Preparation for the First Ride

I currently have four fillies in training and I have gotten bucked off two of them on the first ride. With the other two we are trying to make their first ride as stress free and as safe as possible. And make all of them safer. And hopefully this will help you as well.
So here's a few things to help with that.
Work your horse in his tack
Get your horse used to the tack. Do lounging. Move your horse's feet. Make him do everything. Canter, changing directions on his hocks, and that sort of thing. If you can pony your horse on trail rides with all his tack on. Hey you could even send him over a few small jumps with his tack on.
Desensitize
This won't be a one time thing. You need to do this regularly. And I have trouble with this. It can take forever to desensitize your horse to a plastic bag and you'll probably have to do it again tomorrow. Find things that make noises. A whip, leaf blower, running tractor, ect. Also I have found that horses do not like bikers or rollerbladers. This probably won't be a problem for you if you don't live anywhere near a town, but if you do you should consider getting your horse used to that sort of thing. Also bang your hand against the saddle and get them used to things above their saddle.
Spend time with your horse
The more time you spend with your horse the more he will learn to trust you. Establish that you are the leader. Gain their respect through groundwork. But, WARNING, with a growing horse lots of time spent on them turning or going in circles can injure their legs. Get to know your horse's quirks.
Teach lightness
If you can teach your horse to be light, supple, and responsive before you ever get on him your job is halfway done. (I'll cover this one more in a later post)
Take things slow
When your first ride comes take it as slowly as necessary and retreat often. Horses aren't afraid of something that moves away from them. Help them to be more relaxed.
Listen to your horse
Listen to what your horse is telling you. Because I didn't listen to what my filly was telling me I got bucked off. Look for signs that your horse isn't at ease. Does he want to move constantly? Is he standing on all four feet instead of cocking one of the back feet? Is his head high? Do his eyes look worried? If you get on his back does it feel like he's tense? Usually it feels like he's arching his back.

Hope this helps and be safe.
Lydia Johnson