Horse Rider Tips: Improving Balance

 Horse Rider Balance

Many times folks don't realize that they are sitting crooked in the saddle. If they are off-center, they tend unintentionally to "grip" or create a brace on the side that they are less connected with the horse. This lack of centered-ness affects the communication, timing, effectiveness of an aid, and the quality of the ride.

We often talk about "independent" aids, riders for years have been hearing things such as "hands up, heels down, look up, sit up," etc. but often do not understand how when one body part is "misaligned" there is a trickle down effect on the rest of the rider's body position, movement, and balance.

Something as "simple" as looking down, can cause the rider's shoulder's to curl forward, them to tip their pelvis forward creating an imbalanced seat, and pushing down (bracing) with their feet to prevent themselves from "falling" forward. It can cause the rider to brace their shoulders, lock their elbow and wrist, grip with their fingers, and an overall hanging on the reins.

Instructors tend to nag students about an individual body part, rather than educating the rider how each piece is connected, or helping them learn to find "center" when in the saddle. By doing so, it can "fix" symptomatic problems that have plagued riders for years.

I'm not going through my whole anatomical riding lecture on here, but I want to discuss the initial and most important piece. ALL of the rider's balance comes from their seat bones. Those are the two pointy bones at the top of the thigh, that you sit on.

Imagine your seat bones are like the two prongs on an electrical cord, and you are going to learn to "plug" yourself into the saddle, rather than sitting on the saddle like a sack of potatoes.

You can practice sitting in your saddle when it is on a secure stand or rack. First stand straight up in the stirrup, then place yourself in what you think is the center of the saddle. Notice if you can feel both bones equally or if you're sitting heavier to one side. (Typically, if you're right handed you'll always sit heavier to that side, and same thing vice versa.)

Let's first practice feeling two incorrect positions (which will help you find the ideal position faster.)

First, over-rotate your pelvis forward, rolling your hip bones backward, towards where the horse's tail would be. You'll feel your entire upper body compress, or shrink, to "compensate" from your lack of stability- this will also cause your lower leg to initially swing in front of you. To compensate, people try to adjust the leg forward, which unintentionally "pushes" the rider's seat backwards in the saddle, becoming behind the horse's motion.

In the second common imbalanced position, rotate your hips forward, collapsing your lower back, and angling your pelvis back, towards the horse's tail. You'll feel your lower back compress while unintentionally pulling your shoulders back and together (hollowing between the shoulder blades) to avoid the feeling of falling forward. If you had reins in your hands, you'd be gripping for "stability" without meaning to.

Pause, stand up, and re-seat yourself to find the seat bones, and imagine plugging them straight down into the center of the saddle again, like you were plugging the electrical cord into the outlet.

You can practice "finding them" on any hard surface you sit on, but this is something that needs to become a "natural," instantaneous behavior. At first you'll have to conscientiously remind yourself to keep assessing your body and focusing on finding them and center.

Practice sitting on a hard surface and having a conversation, phone call, or eating a meal. Then notice how much you have unintentionally moved or compensated your seat bones off center; and that's without a horse influencing your movement.

Without the centered and plugged in seat, the rider's legs grip, cling, and "drive," creating unintentional nagging that the horse learns to ignore. Their hands and arms create a brace for the horse to lean on, become heavy on the bridle and there is a "wall" that limits the communication between human and the horse's brain.

The imbalanced rider teaches the horse to have increasingly defensive, anticipative interactions, while diminishing his trust. This creates resistant equine behavior, that can quickly overwhelm to the rider because of their already ineffective aids.

Curious about learning more? Check out the Horse Rider Skills nine-part video series offered on the Remote Horse Coach video catalog. Click the link to learn more.