Improving my seat (so I can try and fall off a little less)?

Lots of good advice, agree re the long reins, it looks like you need more contact.

Also I may be totally off but i don't think your saddle suits you, can't put my finger on it but something is off.
Try maybe a hole longer, you don't want a too long or you will be comprising your jump position.

Also agree to get a BE trainer, they will be more verses over the three disciplines to help you.

Hope my rumblings make sense:)
 
Although it might not be 'correct' in the long run, I'd be thinking about getting my heels down and forward and sitting right back whilst holding a firm contact and keeping my leg on. This is a defensive position but it should help make it easier to feel what's happening and to stay in the saddle. And then in the long run I'd look at getting some lessons with an experienced instructor, and maybe investing in an air jacket? I wouldn't be without mine and it does give a bit more confidence knowing that if you do come off it might not hurt as much as usual!
 
Hi, thought I would just add, it appears that you learn forward on your right side, so you may actually be twisting in the saddle which helps you horse spin. have you had your back looked at? I swear by getting my back looked at 1-2 per year at least to keep me balanced and up right in the saddle :)
 
Hi no comments on position etc as been plenty of good advice. I would just like to say feel your pain. My chestnut ex racer mare has a nasty spook and spin manoeuvre. Don't fall off often but am often halfway there. The thing that helped me is getting bigger blocks made for my saddle. Not a substitute for good position but helps me in the meantime. Good luck x
 
Does the saddle fit well enough without the polypad? I've never used one on my own horse but always felt I was rolling around when on other horses wearing them. Your stirrups look way too short and your position makes MY knees ache just looking at you! With such long legs, I wonder if you'd be better using a less forward cut GP rather than a jump saddle as you're perched a bit behind the centre of the saddle in most photos. I also concur with the long reins observations, he is being dropped when going into the fence.

I have to say though that he has a really dirty stop. Try trotting into your jumps for a while, he looks like he had a lot of speed before the stop and spin manoeuvre.
 
Ironically this saddle/stirrup situation is the only one I'm yet to fall off of....

I do lot's of cantering in the countryside, we go hunting a lot, those photos are the first time I went XC schooling after breaking my leg. I was some what nervous! We have improved again since then (I think!) and are gradually building confidence again. I will take on board shortening my reins and maybe try dropping my stirrups a few holes. Will definitely be getting some lessons, just not right now. Hopefully be in a position to afford them again in the spring.
 
Girlracer said:
Ironically this saddle/stirrup situation is the only one I'm yet to fall off of....

I do lot's of cantering in the countryside, we go hunting a lot, those photos are the first time I went XC schooling after breaking my leg. I was some what nervous! We have improved again since then (I think!) and are gradually building confidence again. I will take on board shortening my reins and maybe try dropping my stirrups a few holes. Will definitely be getting some lessons, just not right now. Hopefully be in a position to afford them again in the spring.
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It's so refreshing seeing someone determined to improve rather than moan and write off the horse so well done, I think your really brave. I always think back to the riders with the most stickability I have seen and they all have there lower leg pushed right forward to the point it looks incorrect but it really does give you a more secure seat. If you do this approaching the jumps - it just puts you in the most secure position regardless of if they stop or spook or spin. And agree with every one about try dropping the stirrups. Good Luck.
 
I'll be watching this thread with interest for Ideas, I know exactly how you feel, my ex racer has the exact same STOP! I've recently fallen off 3 times in 9 days with that, STOP, drop shoulder, spin...the jump is always small, always when we're warming up, my instructor says I too have to work on lightening my seat but put more weight in my stirrups! At the moment it doesn't feel right/safe ;)
 
I have one more suggestion...agree with all the others about position, etc. And good on you for working through it. You have him in a fixed ring snaffle - with cheeks, I know they are supposed to help with steering but sometimes they make things just a little too fixed. I would suggest a loose ring snaffle with the same mouthpiece as although you are not altering the brakes, you are giving yourself a fraction more of time to stop him setting his neck for the spin - he can't do that quite so fast with nothing to lean on.
 
kerrieberry2 said:
I'm no professional but in the pic where you're not jumping I'd say you could do with putting your strips down quite a few holes!!
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I'd agree - I'd pop your stirrups down a couple of holes. I have a pony who is very narrow and does the spin and p*ss off in the opposite direction very well too - I try to counteract it by riding a little like a cowboy, with my feet forward so I have a good 'platform'. Not saying it always works...but it makes me feel a little safer!!
 
I really rate the gel seat saver from Horse Health - def seems to help keep my butt in the saddle when mine spin! My ginger one (now retired thank god!) dropped me in front of as many fences as he cleared! I'll be honest in the end I was riding with a fairly defensive seat and longer stirrups and rode every fence like he might just say no. I bought a little jump stick and would give him a tap on the shoulder on the approach just to remind him that it would be novel if he'd actually concentrate on the fence ;-)
Good luck - I think he looks awesome but he does remind me of my naughty man in his younger days!
 
