I have many books on the art of riding, some that date back nearly a hundred years. Although our use of horses and the style of riding may have changed a great deal in that time, the common theme is the responsibility of the rider for their own riding skills and behaviour before putting any blame onto the horse. This is sadly lacking today where the horse is often regarded as a mail order item that should be returned if not as described, regardless of the riders influence.
5 Reasons to improve the way we ride;
- To work with our horse in harmony.
- Not to be an unnecessary burden.
- To help our horse to work efficiently and in balance to help retain soundness.
- Not to cause discomfort or pain.
- To achieve the best work we can from our horse without compromising their mind or body.
When we get on our horse we need to consider that we are loading their entire frame with extra weight. An uneven or constantly shifting load is far harder to carry, regardless of size, than one in balance. Try giving some piggy backs and you soon appreciate those that remain still and close to your point of balance. Any shifting of weight can make a remarkable difference to your balance and will affect the confidence of your movements. You may become more guarded in your movements or even stop and ask them to get off!
So lets think how it may feel to be a horse carrying this extra weight that is out of balance or makes unexpected movements. Consider too if you were unfit or in discomfort, how would you feel being asked to do something you were not easily able to? Would you want to? Would you try to prevent that discomfort if you could? Is it fair to blame those that do object?
Maybe horses are just communicating in the only way they can!
Many riders are unaware of how much effect being out of balance can make to a horse. This is especially the case when either horse or rider is unfit or uneven in their bodies. It can surprise owners how much happier the horse is once a good position is achieved and how they are able to feel and communicate more with their horses. The hard work can be getting to that point, it takes more effort to change habits than to remain the same! Luckily I work with many riders who are willing to work hard to make that change. They learn how to make their riding light and effective and not to burden their horse unnecessarily. It is however a shame that I often only get to meet some of these riders after problems with their horses have become established.
Prevention is always easier than cure, especially where muscle memory and confidence is concerned!
There are 4 main rules that I am looking for when assessing rider position.
1. Seat and Saddle Position
Sitting Level
To check: Make sure the horse is standing on level ground and with all feet as square as possible. If either the saddle or the rider are not sitting straight and level we need to work out why.
Saddle Shifting Left
In this case, the rider is trying to sit level on a saddle that moves to the right. This is obviously not comfortable for the rider or the horse and a common reason for unwanted behaviour.
Saddle Shifting Right
The result was in soreness and spasming of the back muscle under the right panel (seen here to look larger and higher than the left.) No wonder this horse was unhappy during mounting and tense when working. (worryingly, this was a made to measure saddle)
To be comfortable for the horse, our weight needs to be carried as equally as possible on the saddle. The better the fit of the saddle, to both the horse and rider, the more our weight can be spread evenly over the back muscles. A saddle that moves to one side will not sit evenly on these muscles and is likely to cause muscle spasm and pain and may even sit on the spinous processes.
That sounds quite straightforward but when the saddle isn’t sitting straight we need to work out if the problem is originating with the horse, the saddle or the rider. What can make this harder to judge is that each can have a knock-on effect for another.
The flocking in a saddle becomes compacted over time and if it happens more on one side it can cause or add to a saddle slipping. This is one of the reasons we need to have our saddles checked regularly and important to remember if purchasing a second hand saddle.
It is common for horses to be asymmetrical and many have one shoulder larger than the other. A good saddle fitter will take several measurements of your horse’s back, record any differences and discuss how it may impact on saddle fit. It is essential they see the horse ridden so they can fully assess where any discrepancy may lie and it will help if they can properly assess rider position. If the horse larger shoulder pushes the saddle out of balance this can be accommodated for but will also require more regular checks.
Horses are naturally dominant on one rein. Often going unnoticed when hacking but becomes a problem when schooling and jumping. Then the rider finds their horse hard to bend on one rein and overbends on the other. The discrepancy of equal bend through the horses body can cause the saddle and the rider to sit unevenly and could cause pain. There are simple exercises that can be done on the ground and when ridden to help to even this up and as riders and trainers we have a responsibility to do this very important, basic work.
