In some cases horse ownership requires no riding skills whatsoever eg. the adult owner of a miniature horse isn't going to be riding that horse but they will require handling skills. So for this post we are going to assume that you want a horse or pony of your own to ride, outside of riding lessons, unsupervised. So you will need to be able to:
- Mount and dismount without assistance.
- Have the ability to safely adjust stirrups, girth and reins when mounted.
- Walk, trot and canter in a school and in an open field.
- Be able to maintain a secure position that is independant of the reins when riding both with stirrups and without stirrups.
- Be able to ride safely and in harmony with the horse and in conjuction with others.
- Have experience of hacking out on roads and tracks in large and small groups.
- Know the Highway Code.
- Jump a small course of show jumps.
