Are You Sitting Comfortably?

How many times have you been told to sit back on your seat?  It’s good advice, of course, but the way you do it can have a huge effect on your position and your horse.

Most riders are aware of their two seat bones but what about your fork? That’s your pubic bone – or the front of your seat. (The bit nobody dares to mention!) It has to take some weight. How else can you support the weight of the front of your body?

Think about it. There’s a reason your feet stick out in front of you – they give you a broader area to support your body weight. When you get on a horse you take both feet off the floor yet suddenly you think you can support your whole weight on two small bones at the back of your seat. That’s like walking around on your heels. If you did that you’d spend most of your life falling over backwards! You can balance on your heels – try it – but your muscles would be so tense to maintain it you’d soon get tired.

Tip back onto your seat bones and you’ll put direct pressure onto your horse’s back in one small area. It’s the difference between being prodded with a finger or pushed with the palm of a hand. Is it any wonder some horses get tight behind the saddle?

Tip back onto your seat bones and your legs naturally swing forward, just as they do when you sit in a chair. Your body would like to tip backwards too but if – like many riders – you look down or lean forward you’ll end up in a slumped position or you’ll have a back like a banana. These things can all be corrected BUT if your seat is still at fault then tension moves to your hips and lower back as your body tries to hold everything in place.

Ideally you should aim to get your horse to take roughly ¾ of his weight on his quarters and ¼ over his shoulders. Think of your seat in the same way. Whilst your seat bones take the majority of weight your fork supports the rest.

Get on your horse and in halt sit straight down in the saddle. Forget about trying to find your seat bones. Aim to distribute your weight across the saddle as best you can. Allow your bum to look big on it! Anyone anticipating cutting themselves in half shouldn’t worry. If your saddle is big enough and you’re not tipping back (and therefore ‘exposing’ your fork) then you’re actually better protected!

In halt feel how your legs just hang down when you sit flat onto your seat. The weight should fall directly onto your stirrup. Let it. Leave your foot in a fairly flat position and move it so your heel is directly underneath your hip. A good guide is to look down at your knee. Your toe shouldn’t be visible.

Sit and focus on how it feels to have your weight supported over your whole seat. Now breathe in and pull your body up as if you’re trying to pull your vertebra apart. Pull the bottom of your ribcage out and forward. Be careful as you breathe in that you don’t tighten your seat, everything needs to stay soft.

In this position you are in self carriage. Your weight is evenly distributed, your muscles are relaxed and each part of your body is carrying itself without causing tension through the rest of your body. It’s what you expect your horse to do.

Still in halt push your heels down. As your heel pushes down your lower leg will swing forwards. Your seat will slip back and tense up. You’ll feel your knee tighten against the saddle. In halt this has little effect on your horse but do the same in trot or canter and you’ll find it’s impossible to sit in the saddle. If you can’t remain in contact with his back then you’ll find it difficult to control his speed, keep him balanced or shorten him up.

Ride forward in walk, trot and canter on 20m circles and serpentines but forget about your horse’s carriage and focus on yours. As your seat relaxes your leg will naturally hang longer meaning your heel will be lower than your toe but don’t force it. Keep your foot flat on the stirrup and allow your weight to fall directly onto it. Practise sitting trot with your weight spread over all three points of your seat and instead of thinking ‘heels down’ think ‘foot flat’.

On turns and corners concentrate on keeping your whole seat relaxed and in contact with the saddle. Keep the weight evenly spread and you’ll avoid direct pressure points. When you turn your shoulders onto the line you want your horse to take don’t forget to turn your hips. He’ll copy what you do with your body. If his shoulders turn but his hips go straight on his quarters will swing out on a corner or turn. You can put your outside leg back to correct it but whose fault was it anyway?  

Some of the lightest riders can actually sit quite heavy in the saddle. It’s not about your weight in stones but what you do with it. Take responsibility for your own body weight. Distribute it around your saddle and make yourself as easy for your horse to carry as you can. Once you’re in self carriage you may be surprised to find he is too.

Good luck and enjoy your schooling.

Energetically Challenged?

