I mean there are professional jockeys and show riders who must be doing *something* at a very high level, but I honestly don’t understand what. Like if I’m riding a horse that’s jumping over a fence, isn’t that all the horse? And I just need to not fall off?
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Aside from “not falling off” the biggest skill is probably learning how to communicate with the horse, so it will do what you want (and expect) it to do.
I am by no means an expert rider, but one of the things I learned very quickly when riding trails… horses will walk by obstacles – trees and such – and only leave enough room for their body to get by. So if you’re not paying attention and “steering” the horse to leave more space, you may find your leg getting sandwiched between a very large, powerful animal and an immovable object.
This is best avoided.
There are lots of ways riders do this, using the reins or their feet or a crop, etc., depending on the type of riding you’re doing.
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