What is the most important building block when it comes to your riding? The way you sit, of course! That’s right, the way you sit will have a huge impact on the way you ride. A good seat should accomplish two simple things: it should make it easier for you to stay on your horse, and it should also be comfortable for both you and your horse. Sitting wrong, on the other hand, makes it not only more difficult for you to ride correctly, it can also hurt your horse’s back.
Sitting correctly takes a little know-how and practice, but in the long run it’s well worth it. Pay attention to the following suggestions when it comes to seat, feet, legs, head and eyes, and shoulders, arms, and hands, and you’ll be sitting pretty in no time!
Seat
First of all, take a nice, deep breath. A deep breath will not only relax you, it will enable you to sit up tall. Sit in the middle of the saddle, with your weight on your seat bones. Where exactly are your seat bones? Try this exercise. Sit on your bottom and rock back and forth. Do you feel two bones that feel like rockers on a rocking chair? Well, those are your seat bones.
Once you find your seat bones, sit tall and deep. Take a deep breath, feeling your back elongate and your seat get deeper. Balance your head over your shoulders, and let your legs hang down. Make sure you are in the middle of the saddle, and not off to one side or the other.
Stirrups and Feet
As you sit with your legs hanging down, pay attention to where your stirrup irons are. With your legs hanging down, they should touch just below your ankle bones. Stirrups that are too short will push your seat backward, while stirrups that are too long will cause you to bounce.
Put your feet in the stirrups so that the ball of your foot is resting on the stirrup. Your heels should be down, and your toes should align with your knee. Toes should never point dramatically in or out. Also, be sure that your feet aren’t pushing into the stirrups. They should be resting in them only.
Legs
Your legs should lie against both the saddle and the sides of your horse. Legs should not be too loose, nor should they grip or pinch—firm contact is best. The insides of your calves should touch your horse’s sides. When properly positioned, your feet should be right under your seat.
Head and Eyes
If you think that your bottom controls your balance, then you are way off! Actually, your head controls your balance. And your eyes control your head. A good rule of thumb is to look over your horse’s head. Be sure not to tip your head down or to the side. Believe it or not, this can throw off your entire balance!
It’s funny, but your horse will seem to know where you are looking, as if he had eyes in back of his head! To that end, if you dip your head to the right or the left, he may try to turn. To avoid unwanted turns, try looking at a target—something in line of where you are going.
Shoulders, arms, and hands
Make sure your shoulders are relaxed and not tensed up. They should hang down wide and relaxed. Your arms should have a gently bend at the elbow, and should be kept close to your ribs. Your hands should be kept low, and both your forearms and your knuckles should point toward your horse’s mouth.
Ron Petracek - Raised in southern Idaho, Ron loves horses and the outdoors. If you would like to join in and learn from the vast resources at our equine forum please visit http://www.horsechitchat.com/equineforums
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Tags: horse lessons, horse training, riding lessons, Riding styles
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