Driving myself potty! Bit of a riding rant...

K

Kittykins

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 February 2006
Messages
523
Location
Lewes, East Sussex
Visit site
After a break from any riding for a couple of years, and a break from 'proper' riding for about a decade, I've recently started having lessons again.

It's going much better than I expected, but the one thing really driving me nuts is my total inability to SIT DOWN! No matter what I do, I just can't seem to get my weight down into the saddle, and the more I concentrate on it the further up I rise until I'm practically standing up.

For the last couple of lessons my instructor has had me doing trot to halt transitions to really try to work on the problem, (it's certainly highlighting it!), and it doesn't help that the horse I'm learning on is a bit of a fidget, but seriously, I'm at my wits end. I ask for the halt, fail to get my weight down, end up using more rein to compensate which pulls me even further out of the saddle, and we end up stopping somewhere around F when we were aiming for B with me muttering blue murder at myself under my breath. I tried dropping the reins (holding them on the buckle) but as I say, the mare is a bit of fidget and a riding school horse, so she's used to having hand aids in a downward transition.

I know I used to be able to do it, just can't for the life of me figure out how! Aargh! :mad:
 
I did ask my instructor. She said "Well the way I do it is I just sort of sit... down..." :s She's a nice girl and the lessons are doing a lot for my confidence so I won't knock her, it is a hard thing to describe to someone.

I guess the problem that I'm having is in relaxing without ending up like a sack of spuds. If I relax too much my shoulders stoop and I end up as a dead weight. So it's trying to both carry myself and get my weight down together that I'm finding difficult to do.

No stirrups... ah yes, that brings back memories. It's definitely the way I learned to do it the first time around. But then, I was about ten years old then. ... You're right, of course, but I might need a bit more confidence building first.
 
Apologies, I was being a bit facetious. But seriously, I had the same problem and lunge lessons (with, then without stirrups!) meant I could totally concentrate on my position without worrying about steering/pace, etc. I found that leaning back - or what felt like, in actuality I was properly sitting up - did wonders for my balance and posture. Don't worry about carrying your weight for now, practice practice practice your posture. If you're instructor isn't happy to give lunge lessons find some one is.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top