Student with incorrect leg position

[cashmaneventing]

I have a new student, she is around 8. I have been working with her for about 3 weeks now and I just can't get her out of a chair seat position. At the walk she is perfectly fine, her legs are right underneath her but the second she trys to post the trot she swings her leg way out infront of her. I have tried a few different ways of explaining this but nothing has really helped her figure out where to put her leg, does anyone have any exercises or suggestions I could do to fix this?
Thanks!!

 

[Midlifecrisis]

It’s possible the saddle itself doesn’t help your student…and she’s only 8..hopefully her mount doesn’t have a big tummy as that can push legs forward. Take a long schooling whip hold it vertically shoulder hip and heel just to help her visualise and get the feel. Riding without stirrups to encourage legs to hang might help too.

 

[ycbm]

That's likely to be either a saddle with the bars too far forward of the lowest point in the saddle, or a pony/saddle which is too wide for the child's hips, or both.

If the saddle and pony are right for her then she shouldn't have to "figure out where to put her leg", it should hang where it's supposed to be.

It takes a great deal of core strength to overcome a forward stirrup bar, which an 8 year old will rarely have. And very open hip joints to ride a wide horse with a correctly placed leg, which she also may not have.

It might help, if you have the leeway, to shorten her stirrups.
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[LadyGascoyne]

It sounds like she might be using the stirrups to rise. Do you do rising trot without stirrups? I hated it as a child but my childhood instructor used to make us do it frequently.

And does she ever ride the pony bareback? I spent hours riding bareback as a youngster and I think it really helped me to build balance and depth in my seat, and not to rely on stirrups.

 

[Skib]

Do you do rising trot without stirrups?

I have never mastered this. I found rising trot very difficult. It was solved by an RI who told me to put my hands low either side of the saddle and picture the rise as rolling my hips forward between my hands, as if rolling a ball.

I was also told that as the horse is moving forwards while one is up out of the saddle, there is no need to put your seat down backwards, because the horse plus the saddle has moved forwards under you, while you are on the rise. May be the child is being rational and trying to put her seat back down on the spot from where it rose, hence pushing her legs forwards?

My grand chldren practiced rising in walk which I too did to strenthen my ankles after Covid lockdown. My RI escort found rising in walk very difficult but I still rise in walk sometimes as we get back to the yard, because it loosens me up ready to dismount.

 

[Goldenstar]

It’s usually about failure maintain the bend in knee and rising to high .

 

[ycbm]

I have never mastered this. I found rising trot very difficult. It was solved by an RI who told me to put my hands low either side of the saddle and picture the rise as rolling my hips forward between my hands, as if rolling a ball.

In think a better description is to let the horse throw you up and to control the descent. Much easier that trying to rise. Also to think of the hips going forwards, not upwards.
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[webble]

Like others I was about to suggest a saddle not being right for the rider issue. When you say student if you are teaching are you looking at the picture as a whole?

 

[Orangehorse]

Ride without stirrups and let the legs hang down? Sounds as though the saddle is putting her in that position, which sounds like the hunting seat, maybe she was started like this?

 

[McGrools]

Light seat, standing up in stirrups in trot.?Shorten the stirrups and teach her to balance off the horses back. This will get her weight down into her feet. C

 

[Midlifecrisis]

Has OP ever returned to consider our suggestions??

 

[ycbm]

Has OP ever returned to consider our suggestions??

Not logged on since Saturday, but this thread is in an area that can be seen by non members so possibly, but it's a bit rude not to respond.

To find out, click the avatar and the box that comes up will tell you when they last logged on.