Sitting up and looking ahead

[Charlie_Farlie]

HI,
I have problems with looking down when i'm riding which makes me lean forwards. My instuctor is always nagging me to sit up straight and stop looking down, and its got to a point when the whole lesson is based on working on my position. Which i'm not enjoying. If anyone has any tips or had/has the same problem please tell me or PM. Advise would be appriciated!!!

Charls

[AJB]

Hi Charlie..is the horse your riding a bit sluggish in the school...if your novice and the horse is not moving off from your leg this can make it quite hard to be in the correct position as you have to keep" pushing him "on and that tips you forward if the horse looses momenum-well thats what I find with the people i have taught...would you instructor let you carry a short whip to help the horse with impulsion if this is the case...also I would suggest a lunge lesson or two..these are great as you dont have to worry about the horses movement or motivation, the trainer in the middle does all that..you just concentrate on your position and getting it right...as a final note if your up to it, sorry I have no idea what your standard is or how long youve been riding, try booking a short steady hack for a change once in a few weeks-getting out of the school can make all the difference...good luck

[ros]

One of my instructors used to tell me off for exactly the same thing, and he once shouted at me (I always remember it) "Look up - if your horse isn't where you think he is you'll be the first to know!"

[jUmPingIsLifE]

my instructer would allways yell at me and tell me i have a double chin when i was looking down. it doesn't matter how skinny you are if you look down you'll have a double chin, she would allways yell double chin and that would bring my head right up again:D

[Miriam]

I always seem to have that problem :o I think my instructor has given up on me :rolleyes: I am however trying to look where I am going next as opposed to looking straight ahead all the time

[Stella2]

Try focusing on the image of your pelvis being slightly in front of your shoulders (I know thats not the correct line, its just an image :) ) and of sitting on the horse's tail (having lots of horse out in front of you). It may sound odd, but it transformed my position. I was never really one for looking down, but I'd expect it to help that too.

[Charlie_Farlie]

Hi thanks for all your tips. I've been riding for a good couple of years now. The horses i ride arn't slow. I was taught to ride on a lunge line and use a schooling whip on the main horses i ride. Thanks again for you all taking the time to read my post.
If u have any more tips plz post :D :D :D

[DavidH]

Looking down is often not so much a head problem as a shoulder problem. Rounding of the shoulders almost always results in a tilt forward of the head. Putting your shoulders back will raise your head and inprove your position generally.
Try it sitting on a chair and you will see what I mean
Dave

[Em 1]

I used to have this problem but 'cured' myself of it by working on looking ahead when I wasn't riding - this seemed to help me when in the saddle. Notice where you look when you walk down the road, up the stairs, in the car etc. You might well find that you look just ahead of your feet most of the time. This causes the rounded shoulders and dropped head that DavidH describes. I found that walking around with my shoulders back, looking ahead, sometimes with my hands held as if holding the reins, really helped. It made looking around the world automatic and improved my posture generally. It worked for me anyway!

[eml]

It might sound odd but often a jumper with a high neck such as a polo or a scarf that rubs your chin if you look down can often act as a quick reminder and get you out of the habit!! (I used to threaten to put pins in the neck of the jumper as well but that probably would land me in trouble these days!!)