Chair Seat for Dressage any experts who can give advice?

[Horseymumma]

I am making this year, the year to improve on all my bad habits. After having a year off I thought it would be the best time to go back to basics.

I decided to have a lesson on a different horse to my own last week as I thought this may give me a chance to concentrate on myself on a well schooled horse.

I actually happened to spend most of the lesson trying to hold a very strong and well muscled horse back, from charging off with me (I guess at least I got to work my muscles).
Apart from that my instructor told me I should be leaning much further back than I currently do. It felt almost like I was sitting back in an armchair and it didn't feel right but she said it was a "dressage" seat I should be aiming for and this was the correct way to sit for dressage. I'm a little confused now there was a slight language barrier and although I questioned her, I don't think it helped.

Any dressage experts out there who could perhaps explain to me the correct way of sitting for dressage? I want to make sure I am doing things correctly.

 

[Norfolk Pie]

Your pelvis needs to be in neutral. It actually is that simple. Your pelvis goes in neutral, your hip joint, lovely and relaxed allows your leg to hang around the horses side with control but minimal tension, as if you are standing. And your upper body is stacked neatly on top of your pelvis, core strength keeping you tall, lower back soft and supple, shoulders relaxed down, in line above your hips.

If your pelvis is wrong, it is virtually impossible to be correct anywhere!
I just get people to practice rolling their hips forward, neutral and back, dismounted, until they can do it easily, without the rest of their body moving. Once you know how you are naturally "angled" it becomes easier to know where you are probably going wrong on the horse - thigh your instructor should be seeing this. It may be you are sat with your hips pushed forward (which could be why she's telling you to lean back,) but it is your hips that then need correcting. That said, some people do teach to lean back - personally I think it's incorrect, it tends to hollow the horse out - I suspect it's a shirt cut to getting someone to correctly absorb the movement?

In my opinion, We need to be in neutral to be in balance with the horse. Anything else has I'll on sequences for them

Lindsey Wilcox Reid does an excellent book called Pilates for riders, the forwa alone is worth reading if only to gain an u deer standing of why people teach as they do

 

[tankgirl1]

I have just started reading a book by Mary Wanless which explains how to sit properly in a fantastic manner

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ride-Your-Mind-Essentials-Innovative/dp/1872119522

I am still at the sitting on my hands occasionally lifting one leg with a pensive expression on my face stage - ie the first chapter, but it is written in a way that really makes sense so far

 

[tankgirl1]

PS - just noticed the expert bit - I'm certainly not one of those If I was I wouldn't need to sit on my hands to feel my seat bones see? The book is great though

 

[Norfolk Pie]

Sally swifts "centred riding" is also meant to be very good - I've yet to manage to read all of it!

 

[touchstone]

If the horse was strong and pulling then I suspect your shoulders and arms have been tensing which may tip you forwards.

If the school has mirrors, then checking for the straight vertical line ear-shoulder-hip- back of the heel will help and checking that you are sitting tall from your seatbones, not sitting on your fork or backside. Often if we've been riding with a fault for a while then it can feel strange when we ride 'correctly' so it could be that?

Eta A chair seat would also be incorrect as the rider looks just like they are sitting in a chair and the vertical line ear -shoulder - etc is broken.

 

[Horseymumma]

Thanks for your replies I shall be checking those recommended books out on Amazon.

I thought she might be telling me to lean back in order to control the horse, it definitely put me out of sorts on such a strong horse, don't think it helped that he towered over me at 17.3 HH!

I had a look back at the video as I got my OH to film, and although I would agree I am slightly forward I didn't think I was too far off, although when we stopped and she guided me on how far back I needed to be, it looked like I was
behind the vertical and it got me thinking if some people teach a dressage seat like this? I don't want to pick up more bad habits along the way.

 

[touchstone]

There are some dressage riders who seem to tip their shoulders behind the vertical and use a driving seat, which I can understand when riding extended paces, but for 'normal' riding I'd stick with the basics of a good classical position. I'd agree that he doesn't sound the right horse, you want something light and responsive.