Weight Aids

[adgirlthegreat]

Below I copied and pasted some tips that where given for weight aids.

I wanted to know if I could get some clarification. I was always taught to put more weight in my seatbone when bending. Is this the same as "advancing your hipbone forward"? I tried tipping my hipbone and found it quite hard to do unless I lengthened my inside leg. When I tip my hipbone forward it feels as though I am twisting in the other direction. Would tipping the hipbone and putting more weight in your inside seatbone be the same thing?







"The Weight Aids

These are used for turning. They consist of nothing more than advancing your inside hipbone, i.e., tipping the top of the hipbone a little forward, as if pointing it in that direction so that it is slightly further forward than the left.

You can again practise this, sitting on a stool. Tip the top of the right hipbone slightly forward. You should also feel the right seatbone tip onto it's front edge to turn right, advance the right hipbone, feeling a little more weight emphasised on the right seatbone under you. By advancing the inside hip in this way, it also brings your left hip back so that your outside leg is positioned ready for use behind the girth to assist in the turn."



:) :)

[Janette]

I had difficulty with these as well, and then I watched a Pat PArelli DVD. He advocates 'steering with you belly button'. I discussed this with my instructor, and she said that its a good explanation, because if you do steer that way, the the seatbones etc fall into the correct positons.

[Sarah]

hello!

i'm getting a few funny looks at work (no change there) as I am trying to steer with my belly button. That does seem to do the correct things to your weight, but also seems to swing my shoulders round too which means tht the horse starts to escape through the outside shoulder (or do a nice mangled shoulder in!).

If you are trying to put your inside seatbone forwards, i sort of thing of taking a stride forward as if I were walking and that seems to move my hipbone forwards. if you just hink of putting more weight onto that seatbone I find that I then collapse my opposite hip and unbalance myself (and the horse).

bye!

[Janette]

Hey, I see what you mean - a stride forwards.

Wow. Experts - would we do without them:D

[adgirlthegreat]

Hmmmm.... a stride forward....don't get it. Sorry. More detail on that?

so you saying turn belly button in the direction to which you are turning?

[Janette]

Sit square on a chair, and then 'rehearse' taking a stride forward - I tried it and my seatbones shifted.
I find the tummybutton thing works, when I point it towards where I want to go. I think of an arc, which the horse will move through towards the point I want to arrive at. You can't amke right angle turns with it - unless you are on a cutting horse .:D It doesn't take much though, or else the shoulders go too.