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Post by watchbank on Jan 8, 2012 15:19:20 GMT
Ive always been a confident rider, but ever since purchasing a section d mare, ive started to lean forwards and my legs go past the girth. Im not sure why ive never done it before and it looks terrible. I dont do it when im walking or stood still just tends to be a trot. Someone suggested take my stirrups off and try and improve my centre of gravity... any suggestions? Need to be correct before spring!
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Post by fanfarefan on Jan 8, 2012 17:20:20 GMT
definately would try riding without stirrups , does wonders for your seat
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Post by nia2311 on Jan 8, 2012 17:26:21 GMT
The hard bit though is to keep the position once you take your stirrups back! When riding without stirrups, you are forced to maintain a good seat position, or else you fall off, but its easy to revert back once you take the stirrups back.... Are you concerned about going into the trot that it will be too forward? I did this when I rode a very very sensitive horse, who with the slightest aid would leap forward into trot. You feel that by leaning forwards, its somehow safer, but as your centre of gravity is wrong, its actually worse!!
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Post by whp94 on Jan 8, 2012 18:47:54 GMT
Attach bailer twine to the girth and stirrups, when I was younger I used to have the opposite problem with my legs going forwards!! You can also buy specific Velcro straps for this, I think equibrilium makes them
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Post by country girl on Jan 8, 2012 18:57:07 GMT
try pillates has made a huge difference to my riding sounds like its a balance or collasping from your centre, pillates will help with both
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Post by cayo on Jan 8, 2012 19:09:08 GMT
Is your saddle correct it could be that which is throwing you forward or is pony very down hill perhaps seems odd if you were fine before ,how do others look/' feel when riding her .
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Post by watchbank on Jan 8, 2012 19:39:26 GMT
I had a synthetic saddle on before hand which moved all the time so swapped it for a made to meausure one i bought with her which is better but i do feel like im sitting downhill but im not if you get me, its bizzare!
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Post by network on Jan 8, 2012 20:11:31 GMT
I had the same problem, so bought myself some of those straps that attach from the girth to the stirrup irons, they worked really well, it felt strange at first and my legs ached, but it just shows that my legs were in the incorrect position  |
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Post by watchbank on Jan 8, 2012 20:46:54 GMT
ohh so maybe try a bit of bailatwaine from my stirrup to girth then lol, back to the old fashioned ways!
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Post by bomerang on Jan 8, 2012 20:53:50 GMT
i would echo cayo, i strongly suspect its your saddle, def worth getting it checked x
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Post by kirtonian on Jan 8, 2012 21:21:14 GMT
How old is saddle, although made to measure, if new may need a top up of flocking?
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Post by watchbank on Jan 8, 2012 21:25:10 GMT
How old is saddle, although made to measure, if new may need a top up of flocking? its brand new! this is what has me baffled! i will upload a photo of me sitting forwards and looking wrong and see if any1 can spot the source? |
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Post by watchbank on Jan 8, 2012 21:29:40 GMT
i know my hands are wrong here a bit but here goes..  |
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Post by showingfanatic on Jan 8, 2012 21:36:08 GMT
I had never had this problem either till I got my very sharp B mare, almost like I was subconsciously trying to keep as little weight as possible on her back! It did nothing but give me a very sore back the next day lol. I sorted it by having someone on the ground constantly telling me to sit up! So maybe get a couple of lessons?
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Post by watchbank on Jan 8, 2012 21:45:00 GMT
Yeah i have my mum for that, she stresses me out though lol! I stress my self out by constantly thinking sit up, sit up lean back! lol.
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kayjayem
Happy to help....a lot
Posts: 10,046
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Post by kayjayem on Jan 8, 2012 21:55:47 GMT
Could be wrong but are your stirrups too long? From the pic it almost looks as though you are toes down trying to hang on to stirrups. Nice pony |
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Post by bomerang on Jan 8, 2012 22:08:05 GMT
its funny , when i look at the photo on the r/h side of the bottom 3 u leg looks okay, but when i look at your profile photo your leg position is the same as your sample photo, so maybe you have a tendency to draw ur leg back but didnt realise it? and it just seems more pronounced on your new horse which could well move differently than the previous horse? the previous horse also seems more chunkier than this horse (might be an optical illusion!) so all things added up could be the reason? just a thought.
