HELP - I need a visual to help stop me riding my behind the leg youngster with my seat BEFORE he becomes dead to the leg :(

[Jester&Pie]

ANY advice / visuals needed to help re-tarin my brain. My youngster is behind the leg - needs to be off it, but it leaves me riding with my seat and worse my hands. I have lots of help - my instructor rides him before I get on to sharpen him up - as Im well aware what a nagging seat and even riding with my hands can do to a horse. I need help because this is a HABIT i formed as a kid on a stubborn cob. ANY tips useful - i think im tight in the hips so im working on that, I need a VISUAL or to concentrate on something else with MY legs and seat so i don't keep geeing him. Luckily I have my instructor who can ride him for short positive sessions and I focus on the hacking and popping logs as Im pretty ok at that. any advice helpful.

 

[sbloom]

Think of your seatbones as pistons - each hind leg pushes the seatbone on that side up and the seatbone then drops back in the same place. Remove all active movement and just receive the energy, this is harmonising and will help you connect to him with the seat. Most of us "over-harmonise" and actually end up pushing, or moving side to side, when we don't mean to. Just make sure it comes up INto your body, not that you tilt your pelvis and end up collapsing through your middle on each side.

Balance is often at the root of a lack of forwardness, I'd work on posture and balance ideally from the ground, just 10 minutes before you hack would help - see Slow Walk Work group on Facebook for a great (and free!) place to start, go to the featured posts.

A good ridden biomechanics coach would help you identify and isolate what you're doing.

 

[starbucker]

Get them moving, with the require que. lots of walk-trot-walk transitions. Go round trot at A back down at E before they have a chance to come down of their own accord then straight back up to trot, repeat. then when they are are moving nicely take your leg OFF. Then as soon as you feel them drift back kick kick, tap as required. Don't let them change gait without your say so. Better a short trot with you asking to come down, than it dribbling away ! your leg should mean go until I say otherwise - not keep going!

 

[Widgeon]

Get them moving, with the require que. lots of walk-trot-walk transitions. Go round trot at A back down at E before they have a chance to come down of their own accord then straight back up to trot, repeat. then when they are are moving nicely take your leg OFF. Then as soon as you feel them drift back kick kick, tap as required. Don't let them change gait without your say so. Better a short trot with you asking to come down, than it dribbling away ! your leg should mean go until I say otherwise - not keep going!

I found this massively helpful (for me and the horse) with my cob who is lazy in the arena - it worked for us and I am a very mediocre rider. So it should be helpful for anybody!