How to Improve Your Seat: it will improve your Timing and Feel!

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[@shortbus390]

Ear, shoulder, hip, heel. It’s the classical dressage seat going back and written about for several hundred years.

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

yes several

[@catherineacly8657]

Dodgeball for the win!😂 But seriously, well said!

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

ha ha ha thanks. I yell that and throw things at my kids all the time.

[@kristencora]

The best explanation I've seen yet, Bret. All the time trainers and other riders are getting on to me for riding correctly since they ride in bad posture. It's sad how even the pros don't get it. Your posture makes a lot of difference to your horse. Just look at the old time vaqueros. They could ride the same horse all day long over terrible terrain and the horse still feel good enough and have enough go to get home. That's from proper saddling with a well-built, good-fitting saddle, wool blankets (modernly a wool pad), horsehair cincha (modernly a mohair cincha), and good posture and riding on the vaquero's part. It makes a whole lot more difference than most people will ever realize. There was a trainer and her students I went on some trail rides with, you know, just a simple hour long foothills trail ride, not much more than a jaunt, and the whole time they were getting at me about my posture. I asked them how often they sore their horses. They looked at me and told me they never sore their horses because their saddles fit, that their horses just get sore, that it's normal. Really? I was actually riding one of the trainer's much less fit horses and the trainer said this one always sored really bad and was always the last one in line on the way home because she was sore. On our way back, the mare I rode was feeling fit as a fiddle and ready to gallop if I'd let her. We got back to the barns and stripped off their saddles and the mare I rode wasn't sore at all, her hair was smooth, and she wasn't very sweaty. The much more fit horses the others rode were drenched in sweat and sored enough they had to have a couple days off, and that was just an hour of easy riding. Even the communication is different. I was riding the horse they all said was the dullest and laziest in the group and couldn't carry herself in collection at all, yet while I rode, she collected up well, stepped out well, and responded lightly while their horses had to be pulled on and kicked to do anything. Don't know if that helps anyone, but your posture has a lot to do with both your and your horse's comfort, stamina, and performance.

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

well said and a cool story although sad. Posture will keep the human riding longer as well. For the record I still use horse hair cinch and I use a wool blanket on colts to start, I swap to a bad later. Greatcoment I enjoyed reading it.

[@kristencora]

@@HorsemanshipAsAnArt I know. It's sad, especially when a state recognized trainer is teaching their students that bad posture and they all think it's right cuz that's how they were taught. I hope I can teach a few the right posture. I'll be glad if I can. Yeah, like you said, it's true for the rider too. Especially when you've got bad knees like I do. In a cheapo saddle you can grab anywhere, the kind that all too often leak (I only ride it when I'm somewhere else on someone else's horse and they want me in their saddle) I hurt as soon as I hit leather, but manage to ride an hour. After that, I'm crippled for a few days. In a well-built saddle with a good ground seat, correctly hung and twisted stirrups and riding in correct posture, I can ride all day long in rough country and still be able to walk at the end of the day. It makes a huge difference. That's cool. I'd love a horsehair cincha, but my goodness they're expensive, at least the ones I've seen. I'm wanting a good wool blanket too, but that's for another day. Keep making videos. You have some of the best content out there along with Dry Creek Wrangler and Pat Puckett. There are a few other good ones, but when someone wants to know who to watch, y'all are the ones I recommend. Have a good day.

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

@@kristencora thank you so much

[@canicegarth280]

So right on…. …..Core fitness Got book Back to Back! 💃

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

its a good read

[@Cecilyeg]

Excellent! I am a massage therapist so work down and forward a lot. The thing that saves me is riding and working horses because it means I must be upright and balanced. So many people have jobs where they look down and forward that it is hard for many to combat that, until they get on a horse and have to!! Thank God for the horses!

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

I guess I never would have thought of that. Makes sense. Back when I rodeoed I visited a massage therapist pretty often, you could see the difference in my scores.

[@jammons3862]

Thought I was in pretty good shape until March when I started a weight lifting program. Wow, has that improved my core strength and has really improved my seat. I’m female, 61 and ride a reiner turned ranch horse. You nailed it, the core everything. Thank you for another important topic.

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

thank you

[@Inca1122]

It is crazy bc today 2 coworkers were talking about working out and i told them how important their core is for stability. I told them that since i’ve worked on mine, my riding is way better. This is awesome info, not just for horse people but anyone!! Thank u!

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

you bet, thank you

[@guillaumevalat8061]

So true! Fitness and posture, you could add the state of mind / mind set. When you’re fit and stand good your mind set is also improved. “Shin gi thai” in martial arts - spirit, technic and body.

