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Stop leaning forward while riding

The rider’s seat is the beginning of great riding or poor riding.

One of the biggest compliments to a rider is that they have a “good seat,” and developing this seat is part of the lifetime journey of being a rider.

The rider’s seat is more than just how a rider sits in the saddle. The term encompasses how they move with the horse—are they able to follow the movement without stiffness or bouncing. 

A good seat also refers to a rider’s ability to stay with the unexpected movements, such as a big spook or an exuberant buck.

“Seat” is more than just one’s backside in the saddle. Old riding texts refer to the fork of the rider’s seat, which includes the upper thighs.

The most important part of a good seat, and arguably the two most important joints for riding are the hip joints.

The hip joints are the large ball and socket joints where the femurs connect to the pelvis. Fluid, organized movement in these joints, allows for following the horse in all gaits without stiffness, but also allows us to slow the horse with just the right amount of tension. 

Our pelvis is the largest, heaviest bone in our body, and small movements of the pelvis will shift our weight and can immediately influence the horse’s balance and direction.

In this video, we will go through two exercises to find an aligned position for your seat and fluid movement in your hip joints. 

After you watch the video, leave a comment below and let me know which of the three exercises you found most helpful.

See you in the comments!

Callie

    

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Comments

10 Responses

  1. Thank you Ellie: This video is a good reminder and I also got out your wonderful book. It is an excellent book and with the accompanied videos a wonderful learning tool.

  2. Love watching your stuff, how do I go about buying your book. Do you have exercises on keeping my horses head up in walk she’s rather lazy and I have created this I’m told xx

  3. Beautiful and wonderfully explained illustrations and explanations making way for that perfect good and secure seating , which invariably , is a variable that is life long .

    A good and secure seat in the ride called life – is when any compliment or criticism , along with the receiver itself is seen through for what it is – arising ….and passing ….insubstantial, devoid of a centre , of glory or infamy .

  4. These two exercises are the ones I need to do the most, Callie. My teacher is always telling me I lean forward too much and ’round’ my back. Thanks for the reminder. I LOVE your book. It is honestly THE BEST TRAINING BOOK ON THE MARKET. I hope you get lots of orders for Christmas presents.

  5. Both of these exercises are great for reminding riders of their individual balance points. The exercises also help reinforce the idea of the less a rider does in position corrections, the less they interfere or unbalance the horse and themselves. With practice they become muscle memory.

  6. Every single video you share I learn something from. I appreciate your time in teaching us, giving me and each of your viewers some form of insight/understanding and practical exercises/solutions. I am seriously considering the value of owning/having your book in my library to refer to/use often. Thank you!

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