I'd agree with the length of leg comments but I'd also like to add what a lovely horsewoman you seem to be. You really appear to be invested in improving your riding and relationship with your horse- and I have never heard you moan about your boy, despite the fact that he's clearly a character!

I have a totally nutty ginger. Rears, spins, bucks, bolts, cat-leaps. She has a particularly charming 180' spin on the back legs. I found that relaxing my knee in longer stirrups, sacrificing a neat position, and keeping my weight deep in my heels helped a lot. It's not a permanent solution but I found when I stayed on, pulled her up and insisted that we continued as planned, she gave it up fairly quickly. Also, riding bareback or without stirrups (I did it with horse on the lunge rein to start with) really improved my seat and balance. She still does it on occasion but it's usually only if something genuinely scary surprises her (ostrich, last time) and I have a much better chance of managing it.
 
What LadyGascoyne and others have said. Long leg and weight in heels and leg wrapped softly around horses tum. I had a similar 'spin if scared' horse and it must have worked for me as I was still in the saddle when he slipped and fell on me :o there's a good chance that if I'd been unseated he'd have trodden on me when he tried to get up. I also had a synthetic saddle with a suede seat. That and full seat jodhpurs also helped in the spinning moments :)
 
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does he only do it when jumping? For me, you can't beat the security of a dressage saddle with some fairly good knee/thigh blocks! I hack in mine etc.... is there anyone you could borrow one off to try?
 
Ditch the spurs and get a few lessons, he is taking over whenever it suits him. Nice type though!
P.S. the BHS have a great idea about not gripping the horse and using balance......... well I can assure you that pro jockeys have super balance, rapid reactions, but also they keep knees tight when schooling [jumping novices]
Personally, hacking a young horse, I use any means available to keep my centre of gravity in the centre, on some boys it means grasping the mane, on some it is the neck strap,and others I try to sit deep and long, seems to me you are anticipating trouble , and that is transmitted to him.
If you dont have an independent seat, [ you can give him a crack with whip just as he is about to dump you], then this is what you need to work on........
 
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When he is going forward you are sitting just fine, but when he is sharp, you are taken by surprise, you just need to ride more, can you do some bareback riding on little ponies to improve balance, more riding, more fitness, more determination, more confidence, you will be fine, but you need a bit of instruction to get you both thru this.
 
MrsD123 said:
If you dont have an independent seat, [ you can give him a crack with whip just as he is about to dump you], then this is what you need to work on........
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Hmm, I had a very good eventer who was a master of the spin and buck - if you'd taken that approach it would have been the last anyone saw of you! Courses for horses.

OP you do have to do some work to get your leg more secure and your horse more in front of it. I know you said lessons are not an option but I would highly recommend skipping a day's hunting and taking yourself off to an eventer and/or someone who rides a lot of young/tricky horses and having not only a lesson about the specific issue but a good chat about your stirrup length etc. Experimenting is all well and good but someone standing there in the flesh (perhaps even willing to get on the horse) can give a you the most pertinent information in the shortest period of time.
 
TarrSteps said:
Hmm, I had a very good eventer who was a master of the spin and buck - if you'd taken that approach it would have been the last anyone saw of you! Courses for horses.
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Not necessary or even desirable to crack with the whip, it was just a quick definition of "independent seat" lol
The horse needs ridden forward!
 
Thanks everyone!

I may do a thread for recommendations in my area, I don't have transport though you see, that's my main issue otherwise I would skip hunting and go for a lesson but I hack to the meet lol.

But I have a nice school I can use locally (ours is more of a lunge pen!) so if someone travelled then I'd be okay.

And thanks for all the nice comments, not much point moaning about the horse because the only other person that' ever ridden him is a flat race jockey (or 6 of them to be exact) so any downfalls are of my own doing! We've got lot's to work on, but I do hope one day we might get there....
 
Is the saddle too far back, making you sit too far back, just a thought, you are a good rider and he is a good horse, you just need to get together !
I find it interesting that he may whip round either way, this is not the norm.
 
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Hi and well done for sticking with him and trying to make things better. He does look very strong to me, also I would say you are ahead of him coming up to the jump so there is no way you will anticipate what he is going to do. You need to slow it all down, go back to trotting poles and cavaletti until you have a good in control movement going. It does look like you are just throwing yourself over the jump hoping he will follow, which he isn't as he will then know you have already gone on ahead of him(sic) good luck and keep up the good work you will get there.
 
Agree with the stirrups going down a hole or two, also full seat breeches are worth their weight in gold even if only for the placebo effect! Looks to me like the seat on the saddle isn't big enough as you look occasionally to be falling out the back of it?

Can you get some eyes/hands on the ground to help you if you were to do some no stirrups work? I find that helps me sit more and grip less with my thigh/knee. Try rolling your shoulders back a little as you'll not tip over forward so much? I have a brown emergency stop and spinner and found he was also lacking a bit of confidence so went back to basics and worked up again from there and it helped with the spin part a lot! I assume his back/teeth saddle have been checked too?
 
leflynn said:
Agree with the stirrups going down a hole or two, also full seat breeches are worth their weight in gold even if only for the placebo effect! Looks to me like the seat on the saddle isn't big enough as you look occasionally to be falling out the back of it?

