Seat Work - Fixing The Seat

[littlepurpleliv]

can someone helppp?! i have been cantering for a few years but i still cant get my seat right and end up bouncing around and falling off! what can i do?

[AIRiding]

@littlepurpleliv If you are bouncing around in the saddle it means your position is not correct and you are likely leaning too far forwards while holding with your legs. Leaning back in the saddle and focusing on opening with your thighs while maintaining contact (not squeezing/pinching) with your LOWER leg will allow your seat to be driven downwards into the saddle and afford you more security. Also, be sure you're being safe and wear a helmet!

[Kyumie]

Hey thanks for answer even bit to late.

Been lately running in the gym on the tire and geuss what; It improved mine classical seat a lot.

However mine next great step is to get good contact from the horse mount and mine hands. Which is quite difficult to most of the horse riders(and myself even with private lessons)

Perhaps you got some training tips or guides which allow us to get better contact.

Guess most peoples would appericiate it.

[AIRiding]

I'll email you a link to an article I wrote about riding your horse forward. If the horse is genuinely forward (propelling from the hind legs), the contact will be correct in the hand and fix itself if it was previously incorrect. But if the horse isn't forward (which doesn't necessarily mean fast) then it will often show up in the contact.

[Kyumie]

Mine horse is quite forward during normal or private lessons these days but it isn't that he goes in relaxing position. Beside that mine mary is ussual to distracted on it's surrounding(Don't know if that's the case) If so what I can do about it.

[AIRiding]

Those are all signs that she isn't honestly forward. Check her tracking (at the walk the hind hooves should land 4-6 inches past the hoofprint of the front hooves). If the horse is overtracking or undertracking it is a sign that they aren't moving forward properly (a lot of warmbloods will way overtrack which is just as bad as undertracking). True forwardness in the horse will create calmness, focus, fix the contact on the reins, there will be no hesitation or signs of distraction/spooking, etc

[Kyumie]

Alright thanks. I'll try to find the correct forward speed, so that I can get better in contact. I'll contact if you if it have helped:)

[110cowgirl]

This is very helpful! I always find myslef somehow sitting in towards the back of the saddle with tons of space in front of me so this helps alot.

Do you have any tips on how to correct a slight chair seat?

[AIRiding]

I will be posting a new article on my blog Writing Of Riding about correcting a chair seat.

Thanks for the feedback! :)

[Delaucroix]

nice video

[CurlyFriesDude]

hey please can you watch my latest video's on riding like my 3 foot jumping and PLEASe give me some advice on my riding i wish to get alot better!!! thank-you xx

[AIRiding]

I will check it out... :)

[basilcanary]

please, please, please, some more tips. PLEASE. Thnx

[AIRiding]

More videos are coming very *very* soon! :)

[Kyumie]

Hey I wonder you got some advice for me as well.

When I sit on mine horse in the saddle mine feeling of sitting right is more forward and if I go more backupward I get more feeling I'm not sitting correctly right while I aqtually do.

Now I wonder how I can change this? Since it's bugging me and mine own body force myself to go foward.

Thanks:)

[AIRiding]

A lot of times the saddles we ride in will place us in awkward positions, not to mention if we lack the flexibility in our hip joints to accomodate that style of saddle or the build of our horse. There can be a lot of factors but those are the most common, you might try some stretching exercises for your hip flexors, hamstrings and quadriceps to see if that makes a difference first. :)

[mistymoo95]

hello, i posted a video response to this of me riding. You're such a good rider, please may you give me some advice about my riding?? Please may you tell me how to improve??

[AIRiding]

Hi! So sorry it's taken me so long to get back, I saw your video response and will be following it up with some comments shortly... :)

[radharc05]

Really, REALLY well explained. Thanks so much for taking the time to post this video. Well done. Any more tips?

[Mousenose]

What if my stables does not give lunge lessons? Can I still improve my seat in lessons off of the lunge?

[AIRiding]

You definitely can. The measure of success can vary in the length of time it takes, but I believe that personal determination is what matters most. The video above demonstrates some of the seat work off the lunge, of course in that case you want to take your time not only for yourself but to also accustom the horse to what you are doing in the saddle.

Have you inquired whether an instructor at your stable would be willing to give you lunge lessons?

[recoverycoach]

Thank you Erica, seat work seems to be an overlooked under emphasized piece of work that all riders would greatly benefit from as well as their horses!

~Cheryl