Basic Balance Position is the rider's freedom and the horse's relief.

When BBP is understood, developed, and embedded, it supports everything else. When it’s skipped, misunderstood, or distorted, riders compensate with force, and horses pay the price.

What Is Basic Balanced Position (BBP)?

Basic Balanced Position (BBP) is the neutral, functional alignment of the rider’s body that allows them to move in harmony with the horse while remaining secure, independent, and effective. Not only is it the optimal position for a rider to function, but it is also the one that interferes the least with the horse.

Before we ever climb on his back, the horse knows how to carry his body. Once we are astride he must compensate for our weight and movement, so we owe it to the horse to do our best to be in harmony with him. We need to get out of the horse’s way.

It hits me as a false sense of purpose and vanity that when we ride; we are trying to get the horse to reproduce things he does on his own, only now we want him to do those things while carrying our weight and at our bidding. No wonder so many performance horses have ulcers.

In a simplistic definition, the original purpose of the forward seat developed by Federico Caprilli was to make it possible for war horses to move, balance, and maneuver on their own while carrying a soldier who handled weapons. This differed from the earlier methods of combat that required a horse be highly schooled in dressage for close-quarter fighting.

Whether a person rides forward seat, dressage seat, stock seat, or saddle seat; whether they ride with long or short stirrups, it is to the benefit of the horse that we ride in a balanced seat. Anything that is not in a balanced seat either impedes the horse or forces him to do something. For instance, the forward seat rider who gets ahead of the motion slows the horse and drives his forehand down. The dressage or saddle seat rider who gets behind the motion and uses a driving seat, compresses the horse into the hand to elevate the forehand.

Once developed, riding in a balanced seat is more comfortable for the rider, but its real value is in the relief it gives the horse. So, if you aspire to be kind to your horse, develop your balanced seat. After all, we make the choice that they will be ridden. They don’t. Only in fairytales do they beg us to get on their backs.

The simple framework of a basic balanced position (BBP) is:

• The rider’s ear, shoulder, hip, and heel are aligned when viewed from the side
• Weight is distributed evenly across two seat bones and the crotch (pubic area)
• Pelvis is neutral, not tipped forward or backward
• Upper body is upright, with a soft, open chest and relaxed shoulders
• Arms are relaxed with elbows near the rib cage
• Head is up and over the rider's body

BBP is not a pose—it’s a functional state. It allows the rider to absorb motion through their joints, give subtle aids, and remain stable even when something unexpected happens.

To shorten the description further, the rider should sit over their feet. There are many nuances from style to style, such as, how your leg should or should not lay against the horse’s sides, how weight is distributed, where the rider’s toes should point, heel position, the angle of the riders upper body, and stirrup length. And there are the variations that are necessary according to the rider’s build. This is when we consider form and function as opposed to position.

All must stand one test: if you cannot stand stably for several minutes in your position on the ground without a horse, you are not in a balanced position.

A good base of support, the key component of BBP, allow the development of the good hand and arm position. BBP allows the rider to develop their core. It makes it possible for the rider to develop independent aids. BBP is foundational to good horsemanship.

The “Sit on Your Pockets” Problem

One of the most common—and most damaging—instructional phrases I hear is:
“Sit on your pockets.”

Almost without exception, this cue:

• Drives the rider’s seat into the horse’s back
• Tucks the seat and moves the shoulders behind the verticle
• Creates stiffness through the lower back and hips
• Encourages driving instead of following

A rider pressing against the horse’s back instead of moving with it becomes a source of resistance. The horse’s back cannot lift freely, and the rider loses the ability to absorb motion through the joints.

This is not balance. It’s pressure.

Usually, if the rider has learned BBP all that is needed is for them to lift their head and carry it over their body. This lowers the rider’s center of gravity and makes them stable.

Riding Behind the Motion Is Not Engagement

Another widespread issue is riders being taught—or allowing themselves—to ride behind the motion in an attempt to “push” the horse forward.

When riders fall behind the motion:

• Their seat lags instead of follows
• They use force to make the horse respond instead of supporting movement
• They often cling to the horse’s mouth while they punish his back.

True engagement does not come from driving with the seat.
It comes from balance, timing, and proper use of the aids while riding in BBP.

A rider in BBP does not need to push a horse forward—the horse can move freely because nothing is blocking the motion. In a perfect world, the only thing needed to get more engagement from a horse ridden in BBP and who responds to the aids is a horse with more talent for engagement.

Independent Body Parts: The Missing Skill

Many riders struggle not because they lack strength or desire—but because they cannot use their body parts independently.

Here are a few common signs:

• Hands that move up and down during posting
• Hands that do not follow at the walk and canter.
• Legs that move when the rider’s upper body moves.
• Upper body that moves when the leg is used
• Legs that swing or brush at the canter
• A seat that stiffens whenever rein contact is adjusted
• Upper body that leans in lateral movements
• Balance that disappears the moment something unexpected happens

BBP allows independence:

• Seat can follow while hands and legs stay quiet
• Aids can be isolated or used in unison
• Upper body remains stable while the horse changes rhythm or direction
• Legs can be used independently from the upper body
• Legs can be used independently from hands

The Horse’s Back: A Suspension Bridge, not a Platform

This is a concept too often forgotten.

A horse’s back is suspended between the front and hind legs—like a suspension bridge. It is designed to carry weight dynamically, not absorb downward force or bracing.

When riders lose BBP:

• They load the back unevenly
• They interrupt the horse’s natural swing
• They create tension where there should be elasticity
• They can cause pain and damage to the horse’s back

The horse already knows how to move.
Our job is to make our own body less of a burden by not interfering.

BBP and Safety: Muscle Memory Matters

One of the most overlooked benefits of BBP is safety.

A rider who has practiced BBP long enough that it lives in muscle memory will:

• Automatically return to alignment under stress
• Be more secure during spooks, slips, or sudden changes
• Stay centered instead of grabbing or collapsing

When things go wrong, riders don’t rise to the occasion—they fall back on habit.

BBP should be that habit.

The Hard Truth: Most Riders Are a Hindrance

For the most part, the horse can do everything without our help. It’s vanity to believe our riding can improve the horse. We can ride well and teach the horse more clearly what we want him to do, and then work him through exercises that develop his muscular ability.

Yet many riders:

• Override the horse’s balance
• Pull when they should align
• Push when they should allow
• Use force where feel would suffice

When riders believe in the importance of BBP, their mindset changes. They stop trying to make the horse do something and start learning how to work with the horse instead of against it.

That shift alone improves the horse’s life dramatically.

BBP Is the Foundation—Not a Phase

Basic Balanced Position is not a beginner concept to “graduate from.”
It is the foundation that must be practiced until it becomes the rider’s norm. This may seem boring to riders, and it certainly challenges the creativity of instructors, but developing the muscle memory for a solid BBP requires the eye of ground person, video or a mirror, and lots of practice. When a rider’s body adopts BBP, time is required for muscle memory to own it.

When BBP is foundational:

• Riders stop thinking about it
• Horses move more freely
• Aids become quieter
• Riding becomes safer, lighter, and more effective

Everything else builds on it—or collapses without it.

I’m interested in reading your thoughts about the value of balanced position, what it is to you, and how it functions. I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Here's to great lessons and students who love to learn,

Barbara Ellin Fox
TheRidingInstructor.net