Can you get some eyes/hands on the ground to help you if you were to do some no stirrups work? I find that helps me sit more and grip less with my thigh/knee. Try rolling your shoulders back a little as you'll not tip over forward so much? I have a brown emergency stop and spinner and found he was also lacking a bit of confidence so went back to basics and worked up again from there and it helped with the spin part a lot! I assume his back/teeth saddle have been checked too?
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You have no idea how much money I have spent getting this horse right lol. He hasn't done a spin since May, but I'm sure it will make a re-appearance at some point. I took him back to basics once I got back on board, both for his and my benefit. I have no facilities though which doesn't help. I have two poles and two wings that fall over a lot!

The saddle was new, fitted by a saddle fitter in August so I do hope she hasn't sold me something that doesn't fit me. I feel very comfortable in it though, and more secure than I did in my K2 ironically.

I do no stirrup work everytime I school which is good for me, I ride every day. I must say I think i'd benefit on lessons on something straightforward? As I seem to ride totally different on Major to what I do on another horse? Last year I had a nice straight forward coloured on loan and I felt that the confidence I gained on him really transferred on to Major. He is a really sensitive, quirky boy and not one I ever pick a fight with, and if I do I choose it carefully so I know I'll win. He's very over the top over most things, however generally a pretty chilled guy and we have lot's of fun. Mostly hacking and hunting! :)
 
I agree, slightly longer stirrups - because you have shorter stirrups you are sat a little too far back in the saddle, which throws your centre of balance off. I know this can be a security blanket thing (easier to stay on if they're jumping around) but with a spinner you want your legs wrapped round them as much as possible! In a couple of photos you look like you're using your reins to balance, which won't help if he does spin. I also agree that the saddle looks a bit too far back in the top two pics, but again just could be the way he's positioned.

My old horse used to spin out on hacks (for literally no reason) and I bought a saddle with huge knee rolls so I was fairly wedged into the saddle, which helped a lot! It meant that if he did spin, I probably wouldn't fall off, and I could tell him off and the spinning became less frequent.

Also no stirrups work is great for a secure seat, if you're worried about him misbehaving, see if you can get a lunge lesson on someone else's horse!
 
Hi Girlracer. This isn't an observation about your riding, but a question about how your boy goes when jumping. He looks rather like my old boy, in taking hold when jumping and almost being too enthusiastic, which led to him getting long and hollow in the approach to the jump. In turn, he sometimes got on the wrong stride and would stop in much the same way yours does (brought back fond and painful memories!!).

I did loads of schooling over small jumps, grids and loads of jumping out of trot, so I could lengthen and shorten the stride as I saw fit and get him in a much shorter, bouncier canter stride. It didn't always go to my plan, but did improve hugely over time - as did my confidence in him. If you can't find an instructor, you can still work on shortening & lengthening strides in a grid and start with shorter rather than longer if he is an onward-bound hollow chappie :D

This might be barking up the wrong tree for you as it's not so easy to tell from still photos how he goes, so ignore this if it's far from the reality!

Best of luck!
 
Girlracer said:
You have no idea how much money I have spent getting this horse right lol. He hasn't done a spin since May, but I'm sure it will make a re-appearance at some point. I took him back to basics once I got back on board, both for his and my benefit. I have no facilities though which doesn't help. I have two poles and two wings that fall over a lot!

The saddle was new, fitted by a saddle fitter in August so I do hope she hasn't sold me something that doesn't fit me. I feel very comfortable in it though, and more secure than I did in my K2 ironically.

I do no stirrup work everytime I school which is good for me, I ride every day. I must say I think i'd benefit on lessons on something straightforward? As I seem to ride totally different on Major to what I do on another horse? Last year I had a nice straight forward coloured on loan and I felt that the confidence I gained on him really transferred on to Major. He is a really sensitive, quirky boy and not one I ever pick a fight with, and if I do I choose it carefully so I know I'll win. He's very over the top over most things, however generally a pretty chilled guy and we have lot's of fun. Mostly hacking and hunting! :)
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I have my saddle checked and generally tweaked every 3 months as my TB seems to change at the drop of a hat/the seasons changing/the wind in a diff direction. I know you have spent a lot of time and have done all sorts, was just worried that something might be a bit off? If you feel you need a bit of a boost go and ride something a bit less quirky, it does give you confidence - surely it's worth a go too as you're willing to try anything for him :)
 
May I make a suggestion re the saddle?
Try sitting on your boy bareback....with your legs in your jumping position....and see if you feel more secure....(get someone to take a pic if poss to compare with your pics in the saddle)...this would help you make up your mind without going to an awful lot of expense.
Good luck
Bryndu
 
would you ride with an RS -tor ? it would be like a safety brake for you ,hes got a dirty stop in him !! but i do think ur a good rider maybe stirrups down would help a bit - i think id go for some stick tight spray lol
 
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