independent seat and confident riding

In order to ride safely and confidently you need an independent seat. We hear this term quite often but what does it actually mean? One definition of an independent seat is that you can use your legs without it changing your upper body position or affecting your hand position and you can move your upper body without it affecting your legs (or hands). The different areas of your body should be able to operate independently of each other. Another definition is that you can ride a horse without having to rely on the reins for balance and without having to grip with the legs. Hanging on to the reins causes the horse to resist by using evasive behaviour (i.e. plunging the head down to try and get rid of the pressure on the mouth, pulling or by becoming generally 'hard mouthed'). Gripping with the legs gives the horse mixed messages and actually causes the rider to be unstable because it raises the centre of gravity (of the rider). More about this later.

The mark of a good rider is that they can stay with the horse's movements through changes of speed, through changes of incline and through any adverse movements such as shying. How do you achieve this? By developing an independent seat.

A good independent seat can be gained if you have the use of a steady horse that will keep its rhythm in walk and trot to start with. It is also very beneficial to have the help of someone on the ground to watch and tell you what you look like at any given time. You also need somewhere flat (initially) so that the horse can work without losing balance which will lead to you feeling even more out of balance until you have developed your seat.

An independent seat starts with a stable lower leg. Basically if you can keep your lower leg in place throughout the horse's planned (and unplanned) actions you are far more likely to stay on the horse if things start to go wrong. This sounds very simplistic and in many ways it is.

The leg should be placed so that the hip is in line with the ankle, remembering that your hip (joint) is not actually the bit that sticks out (this is the wing of your pelvis), it is further into your body. If you have this correct alignment you should be able to stand in the stirrups easily, firstly at stand still, then at walk and then later at trot (initially with the aid of a neckstrap). Even people who have been riding for years often struggle with this exercise at first because the feet need only be an inch or two far forward (or less often, too far back) and it is impossible to stand up without flopping back down into the saddle (or tipping forward in the case of legs too far back), especially if the horse is moving.

Standing in the stirrups is a great test of your balance as well as being a great exercise. If you are just learning to ride and you are unable to stand up and stay up in the stirrups while the horse is walking you are not yet ready to trot. Likewise if you are unable to stand up and stay up in the stirrups while the horse is trotting you are not yet ready to canter and so on. Yet many riders end up going faster (or even progressing to jumping) before they have mastered their balance in a lessor gait. Once you understand the mechanics of an independent seat you are are able to check and reposition yourself if your seat starts to feel insecure.

See the articles below for more information on how to gain an independent seat. Also I teach riders (of all levels) how to improve their seat through lessons and clinics See the end of this page for more information about lessons and clinics and some testimonials, see also the workshops and links page.

Below is a series of articles that I wrote for Horses and People Magazine (www.horsesandpeople.com.au) in 2006/2007. Reprinted with kind permission.

rider problems and solutions part 1

Do you have trouble achieving a good seat on a horse? This is a very common problem with riders of all levels. Sometimes it seems that the harder you try the more unobtainable those quiet long legs, still upper body and good hands become. A rider needs an independent seat in order to be able to sit quietly on a horse, to follow and correctly influence the movements of the horse and to stay in balance with the horse. An independent seat is also essential for the development of good hands (more about hands in part 4). For many riders development of the seat was not a priority when being taught to ride and consequently they have developed rider problems that do not go away without some specialist training.

Examples of rider problems are legs that slip forward rather than stay engaged underneath the rider (the chair seat), loss of stirrups either partially (the stirrup slips around on the foot) or fully (especially through gait changes or application of the aids), leaning too far back or too far forward, sitting crookedly, wobbling midsections and/or head in sitting trot.

The first and foremost important step in gaining a good independent seat is in learning to stabilise the lower leg. Without a stable lower leg the upper body compensates by moving around in order to balance the rider. In turn, any movement in the upper body is compensated for by moving the lower leg. This becomes a vicious circle.

A rider who has an independent seat is a rider whose different body parts can function independently of one another. So for example the legs can apply the aids without causing any loss of balance to the rider. Gaining this stable lower leg involves more than being told to "get your legs underneath you" as without the correct training the legs will simply slip forward again and become disengaged from the body.

Correct rider training involves using specific exercises to train the legs to stay under the rider in the classic hip - ankle alignment (where the ankles of the rider are directly below the hips and an imaginary vertical line can be drawn between the two points. This hip - ankle alignment is vital for good riding. Once this alignment has been achieved the rider can develop the correct distribution of weight between the seat and the balls of the feet so that they simultaneously sit and stand across the horse (as opposed to just sit on a horse as people tend to think a rider should).