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

State of mind for sure. Let us not forget that Horsemanship is a martial art.

[@canicegarth280]

Ha, You explain it beautifully…..

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

thank you

[@charliewhon6548]

I rode in a reining clinic this past weekend with a horse that I did a restart on this past fall, and was/is not finished in any discipline because I’ve been using her as a lead line lesson pony just letting her learn to relax as she started out being wound like an 8 day clock. Now I had her the opposite and was ready to start asking more of her to see how she handled it. I want to try and finish her as a working cowhorse, because she’s registered AQHA but only 13.3hh., super handy with her feet, and she’s a sweet but bossy mare to other horses, who I’m hoping will probably enjoy boxing and pushing cows around. As I was waiting my turn, I was seeing a lot of issues with the other riders position (being an instructor, my mind goes there), and how I felt it was affecting the horse. Then, while I was sitting out after my turn to work on the exercise, I asked the clinician if he ever addressed equitation much; because he wasn’t really giving suggestions to the riders about their chair seat, or their eyes being where they were riding, not where they were heading, their chicken wings or their rib cage caving. He said, not really, because the more people ride and learn to get the horse’s hips and shoulders to steer the better their posture can be. This seemed a bit backwards to me. I know that a lot of marginal equitation is just habits formed, because we can’t see ourselves, and many people are not willing to call it out (especially when one is an instructor). I told him I wanted that input because I don’t want to stay in any bad habits of riding if it affects my horse. Later in the clinic, we were riding an exercise to push the hips, setting the horses up for flying lead changes, he told me I needed to get out of “proper” riding position more often and get by making my hands wider on this mare because she wasn’t broke enough to ride around with quiet, narrow hands. Of course I did because I had asked for his input, so I didn’t want to not follow through then. He said it was giving her more room to make mistakes so I could ride less in contact. And give even more when she did the right thing. He had to remind me A LOT because I kept going back to the way I ride the finished horses when I happen to ride them two handed, and the English horses. Sometimes I thought for sure I was doing it, but apparently no.😂 He said it’s especially important on “the squirrely ones” like her. It actually seemed helpful, and her left lead, which she was struggling to pick up, got more consistent and we got flying changes both ways; with a little bit of speed I’ll add. We still will need to work on the relaxation and lift for good flying changes. This opened up a discussion about the seat, eyes, shoulders and legs at lunch time. The other discussion we had was rider fitness. There were all women in this clinic, and there were only 3 of the 14 riders who could actually keep riding the lope for longer than a few passes around the arena before their legs couldn’t support their horse anymore and they would start to lose the gait and have to either stop or resort to just kicking the horse (hand’s flying up) instead of putting leg on properly. He made the comment in a nice way how hard it must be for Alaskan’s to keep themselves and their horses fit all winter. I tell even my very young students that any of us will only be as good a rider as we are physically fit, because our fitness will limit what we can ask of our horse and what we can ride through on a horse who isn’t a smooth operator. I have students come in that can’t even go a few rounds sitting a horse on a lunge line and do arm circles for a couple minutes before they’re commenting on how tired their arms are. And everyone comes back regularly mentioning how sore their inner thighs and groin muscles are when posting. I always just smile and tell them it’s a good thing because first, they are doing it right, and second, they are seeing signs of getting stronger. I often recommend exercising for my students and have a couple books in my library for them to reference, so I will have to check out the book recommendation. Thank You! Now that the clinic is over, I’m struggling with widening my hands; both remembering and with the way I feel it goes outside of proper positioning. Any input or suggestions from your experience?

[@tracyjohnson5023]

Charlie one thing I've found helpful to help widen and soften hands is to hold a paper plate at 9 and 3 while riding. Do it enough and muscle memory kicks in.

[@charliewhon6548]

@@tracyjohnson5023 yes. I never thought of a paper plate, that’s an awesome idea. I have a cardboard piece that I use for my riding students that is about the length of a ruler, and I sometimes place a ball in between their forearms and challenge them not to drop it, but this clinician was asking me to REALLY widen, like even out past my hips with my elbows away from my sides.

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

I struggle with widening my hands as well, part of that is habit from riding well and part of it is habit from riding young or bronky horses that only need an excuse to act dumb. Anyway I just give myself the talk about what kind of horse I am riding and how I should ride it. Different horses and situations and disciplines call for different equitation but the basics are all the same I think and a horse can't learn maneuvers if you dont have that.

