Is position everything?

[not_with_it]

Not wishing to start another heated debate but do you think a good position is the key to being a good rider?

This morning I went to watch some dressage to fill my time and I saw quite a few people with terrible positions. The most common being people who lean forward and round their shoulders, others were sat like a sack of spuds with a dangling lower leg. I have also seen pictures in mags of people who I want to shout at. To me a good position always stands out and perfects the picture.

So do you think riders with not so good positions can be as effective as someone with a good position?

Can I also say that clothes that fit you look so much smarter too.

 

[Bossanova]

No position is not everything but if you want to be a influential, effective rider it helps to have the right parts of you in contact with the right parts of the horse!!

 

[Halfstep]

Frankly, in dressage I think position is (nearly) everything. BUT, position does not equal tall thin rider with long legs. A short, round person can still have an excellent position (it just might not look as wonderful at first glance). A correct position means that the rider is able to give aids in a correct manner and communicate clearly to the horse without hindering him. Once the position is there, the rider needs to have timing and feel. But a good position goes a long way.

 

[kerilli]

i think it is extremely important. the better balanced and controlled the rider, the more precise and consistent the aids to the horse, and especially the more consistent and soft the hands. it is very difficult to be in perfect balance and have a poor position... the two tend to go hand in hand. one can't expect the horse to be smooth and balanced if the rider is not.

 

[Tempi]

i think youve opened another can of worms here

Im keeping my mouth firmly shut on this one!!

 

[not_with_it]

Obviously being tall and slim does help

Unfortunatly I ended up with the short gene.

There was a rider there who is quite well known but not super slim. She rode some super tests and she sat beautifully.

 

[Ginn]

No, I have a friend that has a textbook perfect position but is totally ineffective and while she looks very correct she still struggles to canter after a year of weekly lessons!

I think some people are very, very good riders and they use their position very effectively but do not ride in The correct position.

But I also think that a good position can help you become a more effective rider - for example I have ridden some real naughty little sh*ts in the past and developed a very defensive seat (though not necessarily effective) and am now finding that because I ram my legs forward I am struggling to use them effectively - when I do get my heels back and under my hips I tend to find that I get a better result to my aid. I have also recently discovered how effective the riders seat and body language/carriage is so am inclined to believe that if you are not in a position to use your seat effectively then you need to improve it.

Thats all quite contradicting isn't it

 

[not_with_it]

[ QUOTE ]
i think youve opened another can of worms here

Im keeping my mouth firmly shut on this one!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah well, Ive got a lesson in an hour so I'll get to escape.

 

[kerilli]

i should have said that my first answer referred to dressage riding. over jumps, it is quite different. one of the best and most effective horsemen i've seen is Vere Phillipps, but the first time i saw him ride (in the early 90s) i was a bit shocked, as i was expecting him to look good too! however, he has great hands, very effective legs, a supreme eye for a stride, and horses jump and jump and jump for him. he rides with his toes down sometimes, and a bit of blue plastic pipe instead of a whip at home (well, he used to anyway!) but jeez his horses love to jump, and learn a lot in the right way with him.

 

[MissDeMeena]

As an event rider, i think balance comes above position, but only just! they are both very important!!

 

[Weezy]

Balance is key, understanding and control of body is second, position and effective use is third.

 

[cobden99]

Yes I think position is key (but I also think good muscle tone is important). If you're not 'stacked up' correctly how can you be in balance - and if youre out of balance its harder to be effective.

 

[miller]

Can someone please tell my head this as it does like to tip forwards as soon as I'm concentrating!

 

[Vicki1986]

i have a reasonable position (low hands let me down!) but i think its more important to be an effective rider which usually does mean a good position.

if position is key why isnt it all clicking into place for me a bit more then!! haha

 

[viola]

[ QUOTE ]
So do you think riders with not so good positions can be as effective as someone with a good position?

[/ QUOTE ]

As far as dressage is concerned I think the way we sit on a horse is detrimental to how it moves and performs. I disagree that someone can ride 'pretty' but be ineffective. There is no such thing as pretty and inefective as if rider cannot ride the horse and just sits there looking like a manekin then there is no beauty in it.

I think position always comes first. Those who said 'balance' - I think position = balance. Position as I understand it in riding is not a fixed one off value - it's the position in movement i.e. a sequence of positions i.e. balance

Edited to say: the good position is not for looking pretty; it is good because it is effective and becasue it is effective it is pretty.
Someone who says they have a perfect position but are inefective are wrong. Their position needs a lot of work!

 

[Partoow]

Position is vital if you expect to understand your horse and FEEL the information that is being transmitted to you. It is not possible to effect a change in balance in the horse if you do not have balance yourself. Dressage relies in giving the horse a set of movements that have set balance requirements if we do not understand this balance by understanding our own balance through position then it really is'nt dressage.
I spend ALL my time teaching riders how to understand their own bodies so that they may understand their horses and effect a change and therefore the progressive systematic development of them both.

 

[henryhorn]

I think if there should be one rule for a rider, it's ensure you sit as correctly as you can.
It stands to reason, unless you can sit on a horse without influencing it's way of going, you shouldn't be trying to!
I often stand by the dressage arenas at events and long to say to so many riders, "If you just had a few lunge lessons without stirrups you would see how much higher up the scores you could go" but of course I just think it.
We were always made to start the day with 15 mins or half an hour minus stirrups , and what a difference it made. Of course you can't do that on a youngster or unsuitable horse but anyone who is struggling, I would always say check your position and balance first. Try sitting a child on your shoulders and get them to shift their balance slightly to one side; then you have an idea how your horse feels when for instance you collapse one hip and don't sit level.
As for clothes, they don't have to be expensive, but fit does make a difference.
I once had a friend who was a dressmaker suggest she make me a new showing jacket , and looking at the pics afterwards, she was right, I looked awful in my other one from the back.. (spuds and sack comes to mind)
My tailormade jacket took lbs off me and made me feel better too. There are loads of places to buy S/H jackets.
I don't believe anyone with a poor position can ever be as effective as someone who sits in balance and correctly. having said that when jumping often the way the horse takes the fence can catch you by surprise, in that case having an effective position will help you stay on, but the thrust of the horse may move you into some amazing positions!