how to glue yourself to the saddle on a spooky horse?

Have you considered a calming supplement? My mare was mag deficient as has gone from spooky to laid back on magic and now magnitude (cheaper). She does still spook occasionally but her reaction is much less dramatic. I have also now got a trecker saddle which is a western looking English hacking saddle, since being on the mag though I've not had to rely on it much.
 
Add magnesium to feed, and sit deep in the saddle, and hold with your thighs, relax it will transfer to the horse. Grazing in the UK is lacking in magnesium so this supplement should be added to feed with salt to balance the ratio of potassium which is rather high in our grazing, result calmer horses
 
do some no stirrups work ( i say some i mean quite a bit). do it on the lunge if you feel safer it stregthens your core, balance and your leg position which all equal the sticky bum effect.

plus excercises ie. get somebody t o hold horse, kick out your stirrups cross arms and lean back for five and sit up foorwad for five and sit up and so on. or arms out sideways opposite hand to opposite toe. although lots of people think they are just childs play they are really effective in once again strengthening your core and also your ability to self-right yourself in the saddle

thanks to theses exercises i like to think that i have have quite a sticky bum plus i can alter stirrups and do up stirrups at a trot without losing the balance of either myself or my horse
if you don't feel confident doing theses on your horse have a go on a safe as houses sort that you know and then apply the results on yours :)
 
Heels down, sit up and and deep in the saddle with nice supple hips and lower back. Core strength of those big ******* that pull buses in worlds strongest man :p

Oh and a fierce determination that you don't want to know what the ground taste like.. I've not been unseated yet even when 18hh Clyde bronked and span so fast I got dizzy :S
 
Oh I forgot, don't let your hands turn over and don't let yourself hunch over as hard as it is you will fly off in spectacular fashion!
 
I have the most unspooky, sensible pony except when he puts in the most amazing spook, and I find myself on the floor! My teacher couldn't see what spooked him last time, and I have no idea.....he is so fast and sharp. I am now frightened to get on him...he is a saint in all other ways. Suggestions welcome please (like give up riding?). I have had him for 6 months...and know little about him except he has evented so shouldn't be too OTT about 'normal' stuff. Help!
 
I am certain my sticky bum is down to my first pony who could spook at anything at any time and any speed. At first I never let my guard down and always expected the spook. It then got to the point where I hardly noticed the spooking anymore and guess I just sat to it as second nature. I'd do some schooling, watch back the videos and see spooks that I didn't even notice at the time, some quite big ones too!
 
Summer pudding said:
I have the most unspooky, sensible pony except when he puts in the most amazing spook, and I find myself on the floor! My teacher couldn't see what spooked him last time, and I have no idea.....he is so fast and sharp. I am now frightened to get on him...he is a saint in all other ways. Suggestions welcome please (like give up riding?). I have had him for 6 months...and know little about him except he has evented so shouldn't be too OTT about 'normal' stuff. Help!
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This sounds very similar to my horse! Although she can be a bit looky in a school her really big spooks come out hacking and there's no sign of what she's spooked at!
I love my full seat breeches for added stickability! There's also breeches with silicone knee patches to help you stick, Tredstep do some that are fairly reasonable price.
As others have said, gel out or heather moffat seat savers. I've not tried the gel out ones but I have used the heather moffat ones and they do help.
 
If you can, try a different saddle. I had a spooky mare for years & never had a problem sitting her spins so was quite surprised to find myself sitting on the floor the first time my new horse had a big spook. Have changed the saddle to a more supportive jumping saddle & feel a lot more secure now!
 
Thank you everyone. I keep thinking to myself 'stay behind the motion'.

What size seat saver would i need for a 17 & a half inch saddle?

I already feed her magnesium x
 
Just to put in another thought re: seat savers… I know someone who got quite seriously hurt because of one. She *didn't* come out of the saddle when her horse fell at speed, as her seat saver kept her gripped in, and she got crushed. Lot of broken bones. She says that it was the kind of fall where you want to be thrown free and it stopped that happening…

If you do use one, don't ride out on any slippy surfaces with one, especially ice. Also would not recommend going XC or anything in one!!!!
 
There's a spray called sit-tight spray that's designed for riders.
I've never used it or seen it in person to say how sticky it is.
I do clean my saddle with Stubben Hamanol cream on the advice of a saddler and that seems to stop it from being as slippery.
 
Interestingly, I borrowed a seat saver, a furry one rather an a suede one, to see if it was more comfortable for a long hack. Horse is always spooky in a canter. But seat saver made me less secure in the saddle. Think I had less body contact between me and him, so I was less able to predict when a nasty swerve was coming.
But I do find full-seat jods very helpful to feel more anchored. Better than the slippery ones I'm currently riding in. Need some money to buy some new ones.
 
khalswitz said:
Just to put in another thought re: seat savers… I know someone who got quite seriously hurt because of one. She *didn't* come out of the saddle when her horse fell at speed, as her seat saver kept her gripped in, and she got crushed. Lot of broken bones. She says that it was the kind of fall where you want to be thrown free and it stopped that happening…
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That sounds seriously unpleasant. I don't think that the Heather Moffatt suede seat savers, like I have, would grip you as tightly as that. I am still able to wiggle my behind in the saddle if I want to. I would hate to feel 'stuck' to the saddle. I just want to be a little more secure in it.
 
Marydoll said:
Id have imagined a fall at speed would throw you out of the saddle, youre on it not in it, quite surprised to hear that khalswitsz
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Well, I guess your automatic reaction is to try and stay on, isn't it, and if the seat saver helps that at the wrong time then you can end up badly off. I know I've had a horse fall through a jump with me, land on knees, scramble about and back onto feet with me hanging onto the mane for dear life and feet in the air, so whilst her fall was much worse, I guess the seat saver made a big difference to her stickability. I wasn't there, so I don't know the dynamic of her fall, but she told me she majorly regretted the seat saver. But it's hard to predict when it might be good to come off!

However I also always advocate riding stirrupless in slippy conditions too, so that if they fall you know you fall free, so I am cautious.

ETA: Tiddlypom - Hers was a very sticky one, she bought it because her horse bucked really big, but I had a go of it once and struggled to jump in it as it was really sticky… however tbh it has put me off using one!
 
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madmav said:
Interestingly, I borrowed a seat saver, a furry one rather an a suede one, to see if it was more comfortable for a long hack. Horse is always spooky in a canter. But seat saver made me less secure in the saddle. Think I had less body contact between me and him, so I was less able to predict when a nasty swerve was coming.
But I do find full-seat jods very helpful to feel more anchored. Better than the slippery ones I'm currently riding in. Need some money to buy some new ones.
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I have used a seat saver and found it was a bit like Princess and the pea...I didn't feel in contact with the saddle/horse, so less secure. I love all the info about products that 'stick' you to the saddle.
 
My gelding is a recreational shyer and always has been. I started him as a three year old and at 15 he is only marginally better. Sticky bum jodhs help and my riding has improved quite a lot over the last 12 years !
 
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