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Post by watchbank on Jan 8, 2012 22:09:57 GMT
its funny , when i look at the photo on the r/h side of the bottom 3 u leg looks okay, but when i look at your profile photo your leg position is the same as your sample photo, so maybe you have a tendency to draw ur leg back but didnt realise it? and it just seems more pronounced on your new horse which could well move differently than the previous horse? the previous horse also seems more chunkier than this horse (might be an optical illusion!) so all things added up could be the reason? just a thought. its the same horse lol! |
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Post by watchbank on Jan 8, 2012 22:10:42 GMT
Could be wrong but are your stirrups too long? From the pic it almost looks as though you are toes down trying to hang on to stirrups. Nice pony I wondered that, so put them up a hole and then they looked too high and almost like i was perched on top..  |
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Post by elmere on Jan 8, 2012 22:12:45 GMT
Could be wrong but are your stirrups too long? From the pic it almost looks as though you are toes down trying to hang on to stirrups. Nice pony I wondered that, so put them up a hole and then they looked too high and almost like i was perched on top.. Yes but if you get your balance with them shorter you could then slowly lengthen them as it improves. |
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kayjayem
Happy to help....a lot
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Post by kayjayem on Jan 8, 2012 22:24:52 GMT
I would think for the time being you would prob be best to shorten them a hole and concentrate on just having you toes in then your weight will automatically be transferred to your heel and your lower leg will have to come foward.x
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Post by nia2311 on Jan 8, 2012 22:40:33 GMT
Yeah i have my mum for that, she stresses me out though lol! I stress my self out by constantly thinking sit up, sit up lean back! lol. Its hard being taught by a parent or other family member and in my experience it just creates stress! It may be worth getting an instructor in to help you out with this issue, as he/she will cast a fresh pair of eyes and you will (hopefully!) accept their advice as totally objective. My son hates receiving any instruction from me and constantly argues, but his instructor could tell him to do anything and he gets on with it..... |
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Post by elmere on Jan 8, 2012 22:51:30 GMT
Yeah i have my mum for that, she stresses me out though lol! I stress my self out by constantly thinking sit up, sit up lean back! lol. Its hard being taught by a parent or other family member and in my experience it just creates stress! It may be worth getting an instructor in to help you out with this issue, as he/she will cast a fresh pair of eyes and you will (hopefully!) accept their advice as totally objective. My son hates receiving any instruction from me and constantly argues, but his instructor could tell him to do anything and he gets on with it..... Completely agree, I cant stand being taught by family members, it always ends in an arguement... |
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Post by cayo on Jan 9, 2012 8:16:23 GMT
Could be wrong but are your stirrups too long? From the pic it almost looks as though you are toes down trying to hang on to stirrups. Nice pony I wondered that, so put them up a hole and then they looked too high and almost like i was perched on top.. I still think its the saddle that dosent suit it may be different seat /cut to your old saddle maybe deeper straighter cut poss too small for you as you say when you raise your sterrups they make you look perched a change in saddle seat or cut throws me to pot i am so used to my own which seems to fit like a glove ,when i ride a friends pony in my saddle i am fine rid eit in hers and i feel just like you as it puts my leg back and so tilts me forwards and makes me very uncomfortable and awkward feeling .mine is a wh cut simmons with a big wide flat seat theirs is a simmons but is much deeper bit straighter cut and i cannot have my sterrups where i want them as my knee comes off the front and as i am an old fart i carnt cope with the slight change in position as i feel its more like a dressage saddle and find it difficult physically to to put my hips forward and shoulders back in it although it isnt supposed to be a dressage saddle it seems to tip me forward at hip and shoulders which forces my leg back ,any chance of trying a different saddle on your horse to ride in ,other wise i think it is just going to take a while to get used to your new saddle  |
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Post by shellywell on Jan 9, 2012 13:55:40 GMT
Echo the above, in your sample photo your saddle looks like it doesn't fit you.
In your signature photo you are slightly infront of the vertical, and it looks like you are collapsed through the waist.
In the sample photo your mare(?) looks on her inside shoulder through the corner, this suggests to me that you haven't set her up properly before hand, which then leads me on to thinking that you're not sitting right in the saddle and you are perched.
