In the horse riding world, your success is determined by how well you can control, understand, and harmonize with a 1,000+ pound animal that has superior strength, is faster, and has a better-developed nervous system than you. The way you overcome these strengths in a horse is to understand what the horse’s limitations are.

I can only assume that you are serious about horseback riding and want to start out the right way. You’ll hear me throughout this book talk about safety, safety, safety! You can never be too safe while being around these huge animals! We’ll discuss the safety issue in depth at different points in the book.

I know you must have lots of questions - that’s why have I prepared this book: to help anyone of any age to learn all the basics of horseback riding prior to getting on a horse for the first time. There are many things you need to understand before mounting and riding. This book will take you item by item through all of these critical concepts to help you understand how a horse thinks, how he’s made, his physical characteristics, etc.

You will also have to prepare yourself both physically and mentally. Riding horses is like no other sport - how well you do in that sport is pretty much determined by what you can do physically. How much speed, strength, finesse, and coordination you can develop determines how well you’ll do. But when riding, you now have a partner - the horse - who has a mind of his own. Success depends on you working together as a team.

Understanding the horse’s body, what makes him tick, and how the his brain works is the key to controlling him. If you don’t figure this out and understand how the horse thinks, then you’ll constantly be fighting him and your experience will go sour.

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