The next step is to learn how to absorb the movement of the horse in the lower half of the body (from the pelvis, down through the joints and into the feet) rather than the upper half of the body (which causes a wobbling mid section and head). When the rider has control of the upper and lower body they can develop good hands because the hands must be able to work independently of the body and this cannot be achieved until the body (of the rider) is under control. The next article will focus on the stabilisation of the lower leg.

rider problems and solutions part 2

The previous article outlined the steps that need to be taken in order to gain an independent seat. The article also stated that the first step towards gaining an independent seat is to learn how to stabilise the lower leg. A good balanced rider has a stable lower leg and can move the upper body around over the lower leg without loss of balance. A not so balanced rider tends to use the lower leg to compensate for any upper body movements. This causes the rider to become unstable. When the rider feels unstable they tend to grip, this lifts the weight, which raises the centre of gravity. This is a big mistake when riding a horse as it makes the rider even more unstable and can cause a loss of the stirrups (due to the legs sliding upwards).

So what can be done to gain a stable lower leg? To start with you need a quiet horse that will walk and trot with a good rhythm (not keep speeding up and slowing down). Any type of saddle can be used within reason. A good dressage saddle is ideal as are Stock and Western saddles as long as they do not prevent the rider from standing in the stirrups. Jumping and all purpose saddles do not give the rider any help with gaining a correct (flat work) leg position (because they are designed for jumping and therefore a different leg position). Fit the horse with a neck strap that is not too thick (plaited hay band is fine). Start in an enclosed area such as an arena or round yard. It is also useful to have an assistant on the ground to describe to you what they see happening. Initially take your stirrups up a couple of holes unless you already ride with shorter than average stirrups.

At a standstill take hold of the neck strap and stand in the stirrups balancing on the balls of your feet. Initially play around with standing up on the balls of your feet and then letting the heels drop right down until you find the middle ground where you feel most balanced (which should be when the heels are just slightly lower than the toes). Make sure that you have equal weight going down into each foot, that both sides of the foot are loaded equally, that the hips knees and ankles are slightly flexed and able to absorb any movement. These three joints act as shock absorbers when riding.

The legs should not be griping at all and should simply drape around the horse. Notice how the leg has to come directly under the body in order for you to stand up and stay up. Also notice that if you move your leg forward even just a little, you lose balance and fall back into the saddle. When you do sit down for a break, think about kneeling down (which causes the knee to go forward and down and the seat to be lowered gently) rather than sitting down (which causes the rider to sit more heavily to the back of the saddle and the legs to come forward).

When you have mastered standing in the stirrups at a standstill, practice it at a walk (still holding the neck strap). You should feel the muscles in the front of your thighs working and you may feel the tendons that run from the calf to the heel (the Achilles tendon), stretching. Make sure you do not over do it at first, have frequent breaks. As you may have guessed, the next step is to do this at a trot. This requires the correct amount of suppleness and tone in the muscles and the joints so build it up slowly. The eventual aim is to be able to trot around standing in the stirrups without having to rely on the neck strap. The next article will describe how you can use this improved balance to correct any instability in the sitting trot.

rider problems and solutions part 3

If you have been following the previous articles you should now be able to walk and trot standing in the stirrups while balancing on the horse, using a neck strap for support. You may also be able to stay in this position without having to use the neck strap. You should now be able to absorb the movements of the horse into the hip, knee and ankle joints. Any stiffness in these joints will prevent you from being able to do this and will cause you to feel insecure. If you are feeling more stretch on the outside of the ankle than the inside when you stand in the stirrups, check that you are loading the inside of the ball of the foot correctly. Many people roll their weight to the outside of the foot without realising it which causes this soreness.

Now you need to be able to move your seat with the horse. Unless we are giving the horse a specific aid with the seat, our seat must follow the movement of the horses back. In walk this means that as well as the pelvis moving forwards and backwards slightly (following the movement, not shoving the horse along), the seat bones should dip alternately as the horse walks. When the horse takes a step the belly swings to one side as the back leg on that side moves forward through the air. If your seat is following the movement of the horse's back properly you will feel each seat bone dip and lift in turn.

In trot, the belly of the horse also swings to the other side as each back leg swings forward through the air. When standing in the stirrups and balancing on the horse the rider should be able to feel the alternating dipping of each side of the horse's back. If the rider is allowing their weight to travel down the leg without blocking the movement by gripping with the thighs or knees they will feel each heel dip slightly in time with this dipping of the horse's back. Therefore the rider can now tell where each leg is during each stride by feel alone.