So, what you can do.......... have a qualified master saddler look at you and your saddle, the person who made the saddle would be ideal as they can then alter it. New saddles do change, even made to measure, and they need time to bed in.
Regarding your upper body posture, try riding with a short stick behind both elbows, (not a bendy whip, more a broom handle type of firmness, but thinner) this will show you exactly where and how your back, elbows and chest should be working. I'd advise to try it in walk, then build up to trot, canter etc WHEN YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE, secure and safe, have someone on the ground when you try this........just in case.......
I think there are a few things upsetting your balance and that you are half way there as you have recognised that there is a problem and you want to rectify it. It would be worth while finding a good instructor, having a lesson and videoing the lesson (this way you get value for money and you can watch the lesson back again and again.
Well done, good luck and keep us informed. I'm sure that all of us reading this will now be looking at our own positions and making corrections before the season starts, I know I am!
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Post by sageandonion on Jan 9, 2012 14:07:57 GMT
watchbank, I shalln't choose my words but shall just say I am meaning to be constructive with what I am saying.
Your position needs overhauling and you need to get a good instructor in to identify exactly how to set you right. It may just be the one thing (poss a weakness in muscle tone) that is putting you out completely from your shoulders to your heel and you need someone in there watching and working with you to identify. Saying change this or that isn't going to help and might make it worse. You are not in balance with yourself or your pony, will be ineffective and possibly strain or injure yourself. You are definitely not secure.
All of that sounds negative, but it is all good because you have identified you have areas to work on and therefore shall put it right fairly quickly and you are about to see massive changes in your riding and your pony's way of going.
The only thing I would say in advance of an instructor assessing you is go get your core strenghtened down the gym. If you have any Body Balance classes or pilates available to you, get enrolled and enjoy.
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Post by watchbank on Jan 9, 2012 17:53:41 GMT
thanks for all your advice i shall try and let you all know... just to clarify though, the photo on my signiture is carol isaac not me, she produced my pony! I am riding on the picture i uploaded but at the same time she is sitting similar to me. I do have a dvd somewhere of her riding her and will have a closer look at it and see if it could be the way my pony is set. xx
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Post by country girl on Jan 10, 2012 14:17:04 GMT
i was just the same tippin forward legs going back been going to pillates for the past year and my riding has improved so much , mayb ur pony cud also be out of balance mine was so i just hacked out and my intructor schooled my pony just once a wk for about 30-40 mins for approx 6 wks and we are both so much better sometimes you need to go back a few steps to improve
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Post by stumpedmum on Jan 11, 2012 15:17:16 GMT
it might be the camera angle, but it looks to me like you are gripping with your knees, which tends to tilt the body forwards, and leaves the lower knee to swing back to counter the weight. I agree with S&O, an instructor would be able to help you rectify this from the ground, a little trick to put you in a better position so you feel how you should sit is to stand in your stirrups and tilt forwards from the hips (almost as if you are going into jumping position but a bit more out of the saddle) keeping the tilt, lower yourself into the saddle. It should feel more like you are sitting on your pelvis than your seat bones. Keeping this contact in the saddle, come back up, keeping your stomach held tight and ensuring you have your shoulders back. Makro sure you come up from the waist, and don't end up shuffling back onto your seat bones. Once you are upright, with your shoulders back and sitting tall, you should find yourself in the traditional "land on your feet should we whip it away" position. You can maintain this position by using your stomach muscles and being conscious of your posture. This will just help you get the feel of where you should be, an instructor will be able to work you into this on a continuous basis until it is the natural position. To give you an idea, it took me 8 weeks from being a very hunched over "showjumper" to sitting in what is now a very classical dressage seat. Wish the rest of my bad habits were fixed so quickly! Self discipline is something I need more of methinks Its good you have identified something is not quite right,, good luck!!! |
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Post by bomerang on Jan 11, 2012 15:32:56 GMT
teach me to put my glasses on! well as i have just read it properely and looked at the photos and you have just said that the rider in your signiature pic os not you then it makes more sense, in the pciture the horse is chunkier (prob in show condition?)which is why i thought you said that the other pic was a new horse (glasses for me) and i couldnt understand how you could change that drastically, but now i think i get it and i think you still need your saddle checking again and have some lessons, nothing wrong with that we all need lessons, i get very lazy and slouch when i go a while with no lessons! good luck!
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