MasteringThe Basic Riding Position: A Guide For Novices

Connecting the motion of rider and horse depends mostly on a correct riding posture. It is simple, though, to stray from a correct saddle stance. Someone looking at you from the side should ideally be able to create a straight line from your ear, shoulder, hip all the way down to your heel. Here are some frequent issue corrections.

The Foundations

Rider balance is one of the key elements of the traditional seat. Maintaining a balanced posture guarantees that the horse can carry you comfortably and supports your own back health as well as correct movement of your horse. If your balance is incorrect, it might be difficult to detect since riders may become so accustomed to their twisted riding posture that they cannot identify it. To ensure that you are keeping an optimal riding posture, it is advisable to routinely check your stance either by looking in a mirror or depending on a trained observer on ground. Maintaining open the hip joint is another feature of the traditional seat. This will enable you to produce vitality and follow the movement of your horse. Though it can be challenging, with practice it will get easier. Through workouts like shortening and lengthening the walk stride or trying a trot without jogging, riders can develop their posture and suppleness.

The Two-Point Position

Reaching and sustaining two-point is one of the first stages towards riding more effectively. It's the stance you adopt when your horse jumps or over a fence and calls for little weight on the animal. Using your seat, voice, and legs as assists also becomes simpler from a strong two point perspective. Ask a friend to lay their hand or a rolled magazine on your tailbone while you rise into it and narrow the angles of your ankle, knee, and hip to hone your two-point in the saddle. Keep doing this until you become kinaesthetic aware of how the incorrect positions compromise your balance and can feel when your lower leg is out of line. You may also practise this on your own by improvising with anything sturdy enough to keep the saddle up. Squats over a chair are one excellent choice. Before you climb on, make sure it can carry your weight and is robust.

The Three-Point Views

A good seat always depends on a sturdy and balanced basis. The horse's motions will then enable the upper body to react. A rider lacking excellent pelvis, midsection, or chest core stability will not be able to independently use her arms and legs. Horse and rider will suffer from a stiff and harsh grasp on the reins resulting from this. Regular land-based workouts help to increase the strength of your seat, thereby facilitating the proper riding posture when on the saddle. One easy exercise to help is to practise shortening your stirrups and sit trot or canter without them for a few minutes. Your quadriceps could start to burn, but this is a wonderful sign you are improving! Re-introduce the stirrups then and keep working. With time, this will develop naturally.

The Four-Point Orientation

If you ride, your horse will be much affected by your sitting posture. It can help to maintain the horse balanced and flexible, enhance its carriage, core strength, and hoof condition. While many riders battle difficult-to-break negative habits, maintaining a proper riding posture is not always easy. Someone from the side should be able to draw a vertical line from the ear, shoulder and hip, down through the heel when a rider is correctly balanced. Regular rider position assessment is crucial since even little changes in balance can influence the movement of the horse. You might invite a friend to videotape your riding, or find benefit in using a schooling field or arena with mirrors. This allows you to identify areas requiring development in your position. This can also enable you to know why and when you lose equilibrium, like in the case of changes in direction or pace of your horse.