Switching between seats/ riding styles?

[zaparaquah]

I’m not really an eventer, but this seemed like the best place to pose the question… I’m currently riding actively in both dressage and hunters. Dressage is my real interest, so I’ve been leasing an awesome mare, riding her twice a week, taking lessons, going to show her this summer at Training/ First Level. But I’m also on my college’s IHSA team. Right now I’m only competing in Equitation on the flat, but I am jumping in lessons and will be moving up to the Novice jumping division in a year or so.

Anyway. I’m having a hard time switching between seats. My IHSA coach is constantly telling me to get off my butt and stay in the front of my tack with my back arched (which I know isn’t great, but it’s the style and it gets me over the jumps), and meanwhile my dressage coach (and my leased horse also makes this very clear) insist that I need to sit back and engage my core (PULL YOUR BELLY BUTTON TOWARD YOUR SPINE!). This is especially tricky in the sitting trot because a good sitting trot on my dressage horse turns into a train wreck if I pull it on an IHSA horse. The horses are just schooled differently.

I realize they are just different styles, and I’ll have to learn how to excel at both of them, which will take lots of practice in both seats. But do you guys have any tips for switching smoothly between styles? Or little tricks you have to help you stay in correct dressage or jumper position?
Much thanks!!

[flashwhitelock]

different seats.

[QUOTE=zaparaquah;8019351]
I’m not really an eventer, but this seemed like the best place to pose the question… I’m currently riding actively in both dressage and hunters. Dressage is my real interest, so I’ve been leasing an awesome mare, riding her twice a week, taking lessons, going to show her this summer at Training/ First Level. But I’m also on my college’s IHSA team. Right now I’m only competing in Equitation on the flat, but I am jumping in lessons and will be moving up to the Novice jumping division in a year or so.

Anyway. I’m having a hard time switching between seats. My IHSA coach is constantly telling me to get off my butt and stay in the front of my tack with my back arched (which I know isn’t great, but it’s the style and it gets me over the jumps), and meanwhile my dressage coach (and my leased horse also makes this very clear) insist that I need to sit back and engage my core (PULL YOUR BELLY BUTTON TOWARD YOUR SPINE!). This is especially tricky in the sitting trot because a good sitting trot on my dressage horse turns into a train wreck if I pull it on an IHSA horse. The horses are just schooled differently.

I realize they are just different styles, and I’ll have to learn how to excel at both of them, which will take lots of practice in both seats. But do you guys have any tips for switching smoothly between styles? Or little tricks you have to help you stay in correct dressage or jumper position?
Much thanks!![/QUOTE]

There are some tricks to help you keep them straight in your mind. IF you can, ride very different types of saddles between your dressage lesson in dressage tack and hunter equitation lesson jumping saddle.

Use different britches that have different feel for each. Full seats that are leather seat for the dressage, and regular patch for the hunter equitation. Make them as different material as possible so that the feel is completely different.

Wear different type of undergarments for each type of riding. Do some sort of tummy support undergarment with the dressage and some minimal brief with the hunter equitation.

Use different gloves, again so that in your mind it is completely different.

Use different boots for each type of riding, even just for the schooling lessons.

Use different style of bras and shirt combinations for each of the disciplines.

Do everything you can to give yourself a different sensation on your skin when you are in the different position. It helps tremendously when you are trying to establish one vs the other. You want your brain to immediately think “different” not have to analyze and calculate how the riding should be different for each discipline.

[Peaches]

Everything that was said above.

I did IHSA after years of dressage and would come home from school to ride dressage. The main difference in my hunter seat vs my dressage seat was my leg.

Hunter seat: leg turned in from the knee down (knee pointed out), heels mostly on the horse, weight on outside of foot. Solid contact with the saddle from knee down, varying contact from seat and thigh. I held my hands a little lower because sometimes I had to cheat in two point. :eek:

Dressage seat: leg slightly outward from the knee down (knee pointed in), heels mostly off the horse, weight on inside of foot. Solid contact with the saddle from the