Developing A Balanced Seat

A rider's lack of balance is akin to the lack of an independent seat, the Holy Grail of horsemanship. Unlike the Holy Grail, though, it is attainable. The first step is to start thinking with your seat, not your head.

Unable To Ride In Harmony With The Horse?

Developing a balanced seat is essential in order to progress to the next stage, the independant seat we hear so much about and which is so important in all forms of riding. Without an independent seat, which means a seat which is balanced and secure no matter what the horse does underneath you, the hands cannot be used independently, either, and it is always the horses mouth that suffers.

If the horse is not comfortable in his mouth or is constantly afraid of being jabbed in the mouth by his rider, he cannot concentrate on his work and everything the rider tries to do will be in vain.

The feeling you need to aim for is the horse's energy flowing forwards and upwards underneath you and that you are riding with your seat (which includes your thighs), weight and balance. You control his movements with your lower body, not your hands, and, being in balance, can sense those movements almost before they happen.

Dismounted

1)Pilates Exercise: enhances posture and balance, strengthens your core and postural (torso) muscles.

Stand with your toes facing forwards and feet hip-width apart. Breathe in, and as you breathe out again contract upwards the internal muscles of your abdomen and pelvic floor and hold the muscle contraction while continuing to breathe. Now feel your feet firmly on the ground and lift one leg behind you a little way off the floor, keeping your thigh as vertical as possible. Imagine a long poll running vertically from the foot on the floor to the top of your head. Hold for 30 seconds, if you can, supporting yourself on a chair if you wobble too much, and also if you have had any kind of injury. Repeat with the other leg.

2)Make a habit of getting dressed, including underwear and socks, while standing up to make yourself balance. Also, when you get up off the floor, try to do so without holding on to anything, including your own knee!

Mounted
1)Find a steady lunge horse with good rhythm in all gaits, plus either a good, classical teacher or someone who will lunge the horse and let you teach yourself by practice.
Sit on the horse with no reins or stirrups. Hold the pommel with the inside hand to counteract centrifugal force in the faster gaits, or have a neck strap. Assume the classical position and pretend that you have no use at all in the muscles of your seat and legs, they are completely loose and your legs are dangling, toes down naturally.

Have the horse walk on and, looking ahead, practise sitting on your seatbones. Concentrate on keeping your torso still and stretched up above your flexible waist, soaking up the movements of your horse's back, which will dip from side to side, with your seat only. Do not let this movement rock your upper body but keep it independent above that flexible waist where all upward energy stops. You have to stay loose in the seat and hips to do this.

Have the horse trot slowly and steadily ensuring you are absorbing the movement of sitting trot. Stay loose in the seat and legs and lean back a little. A horse with a bouncy trot is useless for you at this stage, but a good test of your absorption later. When you can balance independently, progress to canter. Again it is essential that you keep a loose seat and legs and a 'held' torso. Rigidity or stiffness in the seat and legs provides something hard for the energy to jar against, jolting you around. Looseness soaks up that energy. You can then progress to poles, grid work and jumps, preferably with the help of a good teacher.

2) Practise standing in your stirrups at all gaits without supporting yourself by the reins. Have a neckstrap long enough to hold as you first stand up, progress a few strides at a time from halt, through walk and trot to canter. When you can canter around the school on both reins, standing up and without putting any pressure on the reins or neckstrap, you've got it.