Throughout the years, riding position has been a widely debated topic in the equestrian community. Depending on where you grew up, the disciplines you’ve ridden, and how much training you’ve had, you may have heard differing theories on how one should sit in the saddle. The two most commonly taught are the “plumb-line” and the “recliner” position. A 3rd common position is a “chair seat”. Below I will outline a basic description of each.
The position I like to call the “recliner” is a position most commonly seen among inexperienced riders, self taught riders, and “cowboy” riders. This position is aptly named because the rider looks like they are lounging in a lazyboy chair while riding. The feet are far forward, usually even with or ahead of the horses elbow. The stirrups are usually fairly long allowing for the knees to be fairly straight and the illusion of “heels down”. The backside is sat in the back of the saddle, with the rider on the meaty part of the seat. When sitting like this the rider then is in a slouched position in their upper body and tend to lean backward. This position puts the rider extremely out of balance, causing them to fall behind the motion of the horse, and ultimately making them unstable and possibly making the horse sore. This position prevents the rider from being able to flow with the movement of the horse, causing the horse to hollow the back in an attempt to escape the rough seat of the rider.
The position most commonly called the “Chair Seat” is most often seen in the Saddle Seat discipline as well as some in jumping and hunter. In this position the stirrups are often shorter, causing the knee to come up and forward as though the rider is sitting in a chair. This puts the rider on the meatier part of their seat. This can cause the rider to lean forward to re-balance themselves due to the center of balance shifting back with the seat, as well as making it more difficult to be with the motion of the horse. As with the “recliner” position, this position makes it very easy to fall behind the motion of the horse. This seat is considered correct for riding Saddle Seat but is detrimental to other disciplines.
The position where a rider sits in a “plumb line” is the most correct and the best position for correctly balancing and following the movement of the horse. In this position, the rider sits on their seat bones, with the upper body sat up proud as though a string is attached to the top of the head and pulling up. The leg hanging long and directly behind/at the girth. The reason this is called the plumb line, is because your body should rest on a straight perpendicular line. The head directly above the shoulders, the shoulders directly above the seat, the seat directly above the heals. This position allows the rider to follow the motion of the horse, to move forward or back if needed, and to use the leg effectively in the appropriate balance and timing. When sitting in a plumb line the rider can effectively give aids without balancing on the reins and falling ahead or behind the motion.
One more thing to mention is the mistake of a rider leaning to far forward. This is usually something that happens for riders who are tense or timid. It also happens a lot in the jumping disciplines when riders are out of balance in the two-point position. When this happens, the rider gets what we call “ahead” of the motion of the horse. Amongst many things, this makes it the rider very unsteady and much more likely to fall forward if the horse slows or stops suddenly. It also makes it impossible to have an effective half-halt and seat.
In conclusion, your body position effects everything when you ride. It effects your ability to sit and balance correctly which in turn inhibits your horse from being able to use his body correctly. This is a fact known even by riders in the Olympics, who still take lessons with a coach regularly. So if you wish to have a successful ride, start with how you sit!
Commentaires