Would ‘energetically challenged’ be an apt description of your horse? You’re not on your own. Many riders prefer to be in control of the forward gears but as your confidence grows it’s only natural you start to feel a bit frustrated.

Many people think the less excitable equines just need a kick or a smack and everything’s fine. If only it was that easy! There’s a knack to drawing your equine tortoise out of his shell. The good news is it’s something you can learn.

If you want your horse to change his ways the first thing you have to do is change yours. You’re going to need bucket loads of energy and self discipline. He doesn’t need a telling off. He needs a reason to get excited and you have to give it to him.

Your arrival on the yard should be energetic and cheerful. Even if you feel like curling up in front of the fire you need to bounce down the yard and greet him with a grin on your face. Inspire him from the second he sees you.

Once tacked up make sure he walks with purpose to the mounting block or school. Walk alongside him and use your whip behind you to chivvy him along. Never allow him to shuffle to the school. This is FUN! Start as you mean to go on.

You can be forgiven for thinking you need to go as fast as possible to inspire your horse but stop right there! The only thing that will do is tire you out and unbalance him. Walk is your ideal pace. Get him motivated in walk and the rest is easy.

Lazy horses will often ‘offer’ the next pace up. How often has your horse jogged when you’ve kicked him on in walk or hopped into canter when you’re trying to get him trotting on? Don’t be too grateful! If he offers a pace you don’t want be quick to correct him. He needs to work harder at the pace you’re in not do the next one badly.  

The way you use your leg, spurs and whip is essential to your horse’s training. Your calf muscle is the part of your leg that sends him forward. Your heel, spur and whip are there to back it up NOT get him going. Check out – http://schoolyourhorse.blogspot.com/2010/12/lazy-rider.html before you ride. It shows you how to get the best out of your horse without kicking.

If your horse ignores a squeeze from both calf muscles use both heels together. Use them once – hard. He should shoot forward. Be quick to praise him. If he doesn’t use your whip once directly behind your leg. Don’t be tempted to use your whip on his quarters. That’s just telling him off. You’re teaching him to move off your leg. Smack him on his quarters and he won’t understand your exact reason. Repeat the heels together and then the whip as quickly and sharply as you can until you get a reaction. The instant you feel any forward movement on his part use your voice to praise him and keep your leg still.

Your rein contact is essential. Without it you’re wasting your time. Imagine a bottle of coke. Shake it up with the lid on and the drink fizzes inside and the bottle expands. The energy is contained within the bottle and by slowly opening the lid you can release it. Take the lid off and what happens? The drink fizzes and goes flat. The energy you create with your legs needs to be contained too. Your hands are that lid.

A lazy horse is often unfit. Regular exercise will get him fitter and his energy levels will increase naturally. Keep schooling sessions short and intense. Half an hour of focused full on exercise twice a week is better than an hour once a week of half hearted enthusiasm.

Do everything in short bursts. Trot a 20m circle and then canter one. Walk two circuits and go again. It may not seem like a lot but done well it will have a huge effect on your horse. If everything he does from now on is done quickly and positively he’s less likely to feel like it’s an effort.

Walk in between exercises – even on a long rein - should always be forward. It’s your time to get your breath back not your horse’s. If you’re feeling tired you can guarantee he’ll decide he is too. If you’re up there geeing him up he’s far more likely to feel inspired.

The more you can do to encourage your horse to put his hocks underneath him the better. Use 10m circles and three loop serpentines which encourage him to work harder with less effort from you. It’s essential to remember not to kick constantly. He must go forward from a squeeze from your calf. Every time you find yourself kicking go back to walk and re-establish the aids.

Direct transitions are good to get your horse going but only if he’s listening to your leg. Start with simple walk to trot or trot to canter transitions. Limit yourself to ten strides in each pace as you work your way round the school. The quick changes will motivate him without you having to kick on too hard.

Never compromise your position to get your horse going. Leaning forward, flapping with your legs or throwing your reins at him will only unbalance him. That not only makes things harder for him it also gives him the perfect excuse! Read - http://schoolyourhorse.blogspot.com/2011/10/pull-up-to-ride-forward.html to see how to use your body to maximum effect.

