Teach The Basics – Posture – Part 6

Who would have thought that a series of posts on Basics would bring us to a discussion about how to improve your posture? But here we are, ready to place a stack of books on our heads and walk around the parlor.

Maybe we won’t go that far but admit it, we have become a nation of slouchers. In my last post I talked about posture awareness, evaluation and conviction. This post will deal with correction. … Continue Reading

Popularity: 16% [?]

Teach the Basics – Seat- part 5

POSTURE:

Normally I can tell how a person will sit on a horse by how they sit in a chair, sit at their desk in school, stand when they are visiting, or when they are walking.  Sometimes I have a pretty good idea of how you’re going to sit in the saddle as I watch you drive your car up my driveway.

Why? Because posture is a strongly developed physical behavior that translates into riding. … Continue Reading

Popularity: 32% [?]

Teach the Basics – Seat- Part 4

By Barbara Ellin Fox

LONGING or LUNGING

Longing is often over looked in riding instruction programs.  Good lunging horses take time to train and until recently the art of longing riders was not normally taught to American instructors.  With USDF instructor prep classes, the teaching of longing the rider has been given more attention. … Continue Reading

Popularity: 80% [?]

Teach the Basics -Seat- Part 3

My favorite way for riders to develop their seats is as old as riding a horse -

Ride Bareback
Nothing comes close to riding bareback for  developing muscles, feel and balance on a horse. I recommend it for the young and the adult rider but I do have a few guidelines for safety and correct riding. … Continue Reading

Popularity: 100% [?]

Teach the Basics – Seat- Part 2

Light Seat In light seat the rider sits on the crotch and upper thighs.  The rider maintains more of a forward inclination of the upper body taking more weight on the thigh.  This seat is used predominantly in riding that involves jumping such as forward seat, hunter seat and eventing and requires a shorter stirrup leather length than does the full seat. Light seat should not be confused with jumping position. … Continue Reading

Popularity: 85% [?]