Something other than lots of cantering, please. I can deal with exercises at the canter but just going around and around the ring is quite boring for my horse, which makes my ride… interesting. I am hoping that some of you have a handy trick or exercise to help me get a deeper and more secure seat without letting Pony get bored enough to cause trouble. Anything helps :winkgrin:
Let go with your thighs, balance in the middle of your horse and let your leg drape around his sides more–only using a very slight tightening of your calves on the moment before the jump to keep the canter. Seriously, if you’re not sitting well, you’re doing too much work with your thighs and are not allowing you seat to simply follow the motion of the horse.
I do a lot of work in the gym to improve seat and position, in addition to taking seat lessons on the longe.
If you would like to develop an excellent seat, try this in the gym:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZFCzzPOYJU
practice using your seat to lengthen and shorten strides - you should find that you engage your core to shorten those strides, and are applying and releasing leg pressure throughout, both of which will help you feel when you are using your seat correctly. Lunging can be a huge help, or it can just be exhausting and frustrating you and horse, as small circling is hard work for both parties to maintain balance.
Thanks.
Velvet-That’s what I’ve been having issues with. Pony has a huge canter, and I ride in a relatively flat saddle, so when I relax and sit I bounce and slide everywhere, no matter how loose I am. It’s not pretty. Does it just take practice?
BTW- I just reread my original post and realized how rude I sounded, so please know I’m not normally like that.
Sigh, I’m right there with you. I am finding practice - lots of solid, precise practice - is what helps.
I have had success thinking about “riding with my bones” and “sitting IN the saddle” (not ON the saddle). Those images work for me, as does the image of cantering in place like the SRS. Clearly, we are not cantering in place, but it helps me visualize a tall upper body and a horse sitting back and lifting his front, which does indeed translate to a better seat, at least for a short time. YMMV and you may have to find other mental images that work for you.
To keep pony interested, try cantering along the quarter-line, keeping pony straight. Change tempo within the canter from your seat. Counter canter. 20m circle at A then 15m circle at B then 10m circle at C. LY in canter.
And while they won’t help pony stay interested, lunge lessons have really helped me. If you can get some on a schoolmaster, or even a decent schoolie, it can be a big help.
Thanks MissAriel. This is our second week of dressage ever, so we’re not quite at the counter canter stage and (proper) leg yields are still iffy, but it sounds like that can be adapted to fit my ignorance level :D.
What about lots of canter transitions? We need to work on those anyways, will they help?
It takes practice. You need to loosen your back a bit and find that balance point in the middle of the horse where you feel like your legs are not holding you on the horse. That’s where the core muscles are helping. Once you find that you can balance and follow, then you can get more active with your seat and leg when necessary, without feeling like they also need to hold you in place. It really helps you find your seat. What we use to call an independent seat.
The balanced and following seat are what start you down the path to a deep seat. Then when you have the long draped leg all you do is feel like the weight of your leg falls around the horse and into a relaxed heel and the seat will deepen. The core helps you follow and also is used to hold for collection or relax and follow.
I like to teach people that it is okay to be a bit too loose and find your natural balance than to grab and find that you are holding on by strength alone. Once you trust your balance point, then you can put other pieces back in. It isn’t always pretty, and it’s easiest on a lunge line. If you can get longed so you don’t also have to worry about keeping the horse going or balanced, it will make it much easier and help you learn faster. It’s about a long, draped leg at first. And relaxing your buttocks and inner thighs to help trust your balance.
[QUOTE=grandprixer;8873856]
Thanks MissAriel. This is our second week of dressage ever, so we’re not quite at the counter canter stage and (proper) leg yields are still iffy, but it sounds like that can be adapted to fit my ignorance level :D.
What about lots of canter transitions? We need to work on those anyways, will they help?[/QUOTE]
Ride transitions within the gait. Ask for longer and shorter strides, and keep the jump. Make your transitions come off softer and lighter aids. Think the canter and open your inside hip slightly to the outside hand. Then ride each stride and don’t ride with a stuck leg. That is something that helps develop the canter. I’d still work on balancing the seat so you can get deeper through learning to follow more and keep your own center always aligned with the horse. It makes it easier to know when you both are balanced so you aren’t compensating, which causes problems later with counter canter, flying changes, etc.
Velvet you rock. Any minute now I should be getting picked up from school to go ride, and I’ll try it tonight and see how it goes.
I found riding bareback very helpful. I pointed my toes at the ground which made it nearly impossible to grip with my legs. I worked at the trot first to find the relaxed looseness that allowed me to stay balanced and follow the trot motion. (If you try it you can start with a little trot and build up to a proper working trot.). Then I did the same at the canter.
There was a lot of toes coming up, catching myself with my legs, resetting and trying again in the beginning. 
But it got better.
[QUOTE=grandprixer;8873877]
Velvet you rock. Any minute now I should be getting picked up from school to go ride, and I’ll try it tonight and see how it goes.[/QUOTE]
Let us all know how it goes and if you have questions. 
Imma brag for a moment then I’ll discuss canter seats.
I own the best horse ever. He tried so hard to behave and we’re finally getting this whole dressage thing. Love my baby. :yes:
On topic, I tried to relax my legs and do what Velvet said. Unfortunately, when I relax my legs I lose my hands. Fix my hands and I lean fowards. Lean back and I tighten my legs. Relax legs lose hands… etc. I just need to do everything at once, and theoretically everything will fall into place 
Yep, that’s part of that independent seat! You can do different things with each leg, your seat, back, core, head, arms, and hands when you get it finally working. But it all starts with the seat. Once the seat is balanced, you stop leaning on the other aids to help you sit in the middle of the horse. Then you get to focus on the other details and get them all to line up, because the seat (includes your core muscles) is what really keeps you in the saddle–and also controls the horse as far as going forward and coming back to you. It follows or resists. Right now, to find your balance, it needs to do a LOT more following than resisting!
So happy it’s starting to click and your horse is so awesome.
Thank you :). Maybe in 1,000 years or so when we’re ready to show I’ll mention you in my victory speech :winkgrin:
I’ve found with a big canter, it’s important not to get behind the motion, and if your horse tends to get quicker, or bigger, and lose balance, passively following will not really help him- you will need your seat and legs to half halt and rebalance him. You have to ride the canter on a hotter horse. Transitions will help, concentrate on keeping your butt in the saddle during the transitions and learning to do them off your seat and not your hands.
And he is certainly hot :). Getting behind the motion is thankfully not a problem, it’s usually sitting up straight enough (former hunter rider). So are you saying I shouldn’t relax my legs/drape them?
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Thank you :). Maybe in 1,000 years or so when we’re ready to show I’ll mention you in my victory speech :winkgrin:[/QUOTE]
I’d be proud!
[QUOTE=grandprixer;8874756]
And he is certainly hot :). Getting behind the motion is thankfully not a problem, it’s usually sitting up straight enough (former hunter rider). So are you saying I shouldn’t relax my legs/drape them?[/QUOTE]
Take it from a former eventer before I focused solely on dressage, your over developed “gripper muscles” (those you develop when jumping) need to relax and stretch out!
[QUOTE=Velvet;8874771]
Take it from a former eventer before I focused solely on dressage, your over developed “gripper muscles” (those you develop when jumping) need to relax and stretch out! :)[/QUOTE]
Will that affect my jumping later on? This switch is just for re-establishing basics, not permanent.
