Can't ride in dressage saddles

[enjoytheride]

On Thursday I rode in my dressage saddle again and practiced lots of sitting trot and no stirrups work while holding myself into the saddle with my hand on the pommel. Including at the canter, while I fully sat during the transitions and the actual canter. My mare felt all of this was a little odd, but she was pretty happy to have her head free to do what she wanted so I’m glad we were alone and I was indoors! An interesting feeling to pull myself into the saddle and to sit deep in the saddle. I can sit the canter but I’m not really SITTING the canter as a dressage rider would, if that makes any sense at all.

During one point I felt a little twang in my upper thigh and all of a sudden I felt I was able to sit around my horse and not just on top! It came and went but it was a feeling of not pinching with my thighs and sitting deeply.

This weekend I took a jumping lesson with my trainer at long last and she pinned my problem in about 30 seconds. Even in my jump saddle she says I pinch with my inner thighs to stay in the tack, which causes my knee to pinch, and my calf to come off. It leads to an unstable seat and swinging leg over fences. Eureka!

So it appears I do it in both types of saddles but it’s more noticeable in my dressage saddle as I can’t pinch with my knee to keep myself in the tack.

We worked on it quite a bit in my lesson over fences, it’s difficult to break bad habits especially when I start to get tired.

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

^^That’s really interesting @EnjoyThe Ride and also helpful for me because gripping with my inner thigh was exactly what my instructor said was my problem with sitting the canter in a dressage saddle. She had me do the exact same exercise, pulling myself into the seat of the saddle at the sitting trot. It was hell and humbling and a reminder of how far I have to go. I’m more tense at the canter so it is even harder not to pinch then. I guess if I get really brave I should try using the pommel to pull myself into the seat at the canter?

[CanteringCarrot]

I have also held the saddle to suck myself down into the seat to get a feel. I know that I am tight in my hips and tense. I tend to get “tight” in the tack to stay on rather than loose and go with the movement. If my leg is too tense, by leg comes off the horses side, and my toes also point out. I began my riding career at a hunter/jumper barn that was fixated on HEELS DOWN, so far down. Heels, heels, heels. Whereas now, I am trying to just let my legs drape around the horse, relaxed yet functional.

I was able to screw around at the trot while holding the saddle on my WB if we were alone in the ring. The safer option is to have someone lunge you while you hold yourself in the saddle (cantle and pommel), move your legs around, and do exercises. If your horse is the type to take advantage of a loose inattentive rein, you could also have the horse in side reins or something like that while lunging.

Simple concept, but I also try to remember to breath well and really pay attention to my muscle groups.

[frugalannie]

Enjoytheride, sounds like you had a lightbulb moment! I love those.

FWIW, I’ve noticed that mares are FAR less tolerant of pinching/ tight thighs than geldings. You may find that changing that one thing will make a world of difference i your partnership. I know it’s not easy, but it can be done (says she who has managed to regain that ability FINALLY.)

[mellsmom]

Enjoytheride… here’s another tip. I had a really awesome ride on my young horse this weekend…after I had done like 47,000 chores and was really dog tired. I was so nice and relaxed (aka… exhausted) that I could sit quietly and could really get soft and relaxed…AND we had FREE WALK. For the first time EVER! And not just a free walk but FREE WALK where your hips roll and the horse just covered the ground and chuffs out a relaxed happy sigh.

[frugalannie]

Mellsmom, i confess that I’ve achieved that lovely state riding after a glass of wine, once or twice in my life

[mmeqcenter]

Your issues just scream ill-fitting saddle to me, for both your mare and you.
You fixed the fit for your mare.
Now you have to find a saddle that fits her the same, and fixes the fit for you.

I’m a recent dressage convert also, and have always hated dressage saddles because they hurt my right hip (the bone is in the joint at an incorrect angle, genetic failure, no it isn’t fixable without surgery so don’t suggest Pilates). My solution was to buy a dressage saddle with a bit of a more forward flap and no thigh blocks. The wide twist is still taking some getting used to, but it’s working out well. I still love my CC to the moon and back, but we all have preferences.

[Horse2019]

I’m exactly the same way. I use my hunt seat at rated dressage shows. I get nice scores. The judges don’t care. I’ve no idea how people ride in those big bulky saddles like a seat belt. I also cannot sit the trot in all that mess. I’ve had a saddle fitter out. No luck. I’ve spent $$$ trying saddles in the mail. I gave up. If you know how to ride you don’t need the bulky saddles pinning you in place.

[Horse2019]

What kind of saddle did you buy? I’ve found just about nothing like you’re describing

[Jealoushe]

This thread is 5 years old… but that’s one thing that’s great about CoTH is I bet you’ll still get a reply because we never leave

[RedHorses]

@Horse2019

If you know how to ride you don’t need the bulky saddles pinning you in place.

