Learn how to ride well, even if your easy-to-ride gaited horse willingly carries you over all types of terrain. Good horsemanship leads to your control and comfort, and your horse’s long-term soundness. “This Tennessee Walking Horse/Spotted Saddle Horse is free to balance himself and travel smoothly over rocky terrain, because the rider is balanced and easy, and giving him his head,” says Jessica Jahiel.

You bought a gaited horse for a smooth ride down the trail. Now, you can just sit back and enjoy, right? Wrong! You still need to pay attention to how you ride. Good horsemanship enhances your on-trail control, saves your joints, and actually helps keep your gaited horse sound.

You’ve probably seen bad riders on the trails, and you’ve felt sorry for the horses. You’ve seen riders sitting on their pockets with their legs "on the dashboard" in front of them. Others lean forward, reaching for their stirrups with downward-pointing toes and straight legs, with no bend at the knee. You’ve seen unbalanced riders sitting heavily on one side of the saddle, and riders who have such a death-grip on the reins that they look as though they’re waterskiing.

But you’ve probably also seen good riders. On any trail, easy or hard, it’s pleasant to watch skilled riders on horses that look comfortable, easy, energetic, and cheerful. The difference always comes down to horsemanship and riding skills.

Gaited horses will typically try their hardest and do their best, even for riders who lack riding skills. But after a time, constant strain and incorrect riding can (and usually will) lead your gaited horse to injury or chronic unsoundnesses.

Many of these problems are preventable — not just by good care, good feeding, regular attention from your veterinarian and farrier — but by balanced, aware,

attentive, considerate riding.

Excuses, Excuses
The best way to improve your riding is to take lessons. But many riders with gaited horses will automatically start shaking their heads and backing away if anyone suggests lessons. You might recognize some of these "reasons":

• "There’s no point in taking lessons — my horse is gaited, nobody around here teaches how to ride a gaited horse, and ordinary lessons won’t help me."

• "Lessons? Why? Gaited horses are smooth and easy-riding! All you have to do is get on and go!"

• "I’m totally uninterested in show stuff. My Tennessee Walking Horse is my best friend, and we trail ride all the time. What could I possibly get from lessons?"

• "When I was a kid I had about four riding lessons. I hated them. Getting yelled at is not my idea of fun. I quit riding and didn’t start again until after college. I guess I could probably improve some, but I’m not going back to getting yelled at, so forget it."

• "My horse is great. He’s so sweet and tons of fun as long as he stays in gait. I’d take a lesson if somebody could show me how to keep him in gait."

None of these "reasons" make good sense; all of them stem from three causes: Misunderstandings, wrong assumptions, and memories of bad experiences. For the sake of your wonderful gaited trail horse, it’s time to clear up the misunderstandings, eliminate the wrong assumptions, and get past those unpleasant early experiences.

Riding-Skill Benefits
Good trail riders never forget that their horses are their living, breathing, feeling partners, and that’s exactly why good trail riders value good riding skills.

Improving your riding skills will result in a huge payoff. First, all of your usual trail rides will be safer and more enjoyable for your horse and yourself. Second, you and your horse will be able to enjoy longer, more difficult rides over more challenging terrain. Third, the improvements in your abilities and awareness will help you keep your horse sound and healthy, and that will help both of you to enjoy trails together for many years to come.

All horses deserve to have balanced, skillful, considerate riders. Gaited horses are no exception. Some gaited-horse owners use the smooth, easy gaits of their horses as an excuse to skip the whole process of learning to ride and improving their skills. That’s a big mistake.

If your attitude is "just get on and go," your horse will tend to be confused and uncomfortable. He’ll have trouble maintaining his gaits while carrying a bouncing, sagging, unevenly balanced load.

Even if nobody in your area teaches how to ride gaited horses, you can still benefit from lessons. You’ll learn how to achieve a basic, balanced seat and quiet, effective aids. A good instructor will give you a good foundation. Everything you learn about balance, communication, and control will be useful to you forever.

Lessons can help you improve your riding skills, beginning with basic balance, breathing, coordination, and staying out of your horse’s way. All these skills will improve your comfort, your horse’s comfort, and your control of your horse.

Lessons should help you improve your riding and understanding; they don’t necessarily have anything at all to do with "show stuff." The famous white stallions of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria, are ridden in demonstrations and performances but never compete. Their riders work their whole lives to improve their riding. They develop exceptionally strong partnerships and superb horse-rider communication. The horses typically go on performing into their late 20s and beyond.

Trail riding offers a huge amount of scope for learning and improving, and it can be just as challenging and demanding as you want it to be. Riding for pleasure is a good thing. Why else does anyone ride, really? If we don’t find pleasure in our riding, something is very wrong. And —this is the part riders sometimes forget — if our horses don’t find pleasure in being ridden, something is very wrong.

