Seat Lessons Galore!!!

” The seat is  both the alpha and omega of riding.” 

~ Egon von Neindorff 

 

7caf6790f260c2e Seat Lessons Galore!!!!!!

So, to step up my current training schedule for dressage, I have added two seat lessons a week to my routine. WOW is all I can say! #1 What a work out and #2 what a way to find your seat again. If ever you are doubting your positioning, I cannot tell you how important seat lessons are in teaching you balance and the actual natural rhythm of the horse. 

I’ve been riding for twenty years, and even I still need them. My situation is a little different as I am retraining my seat from saddleseat to dressage, which are two quite different ways of sitting. 

Longeing can help you develop a longer leg and a deeper seat, which helps you sit better, enabling your body to comfortably follow the horse’s movement. 

One of the biggest challenges I have had to overcome in my dressage seat is riding without squeezing and gripping with my thighs, which SaddleSeat groomed my body for.

A couple notes to guide you in a seat lesson - 

Tuck your seat bones into the deepest part of the saddle.

Stretch your thigh back from your hip and point your knee toward the ground.

Let your calf fall below your knee and push toward the ground as though you were going to stand over the horse. 

Do windmills ( with your arms)  and bicycle pedals ( with your feet)  together at the walk and trot. 

Practice the helicopter and the walk, trot, and canter. Make sure to stay focused so you don’t get dizzy. 

Practice part of your lesson with stirrups and part without. 

Make sure that you have the appropriate supervision while having a lounge lesson. 

Most importantly stay relaxed and loose! And enjoy the ride!!!!