If you feel pinned in place that saddle doesn’t fit you. I have a very difficult to fit horse and the saddle that fit him had a much deeper seat and larger thigh blocks than I prefer. Not huge, but I like lower profile saddles. However I don’t notice the high cantle and big blocks when I’m riding. I can move in the saddle and I feel secure in the saddle and it’s comfortable.

Despite having a good, long legged dressage seat on my other horse (flat, small blocks) I still had to ride with shorter stirrups and work down to dressage length in the new saddle because that horse has much bigger action.

[Paisley_Pony]

I realize this thread is OLD, but for anybody out there who might have this issue, I’m going to add this. I grew up riding HJ and assumed that was why a more upright dressage/balance seat felt odd to me (and the saddles hurt rather than helped my position). It wasn’t until my daughter, who is built completely differently than I am, started riding that I noticed what was going on. My daughter is tall, straight-backed, with long legs. I am short/average height with a noticeable dip in my spine that causes my tush to do a natural “hunter butt” with no effort whatsoever. I also have shorter legs. In order to straighten that lower part of my spine, I literally have to tuck my behind forward underneath me, and it is not only unnatural but uncomfortable. Close contact saddles allow my natural spinal position to perform the way it was intended, and it’s easy for me to stay in balance and to sit the canter. As much as I love the look of dressage saddles, they will never fit me the way they fit my daughter. So I do all of my flatwork either in a CC saddle or an AP, which is all the compromise my body is capable of.

[Horse2019]

I spoke with a rep at all saddles.com and told them what I was looking for. A dressage saddle as close to a hunt seat as possible. No blocks no back of the seat pressing me forward etc. The response I got was I was describing a classical dressage saddle more used in the 60s and all the big blocks And bulk was a newer phenomenon. They have a new pegasus dressage saddle I may try. Flatter close contact seat and flat knew rolls. Also tad coffin has one. I’m on the wait list for his demo saddle. Yeah no need to feel strange if you don’t need all that junk on a dressage saddle.

[pony_grandma]

I have that body shape also. A dishy lower back I cannot straighten. I am solidly comfortable in 2 pt. A dressage saddle was torture. I was also born with a cyst in my lower spine so I was told to never ride.

The first time I ever truly sat a canter in a saddle with a long leg (didn’t have the problem bareback) was sitting western in a high end reining saddle. I never knew I should have gone that direction earlier.

Saddle fit also depends on how a rider’s pelvic floor is built. I have one daughter who has a flat pelvis and it’s been said she rides like a man. The other has a tied in pelvis, her legs are close together. She fights the ability to spread her legs down and around the horse. But has a perfectly flat back. Both kids rode different saddles. Big tack room.

[Paisley_Pony]

@pony_grandma

Big tack room.

Me too!

[Paisley_Pony]

I remember looking at the photos in Col. Podhajsky’s book, Complete Training of Horse and Rider, and being surprised that earlier in the twentieth century, dressage was performed in saddles that looked somewhat like 1960s era Stubben and Passier all purpose saddles. So I think it just depends on the rider as to which type is more suitable. We’re all unique, and trying to force everyone into the same type of saddle, no matter which type it is, is a losing proposition IMO.

[Willesdon]

Don’t immediately drop the stirrups to some nominal ‘dressage length’. It takes time to work down into the saddle with a relaxed hip/thigh/knee position. I’m an ordinary rider but when at my fittest I have five holes between flat and jumping length. If I’ve had time off I need shorter stirrups again.

I have a friend who won the Badminton Grass Roots Competition using one GP saddle in all three phases.

[endlessclimb]

A good thing to keep repeating to yourself is “frog legs” or “take knees off saddle”. That will put your calf on and take your thighs off.

Though I will say that the “feel” for this in a dressage saddle is much different than in the jump, just because of the more open knee angle.

I have the same problem, and it’s something I revert to when my brain goes idle. Hard habit to break!

[sweetsalute]

Assuming the saddle fits you and horse correctly…hips, hips, hips! After years of not riding much, and lots and lots of weightlifting (and not nearly enough stretching) I was on serious struggle street in my dressage saddle. I knew it wasn’t the fit, but I was going nuts trying to figure out why on earth I just couldn’t SIT anymore, my legs were all over the place and I was so ineffective.

I think a post on here made me consider my hips. I found a youtube yoga instructor and used her hip focused videos for while before pulling together my own stretching routine with the poses I found were really hitting the muscles I needed to (read…muscles were very tight and hurt doing the stretches )

Fast forward to now, I try to stretch twice a week after my leg days at the gym and I have my seat back. I feel secure again and like I am sitting. So check your hips aren’t too tight!

[Jealoushe]

Butet makes a dressage saddle with their hunt seat. Its a wonderful saddle. It’s monoflap and super close feel.