I personally feel that until a horse and rider are able to work in rhythm and balance in walk, trot and canter, fairly evenly on both reins, they should not be attempting anything more complicated. Any lateral work, jumping or faster work done when crooked will only continue to build a horse up unevenly, emphasise the crookedness further and put them at more risk of injury.
Most riders are also not equal in their bodies. When schooling a horse they will have one side they find easier, regardless of which rein the horse is itself better on. If normally right handed it follows that this will be to the right. The weaker side (left in this case) can lead the body to brace when trying to compensate for a weaker lower leg and often turns the rider away from the direction they want to go. Not only can this block the horses movement but the rider is also unwittingly telling the horse to do the opposite of what they intended! As riders we need to be aware of our own strengths and weaknesses and how we and the horse we are riding can work together in harmony.
A saddle that is slipping causes tension in both the horse and the riders body. While hacking riders may feel their stirrups are uneven or find their back or joints ache on one side. They may feel the need to pull the saddle straight again.
Attempting to stop the horse falling in has made the rider brace themselves to try and get more strength into their weaker inside leg,
Unfortunately bracing in this way also turns the riders body to the outside, putting their weight onto the outside seat bone and pushing saddle, rider and consequently the horse further in!
When schooling, if the saddle slips to the outside, the rider will often tip their upper body inwards, collapsing through the waist, in an effort to balance themselves. They are likely to have difficulty in using their outside leg effectively as it will brace against the stirrup in an attempt to stay straight. This unfortunately adds to the problem as it takes the saddle and therefore their seat even further out.
Whether the unevenness has started with the horse, the saddle or the rider, if it gradually developed the owner may not notice until problems start. This is often the case with saddle flocking, a low grade lameness or an injury that affects the riders position.
On the other rein, the saddle now slips inwards and the rider is taken towards the inside which is generally easier for the horse to cope with. The forces that throw us out when moving on a circle could help to even the saddle up but not if its due to the horse falling in through their inside shoulder, as is the case here.
Ask a knowledgeable friend or instructor to look at where you and the saddle are sitting. When out hacking with others look at each other’s position. Even a non horsey friend or partner can help, even if just by taking photos or videos that you can assess for yourself later.
2. Sitting up straight (front to back)
Sitting well on a horse starts with the pelvis and our core muscles! A rider without awareness and control over the angle of their pelvis is missing out on a vital piece of communication with their horse.
With the pelvis in a neutral position and the spine able to move freely, horse and rider are able to move in harmony. The rider is able to move through their waist for the full length of the horses stride and is in the best position to engage the core muscles, taking some pressure off their back. From here the rider has a range of options available to them for absorbing movement or making corrections.
A common hacking position. The pelvis tilting back puts the rider into a driving seat, behind the horse’s movement and dependent on the reins for balance. The rider’s weight is concentrated in the buttocks and the back of the saddle. In this position it is almost impossible to bring the leg into alignment under the body without losing strength and stability.
The pelvis tilting forward puts the rider into a lighter seat. An easier position for the horse to carry the rider but one often adopted by nervous riders. Unfortunately it can also be a more precarious position if, as in this photo, the lower leg also draws back.
The angle of your pelvis tells the horse of your intention for length of stride or a change of pace. It is important that the rider is aware of how to ride with their pelvis in a neutral position in order to sit quietly and in balance on their horse. It is also essential that they can recognise when this has changed, by accident or with purpose, so they can be sure they are not giving conflicting messages to the horse.
3. Leg position and the rule of the ear, shoulder, hip, heel line.
If we took the horse away, the rider should land on their feet and not onto their bottom. The age old rule of ear, shoulder, hip and heel most people know but few seem to adhere to. However it is key to a balanced riding position.
A rider sitting in balance should look like they are poised and in control of their own movements. They should look relaxed but effective and be ready to react smoothly if the horse was to do something unexpected.
The position of the lower leg is crucial for an independent seat.
With the rider’s legs underneath their body and in contact with the horses sides they can channel the horse in the right direction with seat and legs and not dependent on the reins. The rein contact can then be used to flex the horses head, through a relaxed jaw, in the direction wanted and NOT to pull the horse round by the inside rein causing further loss of balance. A lower leg that is too forward has little control of the horses direction and will often put the rider into a driving seat, behind the horses movement and dependent on the reins for balance.