Trail riding offers a huge amount of scope for learning and improving, and it can be just as challenging and demanding as you want it to be. Here, Kent Krone exhibits good form aboard his Missouri Fox Trotter gelding, Buddy.

Essential Riding Skills
The most essential skill for you to learn, as a trail rider, is balance; good balance will make it easy for your horse to carry you over hill and dale. Even on a smooth-gaited horse, this requires an independent seat — that is, the ability to stay upright and balanced without needing to grip with your legs. With an independent seat, you’ll be able to relax and use your legs to give light, clear signals to your horse.

When you and your horse are comfortable and communicating well, and you feel that you’re in control, the ride becomes more pleasant for both of you. It also leaves you free to enjoy the scenery and conversation with your riding buddies.

Now, here are three common balancing problems, why they matter, how to fix each one, and a related expert tip.

The problem: You’re unbalanced on your horse’s back, leaning too far forward or too far back, or putting much more weight on the right side or the left.

Why it matters: Poor rider balance makes your horse work much harder and changes the way the saddle pressure affects him. In the short term, this can make him sore and tired after even a short ride; in the long term, it can warp your saddle tree and damage your horse’s spine.

How to fix it: Learn to sit upright and in balance with your shoulders, hips, and heels in alignment, and a slight bend in your knees. Even a few lessons can help you learn a balanced position; then you can practice on your own. Until correctness becomes automatic, monitor yourself by taking an inventory of your body parts. Start at the bottom with your heels, and ask yourself: Are my heels level? Are my knees level? Are my hips level? Are my shoulders level? Are my ears level? Make any necessary corrections.

Expert tip: Begin by making sure that your stirrups are even, not just in the same hole on both sides. Stirrup leathers can stretch over time, so measure and compare.

The problem: You occasionally hold on by gripping with your legs.

Why it matters: This kind of gripping will exhaust you very quickly; nobody can sustain this kind of grip for very long. It also confuses and frustrates your horse, because he’s getting constant signals to go forward, but they don’t actually mean anything. You’ll often end up overusing the bit, because when your horse responds to your leg pressure by speeding up, you’ll tend to pull the reins to slow him down.

How to fix it: Teach yourself to let your legs hang naturally, resting gently against your horse’s sides, knees bent, and heels lower than toes. You won’t exhaust yourself or confuse your horse, and you’ll be able to use your legs independently, one at a time or both together, to ask for a step over, a turn, a bend, a longer stride or a change of gait.

One good way to develop an independent seat is to take longe-line lessons. If you’re lucky enough to have access to a good dressage instructor with a longe horse, arrange to take a few lessons. You won’t have to trot if you don’t want to — ask to perform exercises at the walk only. Your new, improved balance and posture will help you when you ride your own horse.

Expert tip: If your legs "just won’t" rest quietly against your horse’s sides, check your tack. Quite often, overactive, "grippy" legs are just a rider’s natural reaction to insecurity caused by stirrups that are adjusted too high or too low, or that are easy to lose and hard to retrieve. If you drop a stirrup, you should be able to pick it up again just by lifting your toes a little higher. If you also have to twist your ankles and/or your knees, then your stirrups are the problem.

To keep your stirrups hanging perpendicular to your horse’s sides, use a Stirrup Straight (available from Valley Vet Supply, 800/419-9524; www.valleyvet.com) on a Western saddle or MDC Intelligent Stirrups (from MDC Corp., 831/393-0588; www.mdccorporation.us) on an English saddle. This simple equipment change can restore your comfort, improve your balance, reduce your muscle tension, and eliminate unnecessary, painful joint strain.

The problem: Your gaited horse doesn’t stay in gait; his walk becomes uneven or pacey, or his trot becomes broken or pacey, or his trail gaits, such as running walk or fox trot, become erratic, uneven, and difficult to ride.

Why it matters: Good gaits are smooth and comfortable for both horse and rider; unsteadiness and unreliable gaiting don’t just make you uncomfortable, they’re signs that your horse is already uncomfortable, too.

How to fix it: Learn your horse’s best speed at each of his gaits, and keep him at that speed. If you need a real change of speed, change gaits. Like driving a car or truck with a manual transmission, you want to be able to change gears at the right moment instead of under- or over-driving a single gear.

Expert tip: When you’re first figuring out your horse’s best speed at each gait, carry a small, inexpensive metronome that gives a soft click or tone at each stride. Determine, then memorize, your horse’s "best speeds." You’ll then understand just how and when to adjust your "gears" to keep him in gait, and you’ll be able to leave the metronome at home.