Tips for staying in the saddle?

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Jinx94

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As some of you might remember, a month or so ago I put up a post about being put on the "wrong horse", him taking off around the arena at warp speed and me exiting through the side door.

I lost a stirrup when he took offense to me trying to take back some control and swerved in the opposite direction (not a problem, I could cope without) but then did an odd skippy bunny hop to sort his legs out. This swung me completely clear of the saddle :eek:

Does anyone have any advice for me so that I don't do this again?

Thanks x
 
Jinx94 said:
As some of you might remember, a month or so ago I put up a post about being put on the "wrong horse", him taking off around the arena at warp speed and me exiting through the side door.

I lost a stirrup when he took offense to me trying to take back some control and swerved in the opposite direction (not a problem, I could cope without) but then did an odd skippy bunny hop to sort his legs out. This swung me completely clear of the saddle :eek:

Does anyone have any advice for me so that I don't do this again?

Thanks x
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School and learn how to school with lessons. Many riders have no idea how to school a horse. You start with walk and then walk to halt > halt to walk > you do lateral moves in the school in walk. and then you move on when you have your correct position and the horse is happy with you. Doing squares is a brilliant way circles any fool can do, squares is very hard to do, takes time and a lot of concentration.

Lunge lessons but you need a good horse and a good instructor.
 
My advice isn't very wise, but it's how I developed a good seat... Get on some horses that are doing their damned best to dump you on the floor! You'll either stick or fly! Because I had no intention of ending up in hospital, I stuck :p

On a more sensible note, I echo the suggestion for lessons without stirrups. A gym class also helped me to realise why I can stick- we were using exercise balls and you had to balance on them with no feet on the floor, by using your core. Everyone else kept falling off, but I have a strong core and can use it to balance myself minutely in whatever direction is required to help prevent floor splattering. I also noticed this after I was two stirrups down on a horse that was trying to get me on the floor and was going round bucking- the next day, my abs were somewhat sore! so the point of that ramble was to suggest building up core stregth as well.

And don't forget that somethings are impossible to sit out!
 
Exercise ball sounds like a great idea! :) as well as riding stirrupless you can also try reinless. Can be good to do some schooling with your arms out to the sides and level, do slow arm windmills, or fold your arms behind your back with a stick or your riding crop threaded through the crook of your elbows. Teaches you not to fold in at the midriff if the horse moves or stops unexpectedly and to sit upright with your shoulders back - and it's great for the tummy muscles! What's happening in the head/shoulder region is important for keeping your bum in the saddle too :)
 
If you lost a stirrup, did you tense up and grip with your lower legs? I'd echo stirrupless but also doing some stirrup work in a 2 point seat and really work on heels down :-)
 
Mrs C, I think I tensed up briefly, but then focused on sitting deep and breathing properly as he'd calmed down before when I had made myself relax, but him faffing with his feet caught me completely off guard.

I'm going to do the pony loan scheme at college which will mean that I can work on particular things, its difficult at the moment as I've been riding polo ponies and they just want them exercised :)
 
I bought a gel seat saver from Horse Health which is also BD legal for my mare that spins like nothing on earth! I do think it gives me a bit of extra "stick" but I think that psychologically speaking just knowing it was there has helped me ride more confidently and relax more therefore saving me from tensing up. Might be worth a look? x
 
I rode out with someone recently who told me that your lower leg is your seatbelt, I first learned to ride a long time ago, but not to any great level, I tended to grip with my knees on the few occasions I did ride.

I started learning again in my early 40s, mostly hacking out so not a huge amount of attention given by me to the mechanics of my posture beyond "omg I don't want to fall!! . Recently had a couple of tumbles, all my fault as my horse is a saint who usually saves my skin but there's only so much she can do...

I learn something from everyone I ride out with, have been concentrating a lot on sitting straight and keeping shoulders back, I forgot about my leg. This lady noticed that when cantering my leg tipped back and I tipped forward, her comment really helped me to focus. So there you go, your leg is your seatbelt!
 
I had a rearer I point blank refuse to fall off or get off then I was young and brave allways had neck strap iv wrapped my arms round his neck and grapped a teeth full of mane and at one point had my legs round his neck. didn't look good but I stayed on. Wouldn't do it now not brave enough
 
puss said:
I had a rearer I point blank refuse to fall off or get off then I was young and brave allways had neck strap iv wrapped my arms round his neck and grapped a teeth full of mane and at one point had my legs round his neck. didn't look good but I stayed on. Wouldn't do it now not brave enough
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heh id love to see a picture of that!
Funny, how we were all so much braver when we're younger yet logically you would think the more experience we have added under our belts over the years would make you a more confident and thus braver riders now able to cope with most situations a horse can throw at us.

maybe we actually are more able to cope but just less likely to want to. I know for sure my brave pants are safely tucked away with my g-strings in my knicker draw these days and neither get much of an outing..and that i can live with!
 
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