When you see a rider in balance with the horse the picture should be that of harmony with the horse happily following the riders aids and commands. When horse and rider are in tune the aids will be barely perceptible to anyone watching.
4. Equal rein contact and the elbow, hand to horses mouth rule.
Ideally the rein should feel to be an extension of the rider’s arm and the contact on the horse’s mouth to be steady and secure. There will be a straight line from the elbow, through the hand, to the horse’s mouth, viewed both from above and the side. The horse should be comfortable with you taking up a contact, seek the contact if released and happy to accept a retake of the reins. An inconsistent contact does not give the horse confidence to work forward.
In an ideal world we would all be ambidextrous. However, as most of us are not and the majority of people are right handed, we need to be aware of how this affects our horses.
A right handed person tends to use their left side for holding or gripping and the right for finer motor skills. The right hand is usually also stronger. Left handed people usually show less difference in strength, maybe from having to manage in the right handed dominant world?
Many riders therefore find it difficult to have an even feel down each rein and to make adjustments equally through their body. The weaker, less responsive side often becomes tense and can block the horse through the elbow or shoulder instead. Adjustments made are also less controlled.
To help our horses to work well and in balance we need to be able to use our hands and body independently of each other. Both hands need to be able to make similar movements.
Almost identical photos.
The rider has halted in a good position. Do however note the difference in their left shoulder from this to the next photo.
Here, the rider has allowed some softening (not quite enough yet) of the shoulder. This also allows the left side of her body to relax and her seat to have more contact with the saddle.
When working on the left rein this horse likes to fall in through her inside shoulder rather than to bend around the riders inside leg. When the rider, who is right handed, tries to correct this with a stronger inside leg, the left side of her body becomes tense and braces to try to back up the weaker left leg. This can be seen by a lift in the left shoulder and the body twisting to the outside.
In order for this horse to be able to bend left correctly we need the rider to be able to use her inside leg more strongly while keeping weight on the inside seat bone and keeping her body turning onto the circle. All this while trying to encourage the horse to flex into an inside contact but without fixing at the wrist, elbow or bracing through the shoulder!! Simple!!
All of this can feel impossible to do when it corresponds with the riders weaker side and its not surprising that many riders return to the other rein where its easier!
The groundwork exercise no.1 and groundwork exercise no.2 will show how the horse bends and moves differently on each rein and can help riders to understand what they may be feeling when riding. I do believe that unless horse and rider can do these exercises well on the ground they will struggle when riding.
Many riders are afraid to take up a steady contact in the fear they may be pulling on their horses mouth. However, many horses would rather be ridden forward into a strong, even contact that lets them know positively where they are meant to go. A light but inconsistent rein contact is a far bigger problem for the horse to deal with, especially if dropped at a crucial moment.
A contact that is given away without reason or intent will only confuse or irritate a horse, especially if it puts them off balance. Giving away a contact is done to test the balance and correctness of training of both horse and rider. It should be a measured and smooth movement on both the give and retake and we should see the horse both seek and then reaccept the contact without change to either horse or riders balance and rhythm. At no point should the rein contact be dropped unexpectedly or without meaning.
If you are lucky enough to have access to an area with mirrors it is easy enough to be able to check your own position. If you do not have that luxury, take any opportunity to check; window reflections, friends opinions, photos or videos. The more you can have the basics in your control the more you will get out of your riding, lessons, competing and in your relationship with your horse.
Disclaimer: I am not a physiotherapist or a vet and I make no pretension to be. These exercises are a tool to help me assess the mental and physical ability of a horse and how that may impact on ridden work. By knowing what is ‘normal’ for a horse also lets me know when something has changed which may need rest or attention (by the vet or physio). If you struggle with any exercise seek experienced help from someone who is capable and who wants to help your horse understand. These exercises are aimed to gain your horses attention and trust and are only of real benefit when your horse is able to relax. I am happy to help where possible if you get stuck. Please contact me by email in the first instance. I can help by video chat or in person locally.