[@mamaswrongagain4555]

I told my kids to sit mounted in a way that makes their horse proud to carry them

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

I like that

[@Kenneth-e6t]

That is what is called your bodys core

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

yes

[@joanettemurch9040]

I thank you sir

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

glad you liked it

[@nidagiddens7080]

Enjoy all your videos helping people being better riders which helps the horses also. You have probably been ask several times where did you purchase your hat what brand and style . Dermatologist said get rid of feed cap buy a hat Thank you

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

its a stetson and the model is open road. They are the only good factory made hats left, im saving for a hand made. caps dont really do the trick

[@406dn7]

One of the ancillary benefits of the weightlifting I've done, is that my core is very strong. I came to horses thru bird dogs. Most field trialers I know came to horses thru their dogs. Many of them don't really take their journey as horsemen very far. I have tried to learn as much as I can, after a later start. I see some really bad riding at field trials. So far any photo taken of my while riding, confirms good posture. I ride gaited horses and it is evident to me that if you can be consistent with your seat and balance, the horse will gait much better for you. Something not always considered is that every time you get out of balance, the horse is adjusting to that, even as you are trying to get your seat back.

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

you are absolutely right. I didn't know field trials for bird dogs involved horses. Are they used like golf carts?

[@406dn7]

@@HorsemanshipAsAnArt You handle the dog from the horse. The horse enables a person to be far more effective as a handler. Over time, you end up with a very nice horse. Their normal work day at a field trial is a ride something over 15 miles.

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

@@406dn7 cool

[@tracyjohnson5023]

@@406dn7 good field trial horses are worth their weight in gold! Y'all get them used to many things like gunfire. I've ridden at H Cooper black in South Carolina and watched some field trials there. Anybody that can train a bird dog should be able to train most anything 😆

[@joelhamilton6720]

Praise God for beautiful helpers " wives "

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

for sure

[@Franklin-pc3xd]

Good info. Howz about an accessible link to a basic list of mobility and resistance exercises and/or machines to use at the gym? The dressage book looks interesting but probably pretty costly for just getting that list.

[@jebediahnightlinger6357]

Deadlifts, squats and chinups. No machines, just bars and free weights. If there's one exercise to really develop, it's the deadlift, teaches you to "put your weight in your feet".

[@Franklin-pc3xd]

@@jebediahnightlinger6357 Thanks, much appreciated. You had me 110% till you mentioned the "c"word: chin-ups, but that's my shortcoming. My gym has a chin-up assist rig so at least I'll try that.

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

That is a good idea. I will look around for one

[@modocroughstock5700]

A #1 -stay in shape.... Can you think of anything else? Cute little "yeah!'

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

for sure

[@modocroughstock5700]

Great information..

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

Thanks you

[@tracyjohnson5023]

Colt and tough horse syndrome are a real thing lol. Slouched, sitting on your pockets with your feet out in front sure does help when you've gotta stick though. We all seem to look down at the horse too 😂 You're so right though that when you ride lots of horses like that, posture becomes habit and takes a conscious effort to sit up and ride correctly. Doesn't matter the saddle, discipline or breed it's all the same. I'm going to add that your ear should be the top part of alignment. Ear, shoulder, elbow, hip, heel. Western riders take a lot of flak for sack of potatoes posture, but imo English perchers are worse because their center is too far forward so they come off easier. Idk when instructors started teaching them to ride on the crotch instead of seat bones. Probably about the time 2 point position became on the neck and crest release over fences. Fancy names for laying hands and body on horses neck.

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

did I forget to mention ear? Thanks for the correction

[@lilmissstfu1126]

Here I am, "off topic" Sally, What is your opinion on how important head carriage is? The current reining horse is shown with a much lower head carriage than it was 10-20 years ago, are they doing that just as a trend or is it helping in their overall performance? How much does conformation play a part in a natural head carriage? I mean I don't expect a Saddlebred to hold its head like a QH and vise versa

[@tracyjohnson5023]

Ok Sally I'll weigh in on this too. I'm old enough to remember the peanut roller pleasure horses which was awful. It's a little better now but not much. Trainers used to have to do a lot of sketchy things to get that low and slow because it wasn't natural. While some are still sketchy, they finally started breeding horses for pleasure that had neck coming out of body lower and were naturally slower moving. I'm not a fan of much of the reining going on today with the low heads, lifeless expressions and pleasure horse speed. Only going to get worse now that NRHA is allowing doping for calmness. The only time they move a little is the run down and slide. Many aren't even doing correct spins anymore. They're faster, but it's speed over function. Not many truly plant a hind leg anymore. What I miss the most is the versatility of the quarter horse, which has fallen by the wayside with specialized breeding for disciplines. The English types are 16-17 hands looking like TB, the cutters are tiny, where they used to just be short. Barrel racers seem to have finally figured out that you need some brains along with speed to turn a pattern, so instead of breeding fast race horse types, they're crossing them with ranchy cow bred horses. Most of the time you can rope and even trail ride them. It would be great if horses could be judged on where their head carriage is naturally with their conformation. It would also be great if owners and trainers would be more willing to pass horses on when they're not cutting it in discipline or hate it, regardless of bloodline. Everybody would be happier, mostly the horse.