To achieve 'sitting' trot bend the knees (kneel down), from this standing in the stirrups position, lowering the seat into the saddle. Keeping a certain amount of weight going down into the feet as you 'sit' to the trot means that your legs stay engaged rather than disengaged. When the rider's legs disengage they creep forward and upward which unbalances the rider and starts up the vicious circle of gripping and raising the centre of gravity. This causes the rider to feel even more unbalanced. Keeping the legs engaged and under the body means that the rider absorbs the movement of the horse down and out through the legs rather than up and into the torso, neck and head (causing the wobbling midsection and head that is often seen in riders during sitting trot).

Make sure that you keep breathing, engage your stomach muscles and lift the sternum. Keep the back of your neck long as if you are being lifted to the sky by the hair on the top of your head. When practising this you may only be able to get a few good strides of sitting trot at a time before you begin to bounce. As soon as you feel yourself start to bounce go to stand up again and this will redistribute some weight back down into your stirrups. Experiment with how much weight you need in your seat in order to achieve a good sitting trot. When riders get the hang of this technique it is usually a light bulb moment (for both the rider and the horse) as the rider feels the horse relax in the back and lift up to the rider due to the rider moving correctly with the horse. The next article in this series will look at how you can put all of this together and how you can begin to improve your hands.

rider problems and solutions part 4

The final in this series of articles about rider problems and solutions is about putting it all together and about improving the hands. If you have been following the previous articles and practising you should now be able to stand in the stirrups and balance on the horse as the horse is walking and trotting in a circle. By this stage you should be able to balance standing in trot without the need for the neck strap however it is still a good idea to keep it in place and hold on to it lightly (along with the reins) so that you can use it if you need to and save your horse getting a pull in the mouth if you do lose balance.

You can now practice maintaining this position as you practice various school movements, i.e. figure of eight's etc. Then you can also practice alternating between sitting trot, rising trot and standing trot, to gain even more control of your body and further improve your balance. If you are able to maintain your horses rhythm (keep him moving at the same speed) and control his direction whilst alternating between the three trots (sitting, rising, standing) you have come a long way indeed. If you trail ride you can also practice alternating the three trots over various gradients. This is an excellent way of improving your balance.

If you have not done so before, now is a good time to check the fit of your saddle. If this work is making you horse's back sore then you probably have saddle fitting problems and you need to seek expert advice. Expecting a horse to work with a badly fitting saddle is unreasonable and is akin to us having to walk in shoes that do not fit.

It is also a good idea to get a friend to look at you sitting on your horse from in front and behind. They need to look to see if your shoulders and hips are level, if you have equal amounts of your body on both sides of the horse. Sometimes, if a rider has been riding crooked for some time the saddle will actually have compacted on one side more than the other. Thus even when the rider tries to sit straighter, the saddle prevents them from doing so. Again this is a saddle fitting problem and needs expert attention.

It is now time to start working on the hands. You may be thinking, surely they should have been sorted out much sooner. The problem is, until a rider has an independent seat (i.e. the limbs are able to be moved independently of each other and the trunk) they cannot be still when required, or move fluidly to give aids without the rider experiencing a certain amount of loss of balance. When the seat is not independent, the limbs of the body are used to counterbalance any movement in any other part of the body. An extreme example of this is when a beginner rider uses the legs, their hands tend to shoot up in the air. In more experienced riders these moments of loss of balance are much more subtle but they are still there and they prevent a rider from developing good hands.

Good hands should follow the movement of the horses head in walk and canter and be still in trot. In rising trot the elbows needs to open as the rider rises up, and close as the rider sits (kneels) down again. This is where many riders have the most problems with their hands in trot. One solution is to lengthen the neck strap and hold it in the hands along with the reins. This teaches the rider to keep their hands still because they actually feel the pull as their hands try to go up when they go up (in rising trot). Be careful to keep the backs of the hands facing outward (turning the hands downward as if pushing a pram brings the elbows out and rotates the scapula off the back).

By practising riding this way you will start to develop still hands as your brain begins to file this new feeling. Your hands should have a soft but steady contact with the horse's mouth therefore your fingers should curl gently around the reins. Watch that you are not riding with the fingers open or tightly clenched. Now that you have an independent seat you can pay attention to the small things, such as untoward movements of the hands and fix them. You can pay attention to the feeling under the balls of your feet and if it is not even from side to side you can make small adjustments so that it is. If you do happen to lose a stirrup you can get it back without even having to stop the horse. All of these benefits and many many more are yours to enjoy once you have an independent seat!

do you have confidence issues with your riding?

