A helpful horseback-riding tip we share with guests visiting on Colorado guest ranch vacations is to ride with their heels down and toes up.  This may seem a little unnatural when sitting in the saddle at first, but this tip from the wranglers at our Colorado guest ranch can save a rider from a lot of unnecessary pain and misfortune!

Great example of heels down and toes up!

All four of us Tesch boys have been riding horses since we were 4 years old.  We have had a lot of experiences in the saddle and learned a lot of lessons along the way.  Learning to keep our heels down and toes up while horseback riding has certainly been one of those lessons!  Since we have already been there and learned that lesson, we are happy to share this pointer with our guests enjoying a Colorado guest ranch vacation at TRR.  Not only are we happy to share this tip with our guests, but with you and anyone looking for a few helpful hints on horseback riding as well!  Hopefully through the sharing of this pointer, other horseback riders may avoid learning a lesson we have already gone through the pain of learning.

If a horseback rider doesn’t keep their heels down and toes up they become significantly less stable in the saddle.  This can result in many unwanted circumstances.  Horses, like people, tend to trip or stumble at times.  If a rider is unstable in the saddle and a horse stumbles and jerks a little bit, the rider could end up meeting the ground very quickly!  This is especially important when riding downhill, trotting or loping.  Sudden stops without a way for the rider to brace themselves can be an unpleasant situation.  A rider’s feet can make all the difference between a great horseback ride and a scary one!

The next time you strap those boots on and head out on a horseback ride or maybe go on your first ride, make sure to keep your heals down and toes up.  Your experience will be exponentially more fun and enjoyable!

Happy Trails!

Kody Tesch