wanabe
8th Aug 2007, 02:28 AM
I was video-taped riding for the first time a couple of months ago but I just got the DVD back and was shocked to see that I was bouncing like crazy in canter. I always thought I had the canter seat down almost from the start. What I had, as far as I can tell, was a method for staying with the saddle as it went forward and upward but because my lower back was absolutely rigid, I was dropping back into the saddle!
So, I told my instructor I wanted to work on this and she had me ride the canter stirrup-less for the first time -- and it was easy! More importantly I tried to work my lower hips rather than "polishing the saddle" and I felt I was sticking to the saddle -- and my RI said I was, also. (I'll be really convinced after I'm filmed again.)
I've also been working on the sitting trot and thought I had come up with a method of staying in contact with the saddle by sort of walking with my hips combined with a sort of pedaling backward motion. Sounds complicated, right? I told my RI what I was up to and she said she was confident that if I just relaxed my lower back as I had in the canter that I would do well -- and it appeared to work!
But this lower back movement is hard work! I'm sore!
Finally, I mentioned that I was dissatisfied with the way my legs (which stay pretty much in place) kind of kicked out when I went up in rising trot and she said this was because I am straightening my leg. She said the key was to keep my leg bent. So when I ride on my on again, I'm hopeful that I may have stiller legs, too!
So, I told my instructor I wanted to work on this and she had me ride the canter stirrup-less for the first time -- and it was easy! More importantly I tried to work my lower hips rather than "polishing the saddle" and I felt I was sticking to the saddle -- and my RI said I was, also. (I'll be really convinced after I'm filmed again.)
I've also been working on the sitting trot and thought I had come up with a method of staying in contact with the saddle by sort of walking with my hips combined with a sort of pedaling backward motion. Sounds complicated, right? I told my RI what I was up to and she said she was confident that if I just relaxed my lower back as I had in the canter that I would do well -- and it appeared to work!
But this lower back movement is hard work! I'm sore!
Finally, I mentioned that I was dissatisfied with the way my legs (which stay pretty much in place) kind of kicked out when I went up in rising trot and she said this was because I am straightening my leg. She said the key was to keep my leg bent. So when I ride on my on again, I'm hopeful that I may have stiller legs, too!