Many riders have confidence issues, especially when they return to riding after a break. For many people these issues can result from a bad experience in the past with horses. Some people are naturally more cautious than others and tend to lose confidence more easily. Whatever the reason your confidence can be restored with the right horse and the right help and support. For most of us, no matter how scary riding appears to be, giving up is not an option because they have what I call 'the horse gene'. If you have the horse gene you will not give up, riding is a very important aspect of your life. Therefore addressing these confidence issues as soon as possible becomes very important. Below are some things that you can do to help you on your way and get you back in the saddle:

• Find yourself a good instructor who understands your concerns and initially stick to riding well educated, quiet horses (at least until your confidence returns). Work on improving your seat! This is one of the fastest ways to restore your confidence.
• If your current horse frightens you consider either selling him/her or shelving (putting to one side) him or her until later when your confidence has increased. Aim to acquire (buy or loan) a sensible mount either on a temporary or permanent basis.
• Make sure that your horse is not being over fed (given too much high energy feed) and underworked. A horse with too much energy can be dangerous. Remember that horses should be fed a low energy/high fibre diet and only supplemented with high energy supplements if their workload warrants it.
• Attend (either mounted or unmounted) as many horsemanship/riding clinics as you can, there are numerous good clinicians around. In particular I recommend clinics by Steve Brady (all states), Andrew McLean (all states), John Chatterton (mainly QLD), Richard Weis (all states) as these are all people that I have used myself. There are many other good clinicians out there. Go watch one, many will allow you to watch (fence sit) for free or a nominal fee, before committing yourself.
• Take small achievable steps, if you do too much too soon it can result in a reduction in confidence. Confidence is easy to lose and harder to gain so make sure that you keep control of the situation and do not allow yourself to be pushed too far too fast by well meaning family or friends.
• Once you have your confidence back ride as regularly as possible as long gaps tend to diminish your confidence again. The more you ride, the better your seat becomes and the better you feel - leading to better riding and so on.
• Spend more time with positive helpful friends and less time with negative critical friends. Keeping the right company goes a long way to helping with your confidence.
• Join a club of like-minded people and get out and about with your horse as soon as you feel capable. This could be a trail riding club, a general riding club/pony club or a dressage club for example. There are lots of clubs out there.
• Make sure your gear fits your horse properly (a comfortable horse is a safer horse). Horses that have badly fitting gear will resist sooner or later which will erode your confidence. See the safety page for more information.
• Make sure that your own riding gear is comfortable and allows you to ride properly. You cannot concentrate on your riding if you are uncomfortable (or even sore). Again, see the safety page.
• Above all remember you are not alone, this issue is far more prevalent than you think!!

lessons and clinics

I provide lessons and clinics that teach people how to gain an independent seat (and to help with any confidence issues if necessary). These will not only teach you how to be a safer and more confident rider but will also give you an awareness of what your body is doing whilst you are riding. Most importantly these sessions are fun and interactive.

My clients usually fit into one of the three following categories:

• Experienced riders who are having specific seat problems that their own instructor is unable to fix (this is quite common as many otherwise brilliant instructors do not focus on the seat in their teaching but instead focus on the horse and rider combination). These clients use me as a trouble shooter, get their problem sorted out, and then are able to carry on with their own instructor at a higher level. These clients use either mine or their own horses, but typically mine as it is the rider rather than the horse that we are working on.

• Another typical client group are people who are returning to riding after a long break (or who are learning to ride as an adult). These riders may have seat problems and/or confidence issues. I find this group particularly rewarding whether they are planning to simply ride recreationally or to compete in the future. Again this group use either mine or their own horses. Initially it is usually best to start with mine so that we can really focus on their seat but then we can graduate to their own horse later if they wish.

• Yet another group are people who have their own horses and they come to me for lessons to improve the rider/horse combination. I teach people how to improve themselves and the horse that they have whether it be an endurance horse, trail riding horse, dressage, western, stock or a recycled racehorse (Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds). It really does not matter as every horse can and is improved through good training. If people wish I can teach them ground work techniques as well as riding.

Please read the testimonials below to get a better idea of my teaching style.

