Advice for riding straight, or will only lessons do ?

Get some lessons so your instructor can give you the initial prodding into a straight shape :p

I ride slightly wonky, my instructor prodded me into what she assures me (and I believe her!) is straight, but it feels so incredibly wonky that without external input I would never put myself in that shape!
 
Lessons are always going to be beneficial in a situation like this as eyes from the ground can be invaluable in helping you realise what you are doing. Although you recognise you are pulling the saddle to the right and the underlying reason, you won't always recognise when you are fully straight. I say this as I have a bad ankle following an accident over 2 years ago. I am still fidning new ways that it alters my riding, even if some of them are minute.

Other things which might help are riding without stirrups (as the knee should be less affected). Have you tried flexi stirrups? Or possibly toe cages or even wedge stirrup treads? Discover what takes some pressure away from your joints.

Pilates may well help enourmously - it helps you become more aware of your body and how you are using it, which in turn should help you to be more aware of your body and its straightness etc as you ride.

How long have you had this problem? If it has been some time it could well be that your horse and saddle have now adapted to this and may need looking at to ensure that your efforts are not in vain (for example if the panels of the saddle have been flattened more on one side it is going to be very difficult for you to straighten yourself.

When you ride, try wearing tops with regular stripes on. Looking at these stripes can help you be aware of how straight you are. The same goes for the central seam of your jods in relation to the saddle (though not an exact indicator as the body can do a lot whilst that stays correct, it can be a useful indicator!). Close your eyes and feel whether you have equal weight on both sides of your seat.

If you can't do regular lessons, a good instructor should be able to come, straighten you and give exercises for you to maintain the straightness for you to work on until you are able to do another lesson. It won't solve the problem as quickly but will help. Another thought could be to seek out a mechanical horse with pressure sensors for a lesson.
 
Maybe try seeing a chiropractor.
I was wonky and had one leg quite obviously shorter than the other, my horse chiropractor noticed it when he came out to see my horse.
After 2 appointments I'm no longer leaning to the right.
 
It's really different to self correct wonkiness once it's become ingrained because our brains accept that wrong is right. I had Alexander technique sessions to help me. It's great in that it teaches you to self monitor and how to ease and relax tensions in your body because you get better at recognising what you're doing. However it feels really odd at first when what you thought was right ( straight) is adjusted and the new right feels distinctly wrong. It's also a whole body technique and the source of the problem should be identified.
 
Thanks for the replies, its only become apparent with my mare at the moment. Its been there from the first ride, and it might be her me or the saddle? I'm thinking its probably me though as I do have a knee issue.

She's being treated by the vet for a bad back or neck or something as yet to be discovered at the moment. I thought it was my saddle panels being uneven and bought her a new saddle, a holistic one which she didn't get on with at all so I'm going back to my Barnsby but will need the panels sorting first. Also I've got a nuumed shimmie numnah to try and even her back up to see if it helps with the slipping. But as the new saddle did it as well its either me or my horse...

I do ride my daughters mare occasionally and don't slip with her saddle?

I think it's going to take me a good while to get to the bottom of who has the problem, and then I can start looking at what to do to put it right. Thanks for the food for thought, some very good and informative advice gratefully received. x.
 
If you want to seriously sort the problem once and for all, then my best suggestion would be a mechanical horse with a good biomechanics instructor. That gives you the space and time to play with your balance and tecniques to find the best way to cope with any limitations. The mechanical horse is definately 'straight' (unlike most horses) and will let you know when you are balanced left right/forward backward/ not behind or in front of the movement etc.

I am sure there are lots of great biomechanics instructors around, but Becky Chapman at Ashen Equestion Centre is amazing. With me, I needed to sort my core and thighs and everything else feel into place.

It could also be that your horse is very one sided and encouraging you to slip into a 'hole' he makes in his back, but once you understand your body then you can work on that?
 
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