It can take weeks to convince your horse you really mean it but it works on all horses – even yours! You have to be consistent and really want to sort it out. If you put in the time you’ll still have a horse that wants you to tell him when to go but you’ll also have one that doesn’t expect you to work harder than him!

Good luck and enjoy your schooling.

Pull Up to Ride Forward

How often are you told to sit up, look up or get your shoulders back? Aren’t you just a bit fed up with constantly having to readjust your position? Imagine how your horse feels! Your position affects everything he does. The more balanced you are the better.

When you’re told to sit up what do you actually do? Lean back a bit? In doing so your back probably rounds leaving your shoulders forward. Then you’re told to stick your shoulders back. You do but your head stays where it is.  Your chin sticks out and you end up looking at the ground a few strides ahead of your horse. Sound familiar?

Instead of thinking ‘lean back’ think ‘pull up’. Pull up through your whole body. Imagine you’re trying to pull your vertebrae away from each other. Pull the bottom of your rib cage out and forward and take a deep breath in. Now feel where your shoulders and head are in relation to your hips. They should be directly above them. For your horse this is perfect. He can carry you easily because you’re in balance.

But you’re not done yet! Now you have to lean back to the point when you feel your weight at the back of your head. Try it while you’re sitting reading this. Allow your arms to drop down by your sides. Where do your elbows go? Down next to your sides. In the shoulders forward position your arms stiffen and your elbows tighten. If your reins get too long you end up sticking your elbows out and rounding your wrists.

There’s another wonderful thing about the ‘pull up’ method. You look up! As you lean back your head and shoulders go with you. Instead of leaving your head where it was and ending up looking at the floor your head tips back and you’ll find yourself looking down the track about 20m further ahead. It’s a feeling you’ll quickly get used to as you realise when you’re looking ahead you can plan ahead.

When you next ride your horse pull up through your body before you even move off into walk. He won’t recognise you. Don’t forget to lean backwards. The chances are you’ll feel as if you’re leaning too far back but you won’t be. Get a friend to take a picture of you or put your phone on video mode and prop it up on a fence post so you can see yourself. You’ll be surprised to find that you’re only sitting up straight.

Try walking round the school. Pull up through your body and feel what happens in your seat. Firstly your hips will swing with your horse without you having to make them. Secondly – and more importantly - they’ll push forward ahead of your shoulders when your horse pushes his hind legs under his body.  

Practice trotting circles and serpentines while you’re in this position. Before you ask your horse to turn pull up through your body first, let your hips move in front of your shoulders. Think of it as an aid which is guaranteed to sit him back on his hocks.

Canter large round the school and focus on leaning as far back as you can. Feel the difference in your lower back and seat when your hips move ahead of your shoulders. Don’t allow your body to collapse. Pull up and look up and your horse’s back will come up under the saddle which in turn brings his hocks further under his body.

Play with some transitions on the centre line. Ask for trot to walk transitions as you go through X. Pull up through your body as you ask and concentrate on allowing your hips to move in front of your shoulders as your horse walks.

It may seem strange asking for an upwards transition just before a turn but your horse knows the turn is coming. It won’t come as a surprise to him! From an active walk ask for trot at D/G. Pull up, ride forward and don’t pull back. The tight turn will increase the energy in your trot.

With the change of the clocks and winter really on its way now is the perfect time to make some positive changes to your position. If it takes a few sessions it doesn’t matter. Before you ask your horse to do anything remember to pull up through your body. Get a feel for it and you’ll never look back.

Your position will affect your horse whatever you do. Lean forward and he’ll fall onto his forehand. Slip to the side and he’ll fall in or out. But lean back and the worst thing that can happen is you put his weight back on his hocks. Isn’t that what you’ve been trying to do all this time?

Good luck and enjoy your schooling.

Problem Solving - cause and effect

If you have a problem with your horse what do you do? Ask your instructor? A friend? Or turn to a book? It’s the right thing to do. A problem shared is a problem halved but unfortunately it’s always after the event. Wouldn’t it be great if you could solve it while you were still in the saddle?

