Riding Instruction for All

Mary Gallagher

Owner, Freedom Farm Natural Horsemanship

How to make Safety, Fun!

Horses are marvelous creatures and friends but are powerful, presenting a certain risk to the inexperienced. Over the course of my 40+ years as a riding instructor, I have developed a wide variety of exercises and games to help riders of any level cultivate the necessary skills and fitness, before and after they get on a horse. I have spent years crafting and editing these exercises into a comprehensive instructors manual. There is still work left to be done but I wish to share with you a sneak peek into the information and style that my manual is going to embody.

Many of these activities are easy to set up and fun to play. Some of my games, such as the one I am sharing here, are geared towards youth, but do not make the mistake in thinking these games or “exercises” would not be beneficial for any beginning rider. So here is a set of fun exercises I call the The Barrel Horse Games. There are 4 basic mini games:

• Mounting Barrel Relay

• Dismounting Relay

• Around the World

• Vaulting Poses

It takes a brave person to swing their leg over the back of a horse. This basic maneuver can seem daunting to new riders, and many never take that first step in fear of the unknown. The confidence of the beginner rider can be fragile. These barrel games get both kids and adults thinking about how it might feel to swing a leg over a horse, then performing the action while feeling safe. Each game helps grow the rider’s body awareness, a crucial step toward self-confidence.

Mounting and Dismounting Barrel Relay

This game is designed to get riders used to swinging their leg in the proper mounting motion without the fear of the horse as a factor. We use 50 gallon barrels to simulate the back of the horse while keeping the rider close to the ground and their confidence high. However you may use any implement that may correctly train balance and simulate the experience of sitting on a horse.

Start by demonstrating the proper mounting and dismounting motion yourself. You may take barrels (or any other implement your trainee can balance on while sitting) and line

Proper Mounting and Dismounting

• Place hand on the front of the barrel

• Swing leg over back of the barrel

• Sit and settle your weight using your abdomen to balance

• Swing other leg off the back of the barrel for dismount them up in a straight line. They must move through the barrels mounting and dismounting repeatedly. This exercise builds the rider’s core while getting them used to the idea of swinging their legs over the back of a horse, building confidence, body awareness, hip flexibility, and balance. The Mounting and Dismounting Relay games can be broken into two separate games or not. The point is to get the rider used to swinging both their legs over the horse and building that hip mobility and core strength regardless of the rider’s dominant side. The dismounting game can even include the riders swinging their leg over the front of the barrel to further the exercise so long as they know the proper technique when the time comes to mount the Horse.

Around the World

In this game, the rider’s core muscles are the focus because they are the key component to balancing while the horse is in motion. When the beginner rider mounts the horse for the first time, they are likely to hang on with their hands and grip tight with their legs rather than engage their core muscles for balance.

In Around the World, the rider tips back on the seat bones and swings one leg in front of them over the barrel, putting them sitting sideways on the barrel. The rider continues in this manner, swinging that same leg over again until they are sitting backwards. With another swing of the leg the rider is sitting sideways on the other side, and with the final swing the rider is sitting facing forward again. Each time the rider swings a leg over the barrel, they are rocking back on their seat bones and engaging their core muscles.

Vaulting Poses

This is a great confidence-building game that focuses on balance and stability. With the barrel being so close to the ground, even timid riders are willing to try it. Successful balancing on the barrel builds confidence that transfers easily to balancing on the horse.

I have found that my own riders have the most creativity with this game. Riders may want to start out with a spotter holding the barrel still and their hands on the front to build their confidence, however as they progress this will drastically change.

Eventually riders will be sitting, kneeling and eventually standing with no help.

If a rider struggles or is clumsy while mounting or dismounting, the horse can become concerned and move their feet, making the whole process awkward and potentially unsafe. These games prepare new riders for the process by helping open the hips and challenge the rider’s balance prior to the actual riding. With practice, riders can learn to mount and dismount smoothly and fluidly, as well as simply move around while on a horse’s back.

Be Safe, Have fun

Always let your riders have fun with your exercises. There is a time for focus when on the back of a horse but at its core, riding is supposed to be an enjoyable experience full of wonder and passion. Why should your training exercises be any different? These games are designed to prepare beginner riders for the real thing but they are also meant to banish the nervous energy and apprehension that comes with sitting on the back of a large, powerful animal, while emphasizing safety and confidence in that safety.

I have dedicated my life to developing my horsemanship, carrying that focus into my approach to instruction. I have worked with some of the most renowned instructors in the world, and pay forward that privilege with every student. At the end of the day I find that fun and passion need to be present in training, not only for the riders but the horses as well. I incorporate this idea into my methodology and training regardless of age, skill, or other defining factors. Whether the rider is a beginner who has never sat on a horse, or an expert trying to expand their skillset, my training is designed to push away the fear and reservations and bring out the joy and wonder that got us all into riding in the first place.

Who is Mary Gallagher?

Mary is a versatile trainer and clinician, wellknown for combining her knowledge of show jumping and natural horsemanship to reach new dimensions of balance and communication between rider and horse. Mary has ridden for world renowned instructors, trained with Olympic riders, and personally hosted A rated shows in Washington State, all while adopting and developing principles of natural horsemanship. She has a lifetime of knowledge, experience, and passion for horses and horsemanship. Her personal instruction and clinics emphasize connection, communication, and cooperation.

Mary is a strong believer that health, fitness, and body awareness play a big part in how we relate to our horses. In her teaching, Mary integrates her knowledge of traditional and natural horsemanship with personal health and fitness, conveying the many elements of balance and communication to her students.

Her students compete throughout the Pacific Northwest, showcasing Mary’s elite instruction.