one-sided riders

[joosie]

I've been working on my canter transitions and have found that I do them much better on the left rein than on the right rein. For some reason, I can't give the signal with my left leg wihout my body tipping forwards, whereas on the left rein I can do it without the rest of my position changing. I'm also finding that my circles in trot and canter are so much tidier on the left rein.
We talk a lot about horses working better on one rein than the other, but does anyone else find that you ride better in a particular direction??

[chev]

I would think everyone is, at least to begin with. Everybody is naturally left or right handed, so will find one side easier than another.

I am as crooked as is possible to be; I'm right-handed and have no sight to speak of on my right; I find it really hard working on the left rein. It can improve though, so while it might be an issue now, it maybe won't be in future years.

[wonkeywoody]

Try riding bare back or with a pad - you soon pick up where you are 'going' and its easy to correct it cos you havent got a saddle "in the way"

[joosie]

Ah, this is the strange thing, you see! I've ridden bareback on a number of different horses and ponies to do exactly that, and I don't seem to be sitting crookedly... feel the same weight on both seatbones, shoulders level, no balancing issues... I would have expected something major to show up!

[heartofrainbow]

My left side is quite weak, I was kicked in the shoulder last summer and now find it difficult to use it like I used too! Everything seems like more of an effort, but think with time it'll recover! Little things like keeping it back, it now has a tendency to drop forward which puts the rest of me out of place!

My friend (who is a riding instructor) says that she finds that people are generally weaker on the side they don't write with! So she gets them to do exercises at home, like practising kicking a football with their weaker side, so they gain more coordination etc!

[joosie]

Well that's another point of mystery then, because I'm left-handed, but when riding it's the left side I struggle with :rolleyes::confused:

[heartofrainbow]

Weird, you must be one of these people that the rules don't apply too!

I guess you could still try the kicking the ball exercise it might help a little bit!

Otherwise I guess the only other advice I could give is practice makes perfect!

[jenmac_85]

My left side is definately my weakest. Was working on it today in my lesson. I am left handed so in theory my right hand should be weakest I think, but nooo, I like to complicate matters lol.

Just need to keep working on it!!!

[joosie]

Weird, you must be one of these people that the rules don't apply too!

Yeeees... it is well known that I am very weird :D:D
The thing is, I never had riding lessons and have only hacked in the past, so I took these things for granted. I mean, canter transitions out hacking tend to go pretty well :rolleyes::D. But since I started my current job I've been doing school work too, and I can't believe how difficult it is to get all the little things to work at the same time!!

[Fanshawe]

Ah yes one sidedness. Definately been a problem for me as I have hips which are slightly out of alignment. Get's better the more I ride but I have to really concentrate! Then once I've been working at it it becomes second nature. Most riders I look at are one sided and generally the ones who aren't are the pro riders (or very lucky!)

[Joyscarer]

Of coarse it isn't just people that are left or right handed, so are our horses and I know that on Joy I had a great deal of trouble on Joy. I blames myself and went back to a RS only to find that I didn't have the same issues on other horses. Joy is just majorly unbalanced so that is this years little challenge to get her more balanced. :)

[wonkeywoody]

"Ah, this is the strange thing, you see! I've ridden bareback on a number of different horses and ponies to do exactly that, and I don't seem to be sitting crookedly... feel the same weight on both seatbones, shoulders level, no balancing issues... I would have expected something major to show up"!

...is it your saddle then? I mean is it making you sit crooked or blocking you from sitting straight? Poss try riding in your saddle with no stirrups...

[Crazyhorse]

My left side is my weakest and stiffest. I think I always tend to tilt this way when sitting at my desk, so 8 hours of that a day must have an effect! I think even little things like carrying your bag always on the same side causes weakness too.

[Siogfinsceal]

I ride so much better on the left rein! Im not near as good on the right I have to make a real effort. Because of my back I tend to lean more to the left and raise my right shoulder (cant help it), so it takes a real effort on the right rein to let my right shoulder drop, use my right leg and open my right hand. Its so much easier on the left. My horse also prefers the left rein too she always has but when I ride I make sure we work equally on both.

[gordysgirl]

Lol..just reading through this made me sit up properly...I drift into my own world on NR & my weak left sides slouches sideways! See NR is good for me after all..now sitting up nice & straight!
I fell off a couple of years ago & struggle to keep my twisted pelvis straight..I am pathetic on my left side & so is my horse!! What a combination...my chiro tried to get me to muck out left handed..I could barely lift the shavings fork up empty let alone manouvre it around full of poop!!
I find getting left canter really difficult to coordinate.
Ho hum.

[joosie]

"[I]...is it your saddle then? I mean is it making you sit crooked or blocking you from sitting straight? Poss try riding in your saddle with no stirrups...

One thing I do know for sure is that it's not a saddle issue. I ride 12 different horses in 12 different saddles and the problem is always there! I will work on stirrupless stuff though... it fits in nicely with my sitting trot work, so I can kill two birds with one stone.