There’s only one cause of any problem with your horse. You! That’s a fact not an insult. Whatever you do with your body affects him. Divide your horse – and the aids that affect him – into three sections. 1 - Your hands and his shoulders/neck/mouth. 2 – His body and yours. 3 – His hindquarters and your legs.

If something’s not right in one of those sections it will have a negative effect on the others. So although your horse is lifting his head up it might not be your hands that started it – it might be that you’re sitting too heavily on his back. If he’s tight in his back he’ll stop using his hocks and up comes his head.  What started in one section quickly affects the other two. However hard you try to keep your hands still and ride forward if you’re making his back uncomfortable you won’t cure your problem.

If you have a problem while you’re riding think through the following lists and be honest! Ask yourself “Am I doing that?” If the answer is “Yes” to any one of the following points then you’ve found your cause.

Common problems with Section 1 –

1. If your hands are uneven your horse’s shoulders will match them. If one shoulder (hand) is higher than the other he’ll fall towards the lower side. If one hand is further back than the other his shoulders will be crooked.
2. Drop your hands and your horse will drop both shoulders and carry his weight on his forehand. Lift them too high and he’ll stiffen in his neck as his shoulders struggle to rise any higher.
3. Hold your contact too tight and your horse will tighten his jaw against the pressure. That sends tension down the rest of his spine. BUT if your reins are too long you won’t contain the energy you create, he won’t use his hocks and he’ll fall onto his shoulders. Hold but don’t pull back.
4. If your rein contact is stronger on one side that’s the way your horse’s shoulders are heading. If you’re trying to circle, corner or turn you need his shoulders on the line you’re taking not going off to one side. (falling out/in)

Problems with Section 2 –

1. Your horse will be crooked if you are. Your shoulders and hips should be turned in the direction you’re moving or face the front on a straight line. If you’re left or right sided and turn naturally to one side you’ll find he does the same. That’s great on the good side but you’ll find he’s crooked and tight on the stiff side.
2. He’ll fall in or out if your weight slips to one side in the saddle. (He’ll move away from the heavier side) OR you collapse to the inside. The distance between your bottom rib and the top of your hip should be the same on both sides. Drop your hip or your shoulder and he’ll do exactly the same.
3. He’ll fall onto his forehand if you tip forward.  If you lean too far back your leg will swing forward and come off his sides. That means you’ll stop riding him forward and that leads you nicely onto -

Problems with Section 3 –

1. If your legs aren’t pushing him forward then your horse won’t bring his hocks underneath him. He won’t be able to balance on his hindquarters and he’ll fall onto his forehand.
2. If one leg is further back than the other you’re telling your horse to move his quarters over. A classic example of this is failing to move your outside leg forward once you’re in canter. He’ll move his quarters in and be crooked until you tell him otherwise.
3. Are you kicking too hard? This lifts you up out of the saddle in sitting trot and canter. In rising trot it sends you far too high on the rise. Both are uncomfortable to your horse and get you out of balance with the rhythm of the pace. Tap him up with the whip if he’s lazy. It’s for his own good.
4. If you use one leg harder than the other you’re giving your horse clear aids to step sideways. Always use your legs together and with the same amount of pressure unless you’re doing lateral work.

So there are the most obvious problems. It gives you somewhere to start when things go wrong. It’s only what your instructor does when he/she assesses you and your horse in the warm up. They’ll look at these three sections, see what’s going wrong and that’s what they base your lesson on. This way you can teach yourself for a while.

Next time your horse feels lazy in a downward transition think about what you might be doing to cause it. Are your reins too long? Are you leaning forward or just not using enough leg? That’s three different reasons for a downward transition that’s on the forehand – one from each section.

Is your canter crooked? Are your hands level and at the same height? Are you sitting square in the saddle and have you remembered to move your outside leg forward after the transition? Again three causes. Three sections.

Do you struggle to get your horse out into the corners? Is your contact even in both hands? Are you keeping your weight equal on both sides of the saddle? Are you pushing him forward from both legs?

Whatever your problem remember who started it! Your horse can only do what you’re telling him to do. It’s true that a problem shared is a problem halved but a problem divided into three might just get solved before you leave the school next time.

Good luck and enjoy your schooling.