bluewhippet
Well-Known Member
STrange question but still very confused!
Learnt more than 40 years' ago until 20 years' ago (gulp!). Came back to riding recently and then bought my own very lovely horse. Was told by my first instructor that I had a terrible kind of chair seat - legs too far forward, sat too far back. I used to be considered quite a good rider in my past! So I tried very hard to adjust.
Then got a lovely instructor - who has been very successful in dressage in the past and has a lifetime of teaching. She told me I sat too far forwards, stirrups too short and not to worry too much about my leg as it would come as my muscles improved. She thought I needed to sit down more as my horse is very spooky and I needed a deep seat.
My partnership with my horse was definitely improving but still feeling the need for work on my position so arranged for a series of lunge lessons at a big examination centre.
Immediately told to get my leg way way back, off the saddle and sit far forwards. Did loads of work standing in trot etc and eventually could balance well and instructor very pleased with my position. She wanted my stirrups up a couple of holes back to the original length.
Then after a couple of weeks' break had lesson on my horse with dressage/experienced instructor. Unfortunately this coincided with hunt meeting at my yard! My horse going bonkers - managed to stay on and work with him in a fairly tiring but educational way - but she said I would have found riding him forwards and sitting his bucks and rears much easier if my leg was farther forwards and I had longer stirrups and was sitting down on my seatbones properly, tucking bottom under me etc. I can see her point because my horse is prone to sudden 60 - 0 transitions and terrible spooks.
Has the position changed? Are they asking for different seats because coming from different disciplines? Is the best way somewhere between the two? The instructor who is very experienced and comes to the yard gets me and my horse working very well together.
Learnt more than 40 years' ago until 20 years' ago (gulp!). Came back to riding recently and then bought my own very lovely horse. Was told by my first instructor that I had a terrible kind of chair seat - legs too far forward, sat too far back. I used to be considered quite a good rider in my past! So I tried very hard to adjust.
Then got a lovely instructor - who has been very successful in dressage in the past and has a lifetime of teaching. She told me I sat too far forwards, stirrups too short and not to worry too much about my leg as it would come as my muscles improved. She thought I needed to sit down more as my horse is very spooky and I needed a deep seat.
My partnership with my horse was definitely improving but still feeling the need for work on my position so arranged for a series of lunge lessons at a big examination centre.
Immediately told to get my leg way way back, off the saddle and sit far forwards. Did loads of work standing in trot etc and eventually could balance well and instructor very pleased with my position. She wanted my stirrups up a couple of holes back to the original length.
Then after a couple of weeks' break had lesson on my horse with dressage/experienced instructor. Unfortunately this coincided with hunt meeting at my yard! My horse going bonkers - managed to stay on and work with him in a fairly tiring but educational way - but she said I would have found riding him forwards and sitting his bucks and rears much easier if my leg was farther forwards and I had longer stirrups and was sitting down on my seatbones properly, tucking bottom under me etc. I can see her point because my horse is prone to sudden 60 - 0 transitions and terrible spooks.
Has the position changed? Are they asking for different seats because coming from different disciplines? Is the best way somewhere between the two? The instructor who is very experienced and comes to the yard gets me and my horse working very well together.
