In your first lessons, the instructor calls out things you don't recognize yet: "stay on the hoefslag," "start lichtrijden," "more schenkel." You understand the tone, but not the word. Below are the terms you'll hear first, each explained in the kind of sentence where you'll usually hear it.
The Gaits: Stap, Draf, and Galop (Walk, Trot, Canter)
The horse's three basic tempos are called gaits (gangen). You learn them in a fixed order.
- Stap (walk) is the slowest, in four separate beats. "We're staying in stap this lesson" means you start out calmly and work on your posture.
- Draf (trot) is faster, in two beats — the legs move diagonally in pairs. This is the gait you'll practice in most.
- Galop (canter) is the fastest and feels like a rocking leap. Galop usually comes only after a number of lessons, once you stay balanced at draf.
An instructor often says "doorgaan naar draf" (move on to the trot) or "terug naar stap" (back to a walk). These shifts between gaits are literally called overgangen (transitions), and you'll work a lot on them later.
Lichtrijden and Doorzitten (Posting and Sitting Trot)
As soon as you start trotting, you'll hear: "ga maar lichtrijden" (go ahead and post). This is the up-and-down motion you see riders doing at the trot.
Lichtrijden (posting, or the posting trot) means that, in rhythm with the trot, you alternately rise just out of the saddle and sit back down — up once, down once. It cushions the bounce of the trot, both for you and for the horse's back. At first it feels unnatural; after a few lessons it falls into rhythm on its own.
The opposite, doorzitten (sitting trot), is staying seated through every stride of the trot. That takes a lot of practice and comes only later — once you're well balanced at the trot. If you hear "ga even doorzitten" (sit for a bit), it's usually brief, to let you feel how the movement runs through underneath you.
The Arena: Hoefslag, Bak, and the Letters
The space you ride in has a vocabulary all its own.
| Term | What Your Instructor Means |
|---|---|
| Bak / piste (arena) | The riding arena itself, indoor or outdoor |
| Hoefslag (the track) | The path right along the wall — the outermost route |
| Op de hoefslag blijven (stay on the track) | Ride neatly along the rail, not drifting inward |
| Van de hoefslag af (off the track) | Into the inside of the arena, for example for a circle |
| Volte (circle) | A small circle, often 10 to 20 meters across |
| Hoek uitrijden (ride the corner through) | Round the corner properly instead of cutting it |
Many riding schools have letters along the wall (A, K, E, H, C, M, B, F). The instructor uses them to mark a spot: "trot on at A," "walk at C." You don't need to memorize them at first; you'll learn to recognize them naturally.
Aids: Schenkel, Teugel, and Zit (Leg, Rein, and Seat)
"Hulpen" (aids) sounds like an odd word, but it simply means the signals you use to ask the horse for something. Your instructor usually splits them into three.
- Schenkel (leg) is your lower leg against the horse's side. "Meer schenkel" (more leg) means: ask with your leg for more forward energy. It's not a kick, but a firm, controlled press.
- Teugel (rein) is the contact through the reins to the mouth. "Houd je teugels kort" (keep your reins short) or "geef wat teugel" (give some rein) is about how much contact you keep. In your first lessons, the most important thing is: don't hang on the reins for your balance.
- Zit (seat) is your posture and your weight in the saddle. "Ga rechtop zitten" (sit up straight) or "zak in je zit" (sink into your seat) are seat aids.
A word that often comes up alongside these is voorwaarts (forward). "Denk voorwaarts" (think forward) doesn't necessarily mean faster, but that the horse keeps moving actively and with energy instead of dragging. It's more an attitude than a speed.
Halting and Mounting Up
Two moments that begin and end every lesson.
- Halt, or halthouden (halting), means standing still, ideally calm and straight. "Halt bij de letter" (halt at the letter) means: bring the horse to a stop there and stand for a moment.
- Opstijgen (mounting) is always done in the Netherlands from the horse's linkerkant (left side), from the ground or a mounting block. Afstijgen (dismounting) is getting off. The instructor makes sure you do this calmly, so the horse stays still.
Gear You'll Hear Named
A few more terms come up in the stable and while saddling up. Most of them become obvious as soon as someone hands you the item.
- Cap (riding helmet) — in Dutch, "cap" means your riding helmet, not a baseball cap. Mandatory at most riding schools, even for advanced riders.
- Zadel (saddle) is your seat; the singel (girth) is the strap that secures the saddle under the belly.
- Sjabrak (saddle pad) is the soft cloth between the saddle and the horse's back (you don't need to know this one yet as a beginner).
- Stijgbeugels (stirrups) are the loops your feet rest in; "beugels korter" (shorten the stirrups) means moving them up a hole.
- Longe (lunge line) is a long line the instructor uses to send the horse in a circle around themselves. In beginner lessons you sometimes ride "aan de longe" (on the lunge line), so you can focus on your seat while the instructor controls the horse.
In Practice: How to Remember It Faster
You don't need to memorize this list before your first lesson. What helps:
- Just ask if a word doesn't land. A good instructor explains it on the spot — that's what the lesson is for.
- Link each word to the moment it comes up. You'll remember "lichtrijden" best while you're doing it for the first time, not from a book.
- After a few weeks, most terms feel familiar. The rest comes naturally as you progress.
Want to see more words in context? A searchable glossary for beginners is available. For more on what else you'll encounter in your first lessons, see Horse Riding for Complete Beginners.