Hunt Seat?

[Achinghips]

..... Pros and cons ? Interested to know as ive been taught to ride light. However, i still feel safer and gain better control when ned is frightened or over excited to adopt hunt seat on a hack

 

[spacefaer]

I'm confused by your question as so far as I understood it, " hunt seat" IS sitting light? ?

It's an American style of riding, halfway between 3 point (dressage style) where the rider's seat bones, thighs and calves are all in contact, and 2 point (jumping) where only the thighs and calves are in contact. In the hunt seat, the rider is slightly out of the saddle but only half a fist away from the seat.

It's used in specialist showing classes in the USA.

If I was on a horse that was frightened or spooking, I certainly wouldn't be in a hunt seat, I'd have my backside firmly in the saddle and my heels well down!

 

[Achinghips]

Are you American? Or maybe my age means terms have adapted since I was a young girl. The hunt seat I refer to is similar to that which you describe in your last paragraph, but leaning back slightly and legs quite far forward with lots of weight in seat, like you see in old hunting pictures with hounds

 

[Templebar]

Hunt seat is a widely used American term but in the UK generally refers to the seat you might take on a hunting horse as a safe position, in the saddle, legs may/may not be slightly forward to brace almost.

Personally I ride a horse that is spooky in a light or half seat as I would call it, so I hover above the back and therefore any movements they make go underneath me, similar style to a jockey. If it is frightened, once they are starting to calm I will sit deeper and close my legs around them (think hugging) to reassure them.

 

[LHIS]

I haven't heard the phrase, nor have I been hunting, but I'm being retaught to ride by my instructor using classical riding techniques, and that involves being light but connected. So I have been taught to make sure I have my inner thighs and calves on the saddle, my legs wrapped around my pony like a hug to make him feel secure. It means when he spooks I go with him, but because I'm relaxed its a fluid movement with no bouncing about.

 

[TheSylv007]

Are you American? Or maybe my age means terms have adapted since I was a young girl. The hunt seat I refer to is similar to that which you describe in your last paragraph, but leaning back slightly and legs quite far forward with lots of weight in seat, like you see in old hunting pictures with hounds

That's what I always understood as well. I'm not sure I feel that much more secure like that, I tend to try and sit lighter to absorb any random movements underneath me!

 

[webble]

I haven't heard the phrase, nor have I been hunting, but I'm being retaught to ride by my instructor using classical riding techniques, and that involves being light but connected. So I have been taught to make sure I have my inner thighs and calves on the saddle, my legs wrapped around my pony like a hug to make him feel secure. It means when he spooks I go with him, but because I'm relaxed its a fluid movement with no bouncing about.

Who is your instructor if you don't mind me asking?

 

[LHIS]

Who is your instructor if you don't mind me asking?

Elaine Sutcliffe, she's based just outside Chelford in Cheshire.

 

[Achinghips]

Personally I ride a horse that is spooky in a light or half seat as I would call it, so I hover above the back and therefore any movements they make go underneath me, similar style to a jockey.

lovely, wish I still had the core strength and balance for that lol

 

[Annagain]

I used to adopt that sort of seat with my very strong ID. It worked - sort of - but there was a lot of hauling and a lot of arguing. Then I went on one of these clinics: http://www.msjump.co.uk/hold-your-horses.html. Never before has one clinic changed so much about the way I do things! It revolutionised the way I rode him and I tend to do the same as Templebar suggests - being up out of the seat doesn't mean you have to be forward you can still do it and keep your weight back. It detaches you from everything going on underneath so it has less of an effect on your balance and it stops you inadvertently driving with your seat. I find he's much better and easier to stop now that I do this.

 

[Achinghips]

I used to adopt that sort of seat with my very strong ID. It worked - sort of - but there was a lot of hauling and a lot of arguing. Then I went on one of these clinics: http://www.msjump.co.uk/hold-your-horses.html. Never before has one clinic changed so much about the way I do things! It revolutionised the way I rode him and I tend to do the same as Templebar suggests - being up out of the seat doesn't mean you have to be forward you can still do it and keep your weight back. It detaches you from everything going on underneath so it has less of an effect on your balance and it stops you inadvertently driving with your seat. I find he's much better and easier to stop now that I do this.

Don't you find that if your horse is trained from the seat, you then lose control if out of it? I don't really need reins with my horses, truth be told ..... It's all in the weight of the seat

What an interesting thread ....

 

[spacefaer]

I think you mean a hunting seat!

 

[Annagain]

Don't you find that if your horse is trained from the seat, you then lose control if out of it? I don't really need reins with my horses, truth be told ..... It's all in the weight of the seat

What an interesting thread ....

I'm not sure how trained mine is to be honest! All he did before I had him was hunt and while he'll do an ok test up to novice, we're no Charlotte and Blueberry!

However, the way Mark explained it in that clinic is that the deeper you sit (as instinct/ years of conditioning teaches you), the more you're driving with your seat, unintentionally. He said pushing upper body weight forwards or backwards was a better way of increasing/decreasing speed. It certainly seems the case with my horse. Within 15 minutes he had me stopping simply by bringing my upper body weight back - after years of battling! Then he made me go faster by going forward - I wasn't keen at first, but knowing I could stop gave me the confidence to do it and within another 10 minutes I was on a big circle speeding up and slowing down, all with my hands holding the breastplate as well as the reins so I couldn't really pull with them! Now all I do when I want him to stop is push my weight back and say "woah" and he *usually* does. If he doesn't, I still have the back up of a quick pull on the reins.

He made me ride with my stirrups 4 holes shorter though. Not happy. I couldn't walk for a week.

 

[ycbm]

A hunting seat, with the feet pushed forward, is used to stop you shooting over the horse's head if it puts in a sudden stop or pecks on landing when jumping at high speed - like out hunting I personally would not attempt a big hedge with a drop on landing in any other style, but the rest of the time, including hacking, I ride dressaarrge style

 

[Bernster]

Yes, I understand a hunting seat to be weight in the saddle, legs slightly pushed forward, leaning slightly back. For more trappy situations so you don't get pitched forward. I had to re educate my position after my first season of hunting as I was in classic water ski position. But I have been told that it can encourage the horse to shoot forward and ****** off on you, so perhaps not always the safest seat to adopt!

 

[Orangehorse]

Just a comment -I have spent many £100s going to different trainers and clinics trying to find the solution to correct riding.
You know what? Everyone says something different.

I once said I would like to lock them all in room and not them out until the white smoke was coming out of the chimney, so they could all teach riders to ride correctly in the same manner.

As for "Hunt Seat" this is an accepted way of riding in the USA/South Africa where you mostly use your seat and thighs to connect and a very, very light hand on the bit, which is a double. Only the outside leg is used to give an aid to canter when in the show ring. It is supposed to looks as though you are riding an elegant, but firey horse and you are doing nothing but it is under control.

 

[webble]

Elaine Sutcliffe, she's based just outside Chelford in Cheshire.

Oh yes I've heard good things about her 😀