horses i've ridden

name	breed	times ridden	gait	personality
excalibur	dark bay thoroughbred	6	smooth, quick	friendly, easygoing
shrek	bay manga-larga marchador	14	smooth, slow	sleepy, unbothered, patient, sly
amora (blackberry)	bay shagya arabian	10	heavy	calm, responsive, trusting
ferrugem (rusty)	leopard appaloosa	7	regular, quick	responsive, energetic, forgiving
goldy	chestnut brazilian sport horse	1	heavy	calm
agatha	dark bay mixed	1	bouncy, smooth	delicate, super responsive

things i have learned

horses are incredibly intelligent & cunning when they want to be. they're also prey animals & those two things can coexist.
they don't bond w/ you just because you're up on the saddle, but they try synchronizing w/ you.
horses aren't dogs. they aren't cats either.
they move away from pressure. it's important to release pressure as soon as they obey you.
synchronization is the most important part in riding. it's a 2-people sport, like dancing or figure skating.
a successful riding makes you think you and the horse are one single organism.
if you allow them to lazy around, they will. if you let them run or rush whenever they please, they will.
i like to think of them like young children (7-8 years old).
sometimes you gotta trust them like they know better.
when riding you must be firm, but not heavy; gentle, but not soft.
horse riding will make you use muscles you didn't even think you had.
when turning, open the direction you wanna go & close the direction you don’t wanna go.
posture & balance will give you confidence, but it takes time to develop it.
seat first, legs second, hands third.
a good feet placement can only be achieved through hip & ankle mobility & finding balance in the balls of your feet, & that takes time.
the rein & your leg can act like barriers.
when cantering, you should hug the horse w/ your legs, like a barrel.