Here's a "Marmite" comment.....

It’s not for me personally, but if you and your horse like it and it doesn’t stop you enjoying yourselves and doesn’t hurt the horse why not?
It’s not that long ago that any kind of treeless saddle was frowned upon and look how things have changed.
I was taught to ride ‘classical’ by a wonderful instructor trained by Sylvia Loch, that style suits me and I’ll stick with it, but, horses for courses.
 
This thread puzzles me. I was taught for hours on the lunge. RI was mentored by someone from the Spanish riding school. I was taught in their (Podhajsky) training saddle which is more open. But as those guys pass across the screen it looks like the way I was taught.

The leg is further forward than one sees in Olympic dressage riders today and the heel sometimes further forward than the hip.

Not saying I ride anything like those riders - who I saw for real at Wembley once - just that that is the way I was taught. And I say it is chair seat as I dont sit like Joosie thinks I should. But how I've been taught.

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a wonderful instructor trained by Sylvia Loch,

She is different yet again. Yes. But when I was learning I found her video tapes quite complex - and beginners are not really stable enough in the saddle to make her tiny adjustment of cues. May be it is happenstance which teachers and styles we encounter when learning and anything that works for us brings rewards, so it is reinforced and we do it again and again.

Is there anything particular you would pass on here that came from Sylvia Loch?
 
I did say it was a Marmite thing ?

Unfortunately I'm suffering with a hip problem at the mo and coincidentally I've been told to ride shorter and not try to aim for the ear, hip, heel alignment. It's really not good for your hips when you have a super-wide cob, apparently. I'm all for keeping supple but I have to listen to my body.
 
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I think you ride in what ever way you are comfortable and the horse is.

At the moment i feel a little strange in mine again. I feel lopsided in my stirrups. Keep meaning to check if one side has stretched more than the other. So i must swap the leathers round.
Also i feel like im tipping forward so im wondering if the saddle needs some adjustment or if its just me and my body has changed shape. I have lost a few kilos since lockdown. So i wonder if its from my bottom padding.

Im not sure if id ride in a tcs with billy as hes a bit naorrower. But id certainly be happy to give it a go with chunky as hes so wide.

Curious to know did you find it hard to master trotting and cantering in it or did you feel you had a secure seat in those gaits.
 
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She is different yet again. Yes. But when I was learning I found her video tapes quite complex - and beginners are not really stable enough in the saddle to make her tiny adjustment of cues. May be it is happenstance which teachers and styles we encounter when learning and anything that works for us brings rewards, so it is reinforced and we do it again and again.

Is there anything particular you would pass on here that came from Sylvia Loch?

I have no wish to take over @domane thread but take a look at her website if you would like to know more about her teaching style @Skib
 
I did look at her web site etc. I told you it was beyond me. My question is what you personally got out of it?
I watched Pippa Funnel a lot in my early days. I watch Charlotte du J.
Of course you dont have to reply if you would rather not.
 
I did look at her web site etc. I told you it was beyond me. My question is what you personally got out of it?
I watched Pippa Funnel a lot in my early days. I watch Charlotte du J.
Of course you dont have to reply if you would rather not.

@Skib if you want to discuss this further please can you start another thread? As @Kite_Rider said this seems to be taking over @domane 's thread which is about a saddle not trainers..
 
Er, what?
"I don't sit like Joosie thinks I should." ??
You can sit however you like @Skib, I honestly couldn't care less.
I was just responding to the comments asking why we are told it's correct to sit a certain way.
You don't have a chair seat in that photo anyway. Your leg is just a bit in front of you because you're in a GP saddle and that's what General Purpose saddles are designed to do - sit you in a way that can be effective for both flatwork and jumping, whilst allowing for small variations in your position as you adapt to the type of work you're doing.
And actually the comment @domane made about her hips on a wide cob is a perfect example of why, as I said in my other post, the shoulder-hip-heel thing is just an ideal - not the be all and end all of effective riding - there is no "should" involved, it's just something some people choose to aim towards.
You have got to work with what you've got, and the "perfect" position is rarely possible as most of us don't have the "perfect" body!
 
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I am going to say not for me.
But at the end of the day it comes down to whether the cob said yes or no. I would only need the one ride for her to let me know that - and there is more than one way a horse can throw you off. ;)

I do ride mine without a saddle and I do have two treeless saddles.
With your set up I can see myself having too much weight in the stirrups, or her doing one of her spins and the whole thing sliding round.
If it works for you and yours fine, but I dunno for us.

I am riding shorter in her gp treeless, longer and I can't get my legs round. :)

If you are getting hip pain is shorter helping? I changed my stirrups last year when I started having issues, problem solved.
 
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I changed to the sprenger bow balance. I was having issues last year, my lower leg was going forwards and position was weak.
Loads better and kept the saddle.
 
There is another tc on ebay. I don't fancy spending that to play with it.
How you getting on?

I bought a treeless as it had knee rolls to play with back in January, decided to sell as not going to use it now I have moved.
 
I've just sold it, @newforest. Unfortunately sitting directly on Gracie's very wide back aggravated my dodgy hip. It was definitely worth a try though.
 
Maybe a treeless with a twist/ seat would help? Both of mine stop the hip spread as she's too wide at the moment for bareback.
 
My sisters just got hold of a strada dressage saddle for her stupidly wide cob. Got to say I had my doubts, but super comfy to ride in, horse loves it and it puts you in a great position. As the saddle is minimal no more broken hips riding him which we all used to get! And my boy is in a wide conventional saddle...this coblet is something else.

Might also be worth a go.
 
An interesting thread. I've looked at the Total Contact but don't think it's for me. We are just trying a Ghost Buttera treeless saddle at the moment it has lots of twist and is doing really well for my mum (who constantly has hip pain when riding) on her wide Connie girl. So much so that she is selling her Sensation and buying a Buttera.
 
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