Saddle Training a Horse

Saddle training has come a long way from the days where "breaking" horses was the norm. Gentle, effective methods leave the horse emotionally intact and the rider physically intact. Saddle training a young or green horse can be an immensely rewarding challenge but is not for the beginning horse person. If you have never saddle trained a horse, it is highly recommended that you hire a professional trainer that can work with you and advise you through the process. The training will go more smoothly, you and your horse will learn more quickly, and supervision will provide safety. There are also several excellent reference books written by expert trainers on the topic of starting a green horse. One that I recommend is "Making not Breaking:The First Year Under Saddle" by Cherry Hill. It is an in depth, but easily read, guide to early training that that is nicely illustrated and is cross-discipline, providing the horse with basics for either English or Western riding. In the steps below, I provide a basic overview of the saddle training process. However, a professional will have their own detailed methods and, more importantly, will adapt to the individual needs of the horse.

Equipment and Location Requirements

halter or lungeing cavesson

two lunge ropes or one lunge line and two driving lines

lunge whip

driving whip

bridle

saddle pad

saddle (English or Western)

a short length of rope for securing stirrups

sturdy mounting block

fenced arena with good footing (preferably indoors)

* Hire a professional trainer to help you if you have never saddle trained a horse before.

Before you start saddle training, the horse should already know how to lead well, how to back away from you, move away from pressure, know the cues for different gates such as walk, trot, and canter, and perform them in a balanced manner on the lungeline in a halter or cavesson. He should also have been slowly taught to accept the bit and wear the bridle.