Hip position...

E

earthisours

New Member
Oct 25, 2008
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Canada
Hi there,

My teacher finally brought up the issue of the saddle. The last time she brought it up was when I first started riding my lesson horse, and what she said to me meant nothing. >.>

But anyways, now I really get what to do. She said the saddle is very forward set, for jumping. (She said it was all-purpose, so it's set slightly forward) So it always puts my legs slightly forward, so she moved my legs to the proper position. This was without stirrups, we were working on that.

Now I know how it feels, and man, what a stretch for the inside thigh muscle! My worry is that I felt very perched, didn't really feel at all on my seat bones. Is it just a practice thing? Or did it just feel that way cause I was used to the other way?? I haven't tried it with stirrups yet, we ended the lesson after the stirrup-less work.

Any advice for such a forward saddle? When I was doing it without stirrups, I couldn't imagine doing it for very long-it hurt a lot!
 
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Your hips are probably 'closed' from being used to sitting in a chair seat (most GP saddles will put you in a chair seat). Now that your RI has got you to sit in the correct ear/shoulder/hip/heel line you're probably feeling the stretch. That, and doing a lesson with no stirrups! You're probably tipping forwards to compensate which is why you feel perched. To sit better in the saddle (and if your horse is quite calm) then you could put your knees in front of the saddle flaps, wriggle your butt forwards to the deepest part of the saddle and then drop your legs down again but without wriggling back. If you're tight in the hips you will probably feel this.

To help with opening your hips you could get a gym ball and do some exercises on it, even sitting astride a gym ball can help.
 
That's really very helpful, thank you! The horse I ride is a dear, so I'll do that. You're always so helpful!

I'll take a look at the video too, thanks! =)
 
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