• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
I Heart Horses
  • Care
  • News
  • Fun
  • Heartwarming
  • Videos
  • Rescue
  • Horse Fun
  • Tips For Riders
  • Fun Facts
  • Stories
  • Contact Us
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Care
  • News
  • Fun
  • Heartwarming
  • Videos
  • Rescue
  • Horse Fun
  • Tips For Riders
  • Fun Facts
  • Stories
  • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Care
    • News
    • Fun
    • Heartwarming
    • Videos
    • Rescue
    • Horse Fun
    • Tips For Riders
    • Fun Facts
    • Stories
    • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Horse Care

    7 Characteristics That Great Horseback Riders Have

    Modified: Jun 4, 2020 by ihearthorses · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    Have you ever noticed that great riders seem to share many of the same characteristics? If you're looking for horseback riding tips, it might be beneficial to take a look at what great horseback riders do. You're sure to find these seven characteristics in any great horseback rider.

    Young people on a horse training in a wooden arena horseback riding tips

    1. Determination

    You’ll never get anywhere without determination, and determination is super important in a sport as difficult as horseback riding. Whether it’s getting a horse through a difficult combination fence or simply learning to post for the first time, any great rider possesses a healthy dose of determination.

    young man on horseback farm animal with blue sky in background

    2. Persistence

    Right alongside determination comes persistence. Horseback riding is an art learned through repetition, and being persistent enough to try the same thing again and again and again is necessary if you want to become a great rider. Even when things go wrong, a great rider is persistent enough to continue working until things go right.

    3. Patience

    Great riders are masters of patience. When you’re working with a twelve-hundred-pound animal, patience is important to make sure that you stay safe. Horses have minds of their own, so great riders are patient enough to work with independently thinking horses. With enough patience, your horse will become your partner, and the bond between the two of you will be unbreakable.

    horseback riding tips

    4. Confidence

    A great horseback rider is someone who truly believes in themselves, as well as in their horse. Any great rider needs a good deal of confidence to ride, train, and compete with their horse. Entering a show ring can be a sobering experience, and even just climbing into the saddle can be enough to make people nervous. If you’re not confident, things are sure to go wrong.

    5. Creativity

    One often overlooked characteristic that great riders possess is creativity. Horses are smart animals, and when you’re riding or training them, sometimes you need to be able to outthink them. From coming up with dressage freestyles to deciding on the best line from one fence to another, riders are constantly putting their creativity to work.

    Side view portrait of brown horse and female jockey jumping over barrier at racetrack

    6. Passion

    You won’t meet a more passionate group than a group of horseback riders. Passion runs high in the horse world – why else would we work so hard and spend so much money learning a sport that involves these incredible creatures? Without true passion for horses, the sport wouldn’t be worth the time and effort we put into it.

    Portrait of a happy female jockey stroking a horse horseback tips

    7. Courage

    Lastly, any great rider needs to be courageous. The very act of trusting our safety to an animal as large and as powerful as the horse requires initial courage. We trust the horse to carry us over ditches and banks at high speed, and to race around barrels or to gallop after cattle. No rider would ever become great without first being courageous.

    What other characteristics do great horseback riders have? Let us know in the comments below! 

    Horse Courses by Elaine Heney

    • Listening to the Horse - The Documentary by Elaine Heney & Grey Pony Films
    • Shoulder In & Out Training for better balance, bend & topline development with your horse
    • Over 110+ Polework Exercises & Challenges to Download
    • Dancing at Liberty & Creating Connection with Your Horse (11 lessons) - Grey Pony Films
     

    More Horse Care

    • Pros and Cons of Braiding Your Horse's Mane or Tail
    • lone brown horse at barn door
      10 Items Every Horse Owner Needs in Their Barn First Aid Kit
    • 6 Important Things The Horse Care Books Don't Tell You
    • White horse lounging on grass
      10 Common Reasons You Have a Tired Horse and What to Do

    Sharing is caring!

    4.3K shares
    • Share4.1K
    • Tweet

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Miriam Lane

      February 02, 2022 at 11:16 am

      had been watching hrseshows for years before i ever rode in one. Cannot believe how nervous I waas the first time I entered the ring at a trot in an english pleasure class lol

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    Search

    Recent Posts

    • 17 Gorgeous Equestrian Outfit Ideas for Women
    • 15 Fantastic Pictures of Horse's Jumping to Make You Smile
    • Pros and Cons of Braiding Your Horse's Mane or Tail
    • 10 Things to Do with Your Horse That Aren't Riding
    • 30 Stunning Pictures of White Horses You Must See

    Categories

    Follow Us

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube

    iHeartHorses.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 · iHeartHorses Inc.

    4.3K shares
    • 4.1K

    Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy