I have been looking at some photos of riders. I'm a little confused lots of books etc say that shoulder, hip and ankle should be in a straight line, however, some of the people who have the straight line are clearly tipped forward and those who look in a better position do not have the vertical line throughnthe shoulder etc. How do yo know that your position is as it should be?
Position of rider
- Thread starter pharoah
- Start date
I would say not to worry too much about position, providing you are not leaning very noticeably forward or backwards. As I mentioned in a previous post I found that trying to get the supposedly correct position in lessons made me stiffen up instead of relaxing and this stiffness will pass through to the horse. One thing is that you should support yourself and not slouch in the saddle, but I would say the main thing is to be relaxed and enjoy your riding. 
layfull:
layfull:
I was always told shoulders, hip, heal but to maintain that position and stay relaxed is not that easy. I have found that if I video myself riding then I can see my mistakes and try to correct them. Sometimes I could cringe at my position!
It might depend on what people mean when they are talking about the line going through the hip. My understanding is that this means the hip joint ie where the leg joins the pelvis rather than the hip bone. I've had a number of lessons from a centred riding instructor which I found really helpful because they have been about getting into a balanced postion and removing any tension - rather than heels down shoulders back approach. I would recommend them to anyone wanting to improve their postion
I began to feel my RI was training me to "look" good in the saddle until she explained she was teaching me to achieve a balanced position with my seat "underneath me". She added the horse will respond better..........but I don't think he's read the book!
The posture and position of the rider is probably the most important factor in how well a horse is able to use itself. However achieving the 'correct' position is an art in itself if the rider is not to feel stiff, or uncomfortable.
Here are few reasons why the rider needs to consider their position:
If the leg and foot are in front of the rider then it can result in a braced knee and ankle and the seat pushed to the back of the saddle. It may well feel quite comfortable and secure for the rider, but it will cause problems in the trot and the horse will have too much pressure on the back and probably through the reins - even if the rider doesn't feel that they have too much contact.
Legs and feet too far back will result in the rider tipping forward and dropping their weight onto the horses forehand, can cause tripping, stumbling and the rider will feel a little precarious at times.
Slumped or rounded shoulders and head forward and down will cause unsteadiness in the hand and horse tipping onto forehand.
But, adopting shoulders back heels down etc etc approach will just cause stiffness and tension in the rider and cause other difficulties for the horse. Good position comes ultimately from the independence of the seat. This means that the rider can balance perfectly without reins or stirrups, and without gripping when the horse is walking, trotting, cantering or jumping. Once a rider can be balanced in this way then the 'classical' position happens all on its own.
Here are few reasons why the rider needs to consider their position:
If the leg and foot are in front of the rider then it can result in a braced knee and ankle and the seat pushed to the back of the saddle. It may well feel quite comfortable and secure for the rider, but it will cause problems in the trot and the horse will have too much pressure on the back and probably through the reins - even if the rider doesn't feel that they have too much contact.
Legs and feet too far back will result in the rider tipping forward and dropping their weight onto the horses forehand, can cause tripping, stumbling and the rider will feel a little precarious at times.
Slumped or rounded shoulders and head forward and down will cause unsteadiness in the hand and horse tipping onto forehand.
But, adopting shoulders back heels down etc etc approach will just cause stiffness and tension in the rider and cause other difficulties for the horse. Good position comes ultimately from the independence of the seat. This means that the rider can balance perfectly without reins or stirrups, and without gripping when the horse is walking, trotting, cantering or jumping. Once a rider can be balanced in this way then the 'classical' position happens all on its own.
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