The lightbulb moment for me was when my instructor said that the thighs block the shoulders and slow the horse. It helped me understand the “why”. It is also part of the breath, the stretching up and the pelvic tilt to help make a very light horse who understands because it is more natural to him when his forward movement is blocked.
2 Likes
I use the reins more for influencing the position of the head and horse’s balance, but downward changes of direction and speed have more to do with thighs and balance
1 Like
I use thighs to influence the shoulders (shoulder fore/shoulder in), balance (half halting) and speed (half halting). Keeping them loose and relaxed is as much a skill as using them, though, and I think a rider needs to learn how to do that before they can properly use their thighs.
1 Like
Great topic. Great descriptions. Thank you.
1 Like
Me too! A couple of my past coaches have actually instructed me to open my knees and thighs and keep them away from the horse. And that was a big part of the reason my position was (ok still is) so unstable, with a tendency to tip forward. Now that I’m with a dressage trainer who has brought numerous horses and riders up to FEI levels I’ve learned that I need to keep my thighs and knees closed and rotated inward all the time to use them for my own core stability, as well as for the obvious things like collection and downwards transitions. It’s a whole new muscle memory I’m trying to develop.
5 Likes
When doing the rising trot, you lead with your hips, roll up on your thighs. If the pace is right, your thighs are just there, if you need to slow, your thighs close to what ever degree you need to hold your rise slower, Core alone cannot accomplish this.
When you go to sitting trot the thighs lie loosely but in contact with the saddle, relaxing when the lower leg is used to send forward, closing if you need to slow or steady the pace. In the HH they hold for that fraction of a second. Hold for too long and a downward transition occurs. Oops! At all times the lower leg stays on, and the hips regulate the tempo.
The thighs close individually against the shoulder, in a turn, backing up the turn of the rider’s shoulders. Ex: rider’s shoulders turn to the L, rider’s R leg closes, to push the shoulder around. A similar position is adopted in the S/I however care must be taken to keep the hips straight, along with the rider’s head.
That shove on the shoulder also happens for that horse who insists on bulging that shoulder. In that case it is sometimes backed up with a tap of the whip fo the twerp who is determined.
I love it when they tellme the horse does all the work.:lol:
4 Likes
I have found that training outside of riding teaches you how to use different muscles and parts of the body independently. What I have to be conscious of is that my left leg is much stronger than my right but the right leg is much more agile.
I recently attended a clinic called “Rider Biomechanics” held by an animal and people chiropractor. Found it most helpful.
1 Like
That would be so helpful for me! I’m completely one-sided, and particularly since I fractured my left knee a few years ago
1 Like
Thank you everybody. You all have given me a lot to think about.
There is really not that much discussion in the classical literature about how the thigh influences the horse, I guess it is melded into the seat discussion, where the seat is often treated as a single unit , mostly seat bones and the public bones.
You COTH people are often BETTER than the most respected books on Equitation. I love you all, thank you for your knowledge.
2 Likes
I agree, Jackie - they why’s and how’s are better explained i simple language - I like a reason why the thigh is used and for what. So it makes sense - some of the comments above are brilliant! In my life long quest for a light horse, the thigh is a basic.
1 Like
This is what I have been taught and do. I sometimes have students exercise my horse when I am out of town (it is better for her to work, even if not “properly”, for her comfort due to age/PSSM). They often tell me “I was cantering along and then she halted!” Sounds like they closed their thighs a little too much to me! lol
2 Likes
I recently started leasing a horse who is coming back from a leg injury. He had started showing 4th level/schooling some PSG prior to hurting himself. He’s like the Princess and the Pea. But in a good way. I posted here about a month ago about how I ride crooked and got some wonderful feedback from the COTHers. This horse is doing a phenomenal job keeping me honest. My right sitz bone isn’t even with the left and I have to make a conscious effort to slide it forward just a hair. The horse lets me know every time I forget. He probably senses that my shoulders are not aligned correctly over his. Last lesson I was tired and struggling to maintain focus ( Riding outside for the first time in months besides the odd hack here and there!) I was asking for a counter bend for a few strides with just a tiny bit of leg and almost no rein. His “AHHHHHHH woman why are you trying to run us straight into the fence???” reaction seemed disproportionate until I realized that my darn hips weren’t even. It’s incredible how attuned some horses are to seemingly tiny shifts.
