Seat Aids

[Lisa McLachlan]

Hi

I had my lesson on Ringo on Saturday, and am absolutely amazed at the level of his sensitivity to weight aids. It has really signified to me just how different horses are. I ride Milly for an hour and then Ringo for an hour and I already knew there was a big difference with how you ride both horses but probably didn't appreciate at how much difference there was.

I had an absolutely diabolical lesson. I couldn't keep Ringo on the track for love nor money, until we realised what was going on. I crunched my back a little earlier in the week which came down and affected my left hip a little, although to me it felt like it was back to normal, Della could see that I was sitting a bit stiff in that hip. The affect it had was astonishing, I was all over the shop and couldn't get on the track at all. Although I was really disappointed in how I did, I'm really glad that I had the opportunity to see how refined the weight aids can be. It's opened up a whole new world of playing for me, and can't wait to try it on all of the horses I get to ride.

Lisa

[Mehitabel]

i discovered proper weight aids just before i broke petal in, and taught her using them. it was so much easier and she learned so much faster (and she isn't the brightest pony i've ever met) than ponies i'd broken in before.
she's amazingly sensitive to your weight, and is as close to a perfect ride for me as i expect to find.

[Lisa McLachlan]

They are amazing aren't they. I wondered at first whether it was Heather's magnificant horses, but it works the same on all of the horses I ride. What I hadn't expected was how little you have to move. I can feel a slight tightening in my chair (at work and sat down all blooming morning), in that hip at the moment, but that's the first I have felt for a few days. If you asked me on Saturday before my lesson whether I thought my hip would have had a detrimental effect on my riding I would have laughed, as it felt so normal.

[Mehitabel]

i teach at a riding school and new forest stud, i break in the babies and always teach them weight aids now. until recently (because of injuries from a car crash) i specialised in difficult ponies, and found a huge difference when retraining them to listen to weight aids rather than legs and hands.
i also teach clients to use them from the beginning, and so do the other instructors there (who i'm training for their exams). we have a huge range of riding school ponies, and they all respond really well, as do the riders, especially those who have come from a "pull and kick" school. my favourite thing is seeing the look on their faces when they ride a circle without reins on what anyone would call a typical school pony who's had no particular schooling.

[Lisa McLachlan]

I'm really looking forward to trying it on an 'untouched' horse, but I'm going to have to wait for a good few years yet. It won't be born until June. The four horses I ride are all older been there and done it sort of horses. It must be great to work with horses for a living. I spend my time with blooming computers, who I find you can't trust unlike our four legged friends.

[Mehitabel]

it was great - unfortunately i have had to stop doing it full time as it just doesn't pay enough. i still do some weekends there, and i'm still showing with the stud, but ends just weren't meeting. i'd love to stay connected with the industry, i'm currently trying to move into publishing and hopefully find work on a horsey publication or publishing house that does horsey books. i really don't think it's viable as a career in the uk unless you have your own place. (one day....)

sorry, i don't usually wander offtopic like this! weight aids - definitely the way forward!

[ros]

Sorry to interrupt, you two! (Don't worry, joke.)

I know exactly what you mean about sensitivity to weight aids. There's one thing I wonder, too. I have a Heather saddle, and the flocking is REALLY full and pretty "squishy" (as Heather put it)! One might imagine that all that flocking would make it difficult for the horse to feel seat aids, but it doesn't make a jot of difference, and Merlin feels every move I make. So - what's the deal with these "close contact" saddles?

[Lisa McLachlan]

Hi

Had a day off yesterday due to my 1 year old daughter being sick and up all night. Ah, the joys of motherhood!

That's a valid point Ros, not really thought about it before. I must admit I went for a while back along riding bareback, as I felt I could feel more, but you can actually feel just as much through a saddle can't you. I've never tried a close contact one so can't really comment on them, it does sound a bit of a rip off though. I'm going to get Heathers saddles as soon as I can, great aren't they!

Good luck for the job Es!

[Maria]

Well my Heather dressage saddle now sports a very fetching plastizote panel so I'd guess you call it a close contact saddle. With a very wide cob - who is subject to more than a little seasonal weight change, I have to say it is far superior to the standard wool flocked panel. Not only am I closer to Carrie than with the original wool panel the saddle hardly moves at all. Brilliant - I've owned Carrie five years today and at last we've got a saddle that doesn't slip from side to side.

I had the saddle adjusted to fit Carrie's current build at the same time as I had the panel changed and I have to say that she is now much more attentive/responsive to the weight aids for slowing than she was previously. I'd need a lot of persuading to revert to a wool panel with Carrie!

Maria

[Sarah]

Maria,

What is a plastizote panel? Gld to hear that changing to it has helped with the slowing aid!

bye!

[Maria]

Hi Sarah

Sorry don't know much about the technical stuff. It's a foam that's used on lots of off the peg close contact saddles and gives a much thinner panel than a wool-flocked one. I'm very impressed so far. Heather say's Kay recommends plastizote panels or Owen half panels for rotund beasties like mine.

At least now I know it's Carrie choosing to ignore the aid rather than not understanding! :)

Maria

[Lisa McLachlan]

Hi

Now I'm a little concerned. I presume you need the all leather saddle to be able to change the panel? Only reason being that my horse (due her foal in June hence delay in getting a saddle fitted), is a Cleveland Bay x Thoroughbred, but looks Cleveland Bay, hence a bit of a wide girl. When I spoke to Heather about her saddles she recommended me buying the half and half as my girl is a bit older. I obviously need to go more into depth with Heather when the time comes but are we saying that the normal panel won't fit wider types.


Lisa

[Maria]

Hi Lisa

Just to reassure you - a standard wool panel will fit wider horses -but I have found with my fattie with an everchanging waistline that the plastizote panel works better. I had a wool panel on the saddle for the first 3 years of its life.

I assume that it must be possible to drop the panel out of the Easi Sit saddles in the same way as with a leather saddle and replace with a plastizote one. Don't know about the cost. I had a number of alterations made to my saddle and don't know what the panel alone cost - around £150 to £200 I think. But as it would have cost me £1,350 to replace the saddle I thought that was a bargain!

Maria

[Lisa McLachlan]

Hi Maria

Thanks for that. And I do agree, sounds like a bargain, and I'm glad it's worked for you.

I've had to learn about the word patience from my first breeding experience, but I still can't wait to get a Heather saddle for my girl. In the mean time I'm riding 3 other horses wishing the owners would buy better saddles. At least I'm riding I suppose.

Lisa

[Lesha]

Originally posted by Es
weight aids - definitely the way forward!

Surely that should be - weight aids - definitely the way *sideways* ? :D

[Mehitabel]

backwards, forwards, sideways, you name it, we go there! the power of the bum, as my bf says!

[Heather]

HI Lisa,

The normal panel fits all types and we can make them as wide as a house if needed! They are also alterable if the horse changes shape.


Heather

[Lisa McLachlan]

Hi Heather

That's great to know, Thank You!

Lisa