I have a welsh cob who in the school can cause similar problems in some ways. He wants to do everything at speed & would love to grab the contact & run with it if he ever had the chance. Contact has to be there & his frame short & round enough that he's stepping through rather than running downhill, but oh it has to be so elastic & forward so he doesn't grab it. Sit up too much & he hollows & dashes off, but too forward & he's got me over his shoulders & we're off - hands up helps reduce the urge to go too forwards though. It's so important to keep the leg always there because otherwise a wobble means he's off - leg off is for lazy horses who need a wake up call & that really doesn't look like your girl!
Keeping lower leg stable
- Thread starter CaptainBeaky
- Start date
@carthorse thank you for all the advice - it's definitely given me a lot to think about. She isn't an easy horse but she's got a lot better to when I first started riding her (she used to just tank off in a huge trot and then start hopping as well) - she still does this occasionally when she's excited but not as badly.
I will work on strengthening my core for definite, it's a particularly weak area of mine.
I could maybe ask friends at the yard if I could have a sit on their horses but I'm not sure, it might help to be on something more consistent though
I will work on strengthening my core for definite, it's a particularly weak area of mine.
I could maybe ask friends at the yard if I could have a sit on their horses but I'm not sure, it might help to be on something more consistent though
If you can I do think it would help, it's so hard to correct yourself and build the correct muscle memory on a horse that's compromising your position. The range of your position in those photos shows it isn't all you, but you're going to need to be very strong within yourself to help her & so allow you to ride consistently in a more correct position.
Even if you can borrow a horse it would be useful to have a play around standing with your feet apart & knees slightly bent. Start with something similar to your position in the photos & see how easy that is to maintain and keep your balance. Then play around with various adjustments that people have suggested & see how they feel. Some things will hopefully make you feel much more secure & solid on the ground & those are the ones you need to work on - realistically if a posture is such that you can't stand on your own two feet then the chances of it working on a moving and not very balanced horse are very slight indeed!
Even if you can borrow a horse it would be useful to have a play around standing with your feet apart & knees slightly bent. Start with something similar to your position in the photos & see how easy that is to maintain and keep your balance. Then play around with various adjustments that people have suggested & see how they feel. Some things will hopefully make you feel much more secure & solid on the ground & those are the ones you need to work on - realistically if a posture is such that you can't stand on your own two feet then the chances of it working on a moving and not very balanced horse are very slight indeed!
Last edited:
A little update... I've schooled her twice since the hack last week and have put my stirrups down another hole. Just doing that has made a huge difference to my position - I feel much more secure and centered in the saddle, and am finding it easier to sit up tall. My legs do currently feel quite insecure but I'm trying to focus on other things.
Her canter was just starting to come on nicely anyway but the past two sessions it's been so much better, particularly on the right rein. I'm putting it down to the fact that I am sitting on her better and she feels more able to move.
I'll continue to post updates, thank you for all your advice
Her canter was just starting to come on nicely anyway but the past two sessions it's been so much better, particularly on the right rein. I'm putting it down to the fact that I am sitting on her better and she feels more able to move.
I'll continue to post updates, thank you for all your advice
newrider.com