Before you can get up on a horse's back and begin to learn to ride, it's important to know how to approach a horse. Approached incorrectly, from behind, a horse will not be aware of you coming toward it, and will be surprised to find you suddenly standing beside it. This could result in it jumping to one side, even kicking out, both bad experiences for a novice.
Go up to it quietly from in front, have a bit of chat with it, patting its neck or stroking its forehead if you see it doesn't mind it head being touched. It just helps you to get to know and trust one another.
A final piece of advice for when you start to ride: if at all possible, try to engineer an introduction to a top-class horseman or woman and go and pick their brains all you can. Their knowledge is valuable and will have been gained through a love of horses and a lifetime of working with them. You will find such people are only too happy to share their knowledge with someone else who has that love, and every bit of knowledge you can acquire will help you. And you can also learn a good deal by studying some of the educational videos now available on all aspects of riding and horsemanship.
The correct way to approach a horse is to come from the front, so that it can see you clearly. If the horse has its rear towards you, stop where you are, stand a well distance away from it, and get its attention quietly by clicking to it or calling softly to it. When the horse sees you, then you can approach it.
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