| Riding Form VS Training Form
There are various opinions of what is the correct riding form for the
gaited horse. Suffice to say any horse, in order to maintain balance in
any gait, needs a rider that does not interfere. This requires a balanced
independent seat. Now you get to riding form VS training form. Training
form is different; the trainer NEEDS to interfere at times, to cause the
horse to achieve the shape they are requesting. The rider weighs anywhere
from 10% to 25% of the weight of the horse. Using this weight to cause
the horse to change frame or to correct movement is a very effective tool.
A balanced seat in riding form aligns the rider's center of gravity
with that of the horse, allowing the horse to more easily carry the rider
maintain gait and use his back correctly. For the horse that is NOT maintaining
gait or using his back correctly, you can shift your weight to help influence
his carriage, and thus his gait and back position.
As a GENERAL statement, you want to position your seat as close as possible
behind the withers that will allow the horse to maintain gait. It is important
that you sit straight, helping to maintain your weight balanced just above
the horse's own center of gravity. This position allows the horse to carry
you with the least effort. You should be able to feel your weight balanced
evenly on your “butt bones”.
You can find these “butt bones” by sitting on a hard surfaced chair.
Sit with both knees straight out in front of you, even with your hips.
Sit up straight, do not slouch, and place your left hand in the small of
your back. You should notice that your back “dips” forward. Keeping
your hand there, tighten the muscles of your stomach and align your spine
to fill that dip in your back. Maintaining this position with your back,
place your right hand under your buttocks where you can almost cover the
entire right side of the part of your seat that makes contact with the
chair. Now “tuck your butt” you should be able to feel the bones in your
seat move forward.
Before you begin to try to influence your horse carriage by using your
seat, make certain that you CAN maintain a balanced seat. Often it is the
rider’s misuse of the seat or poor balance that creates gait issues in
what otherwise would be a smooth, well-gaited horse! It is one of
my personal pet peeves that people will pay good money to buy, outfit and
maintain a horse, but will not put the time or money into seeking instruction
to be able to ride it correctly!
If your horse gaited when you got him and does not gait now, in my experience
there is an 80% probability that it is due to rider influence. Rider influence
covers a lot of area, but one of the top issues between horse and riders
in a gait problem is lack of balance in the rider. The horse will try to
compensate for the rider's position on his back. The rider's position and
balance of weight influences the horse's balance and frame from the moment
they get on the horse until dismounting. The question is; are you interfering
with the horse or using position to improve the horse’s carriage?
As a rider, you need to try to prevent any unintentional changes or
shifting of your weight. Weight can affect the position of the haunches,
the ”straightness” of the horse, the position of the horse’s back and on
and on….
One constant in riding in balance is that you should never be behind
or in front of the horse's movement. Leaning back will not help you stop
and tipping forward will not move the horse faster; in fact these are likely
to have the opposite effect. Now take a look at how you ride. MANY riders
tend to lean forward when the horse is in motion. Lets think about the
effect this has on the horse.
First lets apply the Undersaddle zones that were discussed in the first
article of this series. By leaning forward, when you ride you are putting
your weight, and thus pressure forward too. This physical stimulus is telling
the horse instinctually and physically to “MOVE AWAY” from the pressure.
The horse has no collarbone; joints do not attach the front legs.
A sling of muscles and ligaments supports the weight of the horse and rider.
When you ride tipped forward, you put undue stress on this system. This
frequently causes the horse to have a concave curve in his neck, just in
front of his withers. This results in the horse travel with his nose in
the air and dropping his back, resulting in the often seen “upside down
horse”.
Almost all easy gaits require that the horse engage his hindquarters,
lightening the forehand. Riding tipped forward makes it very hard for the
horse to achieve this.
Another common fault seen in gaited riders is the rider leaning BACK.
Often this is simply sloppy riding, but in some instances it is intentional
too. Some gaits require that the horse travel with a slight amount of ventroflexion
to be able to perform their gait properly. You can maintain a balanced
seat and by slightly tipping your pelvis while bracing the lower back,
encourage a degree of ventroflexion in the horses back while staying in
balance with the horse.
TO BE CONTINUED…. |
