Most recent riding experience was doing English in a Western saddle. I’ve ridden both in my youth, but I’m able to ride more seriously now and am committing to English.
My question is this: how do I stop feeling like I’m going to slide off the planet? My seat isn’t bad, but I don’t want to let my worry of being launched into space slow my progress.
Is this a lesson barn saddle? Can you send us a photo of the saddle on the horse? Can you send us a 10 second video of you trotting?
We need to know if you are unbalanced, horse is downhill, or if you are in a saddle that is unbalanced on the horse, is way too small for you, or is just a wierd shiny ancient pancake thing that almost no one would be able to ride in these days.
Mostly though you just need to get your balance. Longe lessons and a neck grab strap will both help.
I rode Western English and bareback as a kid. When I went back to re-rider lessons I was comfortable enough in English saddles but have certainly encountered a few that were exceptionally flat slippery and old that I would prefer not to use.
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I was slipping all over English saddles until I figured out that the modern knit fabrics of English breeches are super, Super, SUPER slippery. I had gotten myself a pair of the coolest Kerrits tights (Flow Rise?) and my position in the saddle was totally destroyed, my pretty solid lower legs started going off into the ozone layer, I could NOT keep my butt in one place in the saddle, my riding teacher started yelling at me again and I was full of despair.
I finally got myself a pair of the Kerrits silicon full-seat riding tights, and I stopped slipping and sliding around in the saddle. My riding teacher no longer yells at me, she just makes comments about minor things now.
Oh yes! I wear silicon in my jump saddle and full seat faux suede in the dressage saddle. Absolutely never plain tights.
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