2 Likes
We do use our thighs to balance in day to day riding. If I don’t ride for a while and I ride again, it’s my thighs that get very sore. I don’t usually pay that much attention to them though for general riding.
I do notice that I push with the thighs and seat when collecting, driving from back to front.
Also, when the horse does an unexpected whirly spin, my thigh and entire lower leg goes on strong to hang on, but I (and most people) normally do not ride with that intensity. That is unnecessary in average riding scenarios. I suppose this could change if riding bareback. I haven’t ridden bareback in decades, but I think I’d be gripping harder with the fear factor of falling should I give it a try now. (fat chance!)
1 Like
If you are ever in the need of a chiropractor for either your horse or yourself, I highly recommend Dr. Stephanie Crawford. She is located in Brantford, ON. She rides dressage, has worked at veterinary clinics and was employed by Ian Millar some years ago. I plan to have her back to work with me on my horse.
1 Like
I am the living demonstration of this story of yours. :lol: I have gotten stuck in “park” on horses because, to borrow my instructor’s verbiage, I can have a tendency to “ride with the hand brake on” which is often what tight/pinching thighs (and a back/seat that blocks the horse) is like.
To contribute more specifically to the discussion of thighs though: I think it is as hard to ride with them in a supportively neutral position (not completely vacating the premise, but also not “dictating” in any way). We often think of pinching with the knees, or jamming heels down/rolling through the ankle, where our toes are pointed… but the thigh is often overlooked for some reason.
I am a rider with a really, really long leg. My proportions do not fit well on most horses (doubly so in jumping saddles - I end up right on top of their shoulder with my thigh) and because of this I have had some exemplary instructors who have worked very hard to keep me mindful of how my biomechanics impact (help or hinder) my riding goals, and the horses themselves.
One of my “ah hah!” moments with the thigh was when I had an instructor physically remove my entire leg from the saddle, turn my toe “in” (it felt like that - in reality I am sure it was just neutrally forward). This brought my shin and femur to point “in” to the saddle (rather than turned out through the toe, out through the shin, out through the knee and the thigh - so instead of the “turn your toe out and put your calf on!” it was “Think of turning your shin into the horse”). This was really the first step I made in having a complete leg instead of isolated parts, and helped with the efficacy of how I could use my thigh (both more frequently and more subtly).
And “how much do you use your thighs”…basically, a lot. I tend to revert to the thigh for things that I suspect a standard rider may use their calf for - shoulder placement/movement, sustaining bend is often my thigh, regulation of the rhythm.
2 Likes
What you you are looking for is Mary Wanless’ work.
2 Likes
If I grip anywhere, at all, with any part of my leg, my mare will promptly grind to a halt. She is extremely opinionated about gripping. Forward aids, collection aids - all from the seat/core. If she falls behind the “leg” - ie; if we are collecting the canter and I sense she may quit on me, my correction is a well timed (hopefully!) inside spur aid rather than a squeeze of any kind.
That being said, at a certain point, thigh transforms into seat simply by way of anatomy :lol: I ride with a very “plugged in” seat - but it still has to be light and no clamping down on my horse’s back - for me, the check for this is the thigh. If I’m finding that my connection to my mare seems off - meaning she’s not coming up in front, or she’s fussy in the mouth, or she’s getting heavy in the hand - 9 times out of 10 it means my core has failed and I’m substituting a strong, engaged seat for grippy, clamped on thighs. Re-engage core, shoulders back, leg long, send the horse forward from the seat and those issues “magically” disappear 
2 Likes
Learning about (consciously) using my inner thigh was one of those important steps I had to take to move from being a rider to being a Dressage rider.
And this is still one of those things that I physically feel, that gets cataloged into my memory of things that work at specific times, for which I still cannot entirely explain.
1 Like
