Legs on, legs off, thighs open or closed?!

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Walrus

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Right, I'm going to ask for your opinions on this as I'm getting progressively more confused. When you ride (flat) do you:

a) have your thighs snug against the saddle (not neccessarily gripping with the knee if it can be avoided) which in turn in theory keeps your lower leg off the horse so nerve endings in the side don't become dead and you just put your leg on to apply the aide.

or...

b) Do you open your knee and thigh so your lower leg is in constant contact with the horse's side to apply aides and play a supportive role.

Or do you do something totally different. I've heard both of these theories recently from different instructors. I can see the logical explanation for both yet they are pretty much polar opposite.

And not that it matters but this is in the context of general schooling, I ride at a riding school so lots of different horses not one specific one schooled in a certain way.

What do you do or which do you consider correct. Or should I stop thinking quite so much and just go for a flipping hack!!

Wold be interested to hear your thoughts...

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Thighs on - probably because I have short fat legs and ride wide horses - my lot are used to being ridden from the thigh rather than lower leg as I do have difficulty in getting my lower leg on - particularly as Farra is a 17 hand clyde and I am 5'. Chancer is just over 15 hands so I can get lower leg on for support if I need to. Farra - well not easy but can be done with some effort.

 
I let the leg hand so the thigh is in contact but the lower part of the lower leg is not in contact (depending on the type/size of horse). I use my heel for aids as and when needed and the upper part of the lower leg snug but not on to encourage/use for straightness. Hope that makes sense!
 
Depends if riding at jump length of dressage length. If dressage, the whole leg will be in contact with the horses side, because of the length of your leathers! So your whole leg should be "draped" around the horse. Normal length/jumping, your knee and thigh should be off the saddle and your lower leg on, your lower leg is your seatbelt, so should be the most secure part of your leg position
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Thanks guys - I find this really interesting. I was talking to one instructor who said basically the bhs used to teach instructors to tell riders to put the thigh on and only use the lower leg to gives aides - this resulted in a whole generation of people gripping with thier knees. This resulted in a change in tac to telling people to open their knee (which results in a fairly open thigh) and having thier lower leg as constant support to the horse's side.

One instructor says open knees and thigh otherwise you are obstructing the horse - to be fair this is the way I've been taught mostly and on the horses at the riding school it seems to work but looking at myself on camera I do look quite loose in the saddle.

I'm talking about flat schooling in a normal GP saddle - I can see how a dressage saddle and long length leathers will encourage you to wrap your whole leg round the horse, would be interesting to have a go in one!
 
For flatwork I would always think of wrapping my whole leg around the horse as close as possible & would in fact keep my lower leg in contact with the horse but use it to squeeze when I wanted to ask him something.

Not saying that is correct, btw - just what I do!

ETA - with regards to knees - Open & off the saddle at all times!
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I have to keep my leg off untill I want something. Keep my leg on and my mount tends to then ignore it and have to resort to unsightly pony club boots to get a reaction. I have actually made my pony jump out of her skin on hacks, when she's been ambling, and I'm looking at the scenery...I think she forgot I was on board. On that occasion I nearly fell off becuase I was laughing so hard...needless to say I got a look of total disgust.
 
I have ridden both ways in the past - when i first started i rode Western - so no upper leg contact (well very little leg contact of any sort) and everything from the seat. Years later i went to a riding school (by now I was riding on what felt like a teeny weeny GP saddle) during the era of Sally Swift teaching where we all rode from the thigh and disregarded to lower leg - and yes i am a victim of that style with a tendency to grip with my knee, especially in canter.

I really need to 'unlearn' all that and learn to relax my knee again - ho hum, when i can afford regular lessons it might happen
 
I was also taught to grip with the kneee and thigh and leave lower leg dangling. This was many moons ago and following recent riding lessons I am trying hard to unlearn my old riding style for my intructor who gets totally exasperated with me!

However, back home and riding out I revert to type !!!
 
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I was also taught to grip with the kneee and thigh and leave lower leg dangling. This was many moons ago and following recent riding lessons I am trying hard to unlearn my old riding style for my intructor who gets totally exasperated with me!

However, back home and riding out I revert to type !!!

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Ha,ha...snap
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I had a few lessons with my daughters instructor last year..OMG...her horses, who are all extremely well schooled, went all over the place with me in my first couple of lessons and I thought I was a competent rider
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. They all went seriously crooked because basically I was really crooked. Talk about show me up..lol
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i was always taught open thighs/knee open. But recently had instructor who very much rides from the thigh and i've had to totally change way i ride.

however my horse responds to much better- by riding with your thighs you can slow then down, turn their bodies, move them over and only use your leg and hand as a back up!! You can still keep your leg on with your thigh closed but careful not to grip with your knee.
 
yes...t'was the old school way wasnt it...

I was of the ' grip with knee' brigade, then I went for some lessons after not riding for many years ( before buying my own again).....I thought I was doing fine, but the look on the instructors face said different....
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Legs hang loosely close to the horse all the way down, draped lightly around the horse, for the aids, only a squeeze with the back of the lower leg (calf) not the heel, never a kick. Have always ridden this way, taught by fabulous instructor many moons ago, not BHS. See no reason to change.
 
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I have to keep my leg off untill I want something. Keep my leg on and my mount tends to then ignore it and have to resort to unsightly pony club boots to get a reaction. .

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I'm taking some dressage lessons at the mo and being told the same as you - to keep my knee and lower leg off as I've spent the last got knows how many years squeezing or kicking with every stride so that Rosie now ignores me!

Having legs off is very unnerving - but I know this is just to retrain me to keep legs still and not kick, and Rosie to answer my leg at the first squeeze.

Every part of my leg stays on when I'm jumping though
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I read something recently that said Germans ride with leg on, and the Dutch(?) ride with the leg off, and both do well
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I was taught (many, many years ago), to have knees in - we had to hold a twopence piece on with our knees. Now I'm more relaxed, and my thighs are so much bigger I don't think I could hold my knees away any way
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