EVEN
TRAIL RIDERS NEED TO SIT DEEP IN THE SADDLE
By Susan
Dudasik
Recently
I returned from teaching several Trail classes at the Idaho
4-H Horse Camp in Alpine, Wyoming. During the classes, many
of the youngsters had similar problems, either their horses
wouldn’t go forward or were constantly backing up, which
caused constant frustration for the rider. One major cause for
these problems was that the riders were constantly leaning forward,
sitting on their crotch instead of their seat bones, thus they
were encouraging their horses to stand or go backward.
For any
type of riding, you must have forward motion, but many riders
hinder this by not sitting up in the saddle, they lean forward.
A horse’s power comes from his rear, not his front legs.
To encourage the horse to step out, a rider must have his weight
slightly back which frees the front end so the horse can move
forward. This is referred to as a driving seat. You’re
sitting deep and slightly back in the saddle, driving your horse
forward. Once he steps out, you should return to your centered,
balanced seat.
A good
example is to imagine a long hotdog-shaped balloon. If you were
sitting in the center of the balloon, the air inside would be
evenly distributed. But, if you tip forward, the air would be
displaced to the back of the balloon. If you tip backward, the
air would rush to the front. This same principal applies to
your horse. But, there’s more to it than sitting back.
When asking
your horse to move on, you need to sit deep in the saddle and
push forward with your seat bones, those two hard bones. Imagine
you’re trying to start a child’s swing. Push down
and swing your hips forward. As you’re doing that, give
a slight leg cue and, most important of all, give with your
reins. You can’t expect your horse to walk forward if he’s
going to run into the bit telling him to stop or back. He must
be allowed to go forward. If he runs into the bit, he has one
of three choices, stand, back or, rear up.
For riders
who tend to lean forward, breaking this habit can be difficult
as you might feel as if you’re leaning too far back. A
good way to test if you’re sitting to far forward is to
take a short crop or stick and place it in the center of the
back of your pants, then see if you can touch it with your back
and shoulders. At first this new position will feel very awkward
since many of us tend to ride slouched-backed and round-shouldered.
But, your horse will quickly feel the difference.
If your
horse has learned to evade you by going backwards, before you
go to thumping on him, consider your body position. Are you
leaning forward telling and allowing him to go back? Correcting
this dangerous habit in your horse will take time and a willingness
to change on your part. As soon as you feel your horse start
to step back, sit back and deep in the saddle then drive him
forward with your seat and legs. Remember to give with the reins.
Pay attention to your horse’s body language also. The instant
you feel your horse shift his weight to his rear, start driving
him forward. He can’t go backward unless he shifts his
weight so it’s your job to correct him before he starts.
If he’s has been allowed to back as an evasion tactic correcting
this can be time consuming and patience testing.
Sitting
back in the saddle can also affect how you sit the trot. Try
doing this exercise. Ask your horse to trot in a straight line.
As he’s trotting, start leaning forward, bringing your
seat out of the saddle. Notice how hard it is to ride the trot.
It’s really bouncy and you can’t stay balanced. Now,
trot as before, but this time, sit deep into the saddle and
lean slightly back. If you need to, grab the front of the saddle
or the hole in front of the Western saddle and pull yourself
deep into the saddle. The trot should be easier to sit and you
should feel closer to the horse. This is what’s referred
to as riding with a deep seat. There should be little bounce.
Experiment with tilting forward and back until you find a spot
you’re comfortable with then practice sitting that way.
As you progress, you’ll begin feeling when your horse starts
to slow down or back up and will instantly be able to sit deep
in the saddle and drive him forward. It just takes practice
and timing.
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Susan Dudasik
Shadow Rider Equine News
srider@salmoninternet.com
Member: Idaho Press Club
North American Saddle Mule Association
