Do You Use Your Seat Correctly When Riding?
By Gaye DeRusso
When we first start learning to ride, we are taught to use our reins to steer and stop and use our legs to make the horse go. That is where many riders stop learning. But as you advance as a rider, you should in time ride more with your seat, your legs and then your hands are last.
To use your seat effectively with the horse, you must first have good balance in the saddle, that's why they do not teach you this first because it takes a long time to establish good balance. You should sit evenly on both seat bones, with your seat relaxed and use your balance to stay in the saddle, not grip with your legs to stay in the saddle.
If you want your horse to walk off, or to speed up, you can tilt your pelvis slightly back, tighten your butt cheeks, relax on the reins, and then use your leg if the horse has not walked off. In time he will learn when you tilt your pelvis back and tighten your seat, you want him to move.
As the horse is moving at a walk or a gait, you want to follow the horse's motion. In the flat walk or running walk, this will be a forward to back motion. So, you want to allow your hips to move with the horse. If the horse has too big of a motion or stride, if you follow the horse less, many times they will match your rhythm and shorten their stride. If you tilt more forward into your thigh you will also experience less motion if you horse has a huge overstride.
If you want to lengthen their stride you can start to push with your seat (drive) by tilting your pelvis back and push back and forth with your seat. Over time your horse will learn this means to take bigger steps and to keep going.
If your horse fox trots, you will get a soft bounce in the saddle. You can follow this motion to help him stay in the fox trot and slightly bounce in the saddle to match his motion. Many times, if they start to lose the gait, they will match your motion and go back to the fox trot. If they start to hard trot, you can tilt your pelvis back and drive with your seat as you slightly lift your reins, and this can put them right back into a fox trot.
If your horse does a saddle gait, you may get a wiggle in the saddle, slightly side to side, you can follow this motion with your hips to keep that wiggle to help them stay in gait as you ask for speed.
By following the horses motion you help them know to stay in that gait. The horse naturally wants to follow and sync up with your motion. If you want the horse to slow down, you can slow your motion, relax your seat, or stop the motion to block the horse. They will feel you are no longer in sync and many horses will want to stop.
If you relax your buttocks when your horse is tense, it helps them to understand they shouldn't worry, and they should relax. But if your horse tenses up and you tense up your buttock, they get more tense and upset. That is why anxious or goey horses go better with relaxed riders.
If you tense your buttock up when your horse is going too slow and start pushing with the rhythm it can help the horse understand to move more forward. If you relax your seat when they are going too fast the horse in time will understand to slow down.
You can even steer with your seat. Your horse follows your weight to stay balanced so if you want to turn to the right, put more weight into you right buttock and slightly turn your hips to the right and the horse will try to follow your weight. If you want to go to the left, put your weight into your left buttock and turn your hips slightly to the left and the horse will try to follow. If your horse keeps coming off the rail, shift your weight into the buttock and leg toward the rail and turn your hips slightly in that direction.
A horse can feel a lot through your seat, they feel when you are nervous, tense, anxious, scared, relaxed and then they react to it. They feel your weight and try to follow it to stay balanced. They feel your rhythm and try to follow it. They feel your emotions and follow them.
So, if you are having issues with your horse, pay attention to what you are doing with your seat, because you may be giving the horse cues by accident.
By Gaye DeRusso
When we first start learning to ride, we are taught to use our reins to steer and stop and use our legs to make the horse go. That is where many riders stop learning. But as you advance as a rider, you should in time ride more with your seat, your legs and then your hands are last.
To use your seat effectively with the horse, you must first have good balance in the saddle, that's why they do not teach you this first because it takes a long time to establish good balance. You should sit evenly on both seat bones, with your seat relaxed and use your balance to stay in the saddle, not grip with your legs to stay in the saddle.
If you want your horse to walk off, or to speed up, you can tilt your pelvis slightly back, tighten your butt cheeks, relax on the reins, and then use your leg if the horse has not walked off. In time he will learn when you tilt your pelvis back and tighten your seat, you want him to move.
As the horse is moving at a walk or a gait, you want to follow the horse's motion. In the flat walk or running walk, this will be a forward to back motion. So, you want to allow your hips to move with the horse. If the horse has too big of a motion or stride, if you follow the horse less, many times they will match your rhythm and shorten their stride. If you tilt more forward into your thigh you will also experience less motion if you horse has a huge overstride.
If you want to lengthen their stride you can start to push with your seat (drive) by tilting your pelvis back and push back and forth with your seat. Over time your horse will learn this means to take bigger steps and to keep going.
If your horse fox trots, you will get a soft bounce in the saddle. You can follow this motion to help him stay in the fox trot and slightly bounce in the saddle to match his motion. Many times, if they start to lose the gait, they will match your motion and go back to the fox trot. If they start to hard trot, you can tilt your pelvis back and drive with your seat as you slightly lift your reins, and this can put them right back into a fox trot.
If your horse does a saddle gait, you may get a wiggle in the saddle, slightly side to side, you can follow this motion with your hips to keep that wiggle to help them stay in gait as you ask for speed.
By following the horses motion you help them know to stay in that gait. The horse naturally wants to follow and sync up with your motion. If you want the horse to slow down, you can slow your motion, relax your seat, or stop the motion to block the horse. They will feel you are no longer in sync and many horses will want to stop.
If you relax your buttocks when your horse is tense, it helps them to understand they shouldn't worry, and they should relax. But if your horse tenses up and you tense up your buttock, they get more tense and upset. That is why anxious or goey horses go better with relaxed riders.
If you tense your buttock up when your horse is going too slow and start pushing with the rhythm it can help the horse understand to move more forward. If you relax your seat when they are going too fast the horse in time will understand to slow down.
You can even steer with your seat. Your horse follows your weight to stay balanced so if you want to turn to the right, put more weight into you right buttock and slightly turn your hips to the right and the horse will try to follow your weight. If you want to go to the left, put your weight into your left buttock and turn your hips slightly to the left and the horse will try to follow. If your horse keeps coming off the rail, shift your weight into the buttock and leg toward the rail and turn your hips slightly in that direction.
A horse can feel a lot through your seat, they feel when you are nervous, tense, anxious, scared, relaxed and then they react to it. They feel your weight and try to follow it to stay balanced. They feel your rhythm and try to follow it. They feel your emotions and follow them.
So, if you are having issues with your horse, pay attention to what you are doing with your seat, because you may be giving the horse cues by accident.