See also the workshops page for any dates of clinics that may be coming up in your area. I live in SE Queensland, Australia and travel frequently to other states/countries so why not contact me to discuss the possibility of arranging a clinic. Also I have excellent school horses at home (Tamborine, QLD, Australia) that I use to teach people how to improve their seat. Alternatively you can bring your own horse along for lessons at my place (see above).

email: jane@equiculture.com.au or phone:

07 55438623

Testimonials about my clinics and lessons

Hi Jane, I thought I would give you an update on how things are going for me since our lesson the other week. I must say, everything is going a treat :) I know I was harping on about my ankles, but becoming aware of them has helped tremendously. Also, since doing the standing in the stirrups has made me aware that previously I at times was pivoting my lower leg away from the horse because my knee was too straight whilst standing/rising in the stirrups. The image/feeling of backward peddling has also helped our walking heaps. I know, because he can be a tense horse, I have had a habit of bracing through the lower back. This would cause him to jog at times, especially going from a free walk to a medium walk. Now when I collect my reins I make sure that Im "peddling" and not anticipating a jog. Now for the last 3 rides, we havent jogged in this transition at all through the whole ride. Next, Canter. I know we didnt get into this, but this seems to have improved too. I think mainly because I am aware of my ankles and letting them flex. I am also aware of keeping weight down on the the inside leg in circles esp. Sitting trot also is coming along. We are now getting a trot down the long side and mostly a circle before we get the tension and loss of rhythm, so that is a definate improvement. Im sure it will continue to get even better as we build more strength and he gets used to the fact that an aid is not coming as soon as I sit. Cheers and once again, thanks, Bec, Gold Coast, QLD..

Then a further update from Bec (a dressage rider) a week later

Today interestingly I was in a bit of a hurry to ride. forgot about my ankles for a while and was wondering why we were getting tension again, esp in transitions. I stopped and thought about it, and I was back in my old habits. Stiff ankles and uneven weight distrubution in my legs again. So I went back and had a little standing in the stirrups session for a minute, and then everything came back again and we had relaxation and rhythm back again. It amazes me how much i need to keep this in my consciousness to remember to do it, but I guess its just 20 odd years of doing it to replace in my hardwiring. Also amazes me how many horses put up with it and how this guy will not! Cheers Bec

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Dear Jane, I cannot thank you enough for the past weeks experience. Your patience, kindness and sincere empathy have reconnected me with a part of myself that I had feared was long gone. Your instruction is not only clear and easy to understand for the novice, it's also as if you lend your own confidence to the scared and nervous rider so that it feels like you are right up there guiding each new step. Good teachers give good instruction, brilliant teachers give of themselves along with great instruction. It is truly wonderful to meet someone that is clearly doing what they were born to do. I wish you all the very best for the future and will definitely be coming back soon. With sincere thanks and gratitude Suzanne, Buderim, Qld

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Dear Jane, just writing to thank you for all your help at the Clinic yesterday. As you had warned - I think of you everytime I move !!! R... & I just had the best day & your observations were a great help to us. Would love to do another so will have to see if we can get together another group together in the future....................................Once again thank you so much for yesterday - it was the best Mother's Day present. Christine, Sunshine Coast, QLD

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Dear Jane, On behalf of Karen and myself, I write to express our heartfelt thanks for a really great 4 days last week with you and our horses. Your knowledge, patience and clear imparting of what was required (plus your neat sense of humour!) made the lessons all we had hoped for. Royce and Karen, West of Brisbane, QLD

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Hi Jane, Thank you so much for the lesson this morning. It was just what I needed, and I’ve been on such a big high since. Poor Brendan has had to put up with me telling him how great it was all afternoon...hehe. I found it so easy to understand (and definitely learnt a few things) and I can’t remember feeling that comfortable and secure in ages, especially at sitting trot. Am really looking forward until my next lesson. Thank you again, Julie, Gold Coast, QLD

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Dear Jane, I just had to let you know how well my (regular) lesson went this week after my two weekend sessions with you -Byron (my instructor) commented almost immediately " you seem to be sitting so much better to-day Norma!!!) and it felt so much better. I did my "standing in the stirrups" around the arena both at the walk and trot and it seems so easy to do now, I am also trying to get that weight distributed between my seat and legs and found my aids in the canter so much more controlled, I even managed to get a nice transition on his difficult right side!! Many, many thanks Jane, I can't wait to continue.......Kindest regards, Norma, Redlands, QLD.

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For a review of a clinic from a participants perspective by Tracy Mayhew from CYBERHORSE click here

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