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

Confirmation has a lot to do with it and the modern Reiners are bred to be able to have the head that low. Able doesn't mean they should. To use your example a saddle bred carries the head higher but can still have good or poor carriage. Anyway carriage or frame as I call it is the byproduct of collection in the back and fitness and suppleness through the body. Unfortunately so many people focus only on the frame that they just rattle the head down and dont train the rest of the horse. Those horses have short carriers and break down young. In the reining specifically the term is called "willingly guided" that means the judge is looking to see that the horse is traveling soft and relaxed, the low carriage is a way of highlighting how "willing" the horse is. I have been to some big reining trainers and the way they get that look does not look like willing to me.

[@lilmissstfu1126]

@@tracyjohnson5023 We must be about the same age I remember the days of the peanut rollers and when everyone bred to Impressive, oops. Give me a peanut roller over the unnatural movers of today. Blows my mind that they think hock injections are as common as worming a horse.

[@tracyjohnson5023]

@@HorsemanshipAsAnArt very well said. I've found that once the horse is soft and supple, everything else works. The process gets them fit and working off the rear. Back rounds and they've developed a frame/self carriage on their own. Conformation definitely plays a role as some horses are built to make it easier. The caveat is it doesn't happen overnight lol. I'm adding that I have had horses with questionable conformation that were good at their job in spite of it.

[@tracyjohnson5023]

@@HorsemanshipAsAnArt it's harder to be a trainer these days. You can make a lot more money, but most clients want results now. Show people are probably the worst, but lots of recreational riders are the same way. Ranches seem a bit better and understand good training takes awhile and every horse is different. Social media can put a big dent in your income if the right person blasts you all over. There's always been trainers that take shortcuts or get that head down, over the jump whatever no matter what, but I see more of it today due to the instant gratification world.

[@canicegarth280]

Hee hee Walmart stirrups …… That’d be something 🤣

[@rockinpranch8173]

Good stuff, but I’ll continue to wait for the buck cherry video.

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

some day

[@CDavis28]

What buckcherry song did you get in trouble for singing?

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

lit up

[@CDavis28]

@@HorsemanshipAsAnArt hell yeah on my play list 👍 been trying to make sure my boys have a taste for the better music from my youth

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

I keep a good handle on what the kids listen to...no caned music only real music.@@CDavis28

[@tracyjohnson5023]

Using good quality equipment cannot be said enough. Is is going to magically turn you into a great rider like Brett? Nope, but it will put you in a good position and not sore you or your horse. Most cheaper western saddles and even some pricier models put your legs and feet too far forward just sitting idle. Much more difficult to ride correctly for your horse and you. It's a constant and sometimes unattainable goal to keep your legs under you. So spend the bucks on good saddles. Bitd you used to be able to barter your way into a good saddle, but I've taken out high interest personal loans to buy saddles before lol. I love leather tack, but live in very humid East Tennessee. Unless you have a climate controlled tack room, leather molds in 2 days. You might get a week if you put tack in zipper bags. I use most of my saddles daily, so they get wiped down after, but I don't use every headstall daily. I've gone to beta biothane for bridles. Not shiny, can get in leather colors, no mold or dry rot and you just hose it off. I use wool saddle pads and mohair girths and have to hang them up on clothesline to dry after brushing hair off. Sometimes it takes a few days to dry unless it's breezy. I hate fleece because it has to be washed so often to not gall a horse and even freshly laundered is the only thing that's caused galls for me. Hope this helps somebody else fighting high humidity and horses.

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

I love every word you wrote.

[@michaelschulze6545]

ja1

[@HorsemanshipAsAnArt]

same to you

[@sassy6292]

Of all the postural things that I just don’t understand is the head bob of the dressage riders. I can’t watch dressage because of that. Please if you or your lovely wife could explain what’s happening there and is it a flaw or is it normal. If this is a flaw then can the riders be fixed and if it’s simply a skeletal issue that can’t be helped then is it advisable for the head bobbers to ride period? Your head should be moving but only as a means to determine horizon line the way a cat does. How do you know what’s happening if your head is bobbing around. Also, the head bobbing of the gaited horses when they do their thing. Awful. Gives me a headache just watching it.