount and dismount

☐ Know what to do if the horse spooks

☐ Know what to do if you lose a stirrup

☐ Know what to do if you lose a rein

☐ Know how to stop your horse

☐ Know how to safely handle an unexpected situation

☐ Never be afraid to ask your instructor for help

☐ Know when you're in over your head.

That's not weakness.

That's horsemanship.

9. Progression: What Should I Learn Next?

🟢 FOUNDATION

☐ Safe handling

☐ Mount/dismount

☐ Balanced position

☐ Walk

☐ Stop

☐ Steering

☐ Basic rein/leg aids

🟡 DEVELOPING

☐ Independent hands

☐ Independent legs

☐ Posting trot

☐ Sitting trot

☐ Transitions

☐ Circles

☐ Serpentines

☐ Correct diagonals

☐ Basic bending

☐ Control at trot

🔵 CONFIDENT RIDER

☐ Canter

☐ Emergency stop

☐ Riding independently

☐ Pole work

☐ Trail riding

☐ Riding around distractions

☐ Recognizing horse behavior

☐ Adjusting aids based on the horse's response

⭐ HORSEMANSHIP

☐ I can feel when my horse is tense

☐ I can recognize when my horse doesn't understand me

☐ I can adjust my aids instead of simply using more pressure

☐ I understand that different horses may require different communication

☐ I can tell when something doesn't feel right

☐ I understand that being a good rider isn't about making the horse do something—it is about communicating clearly enough that the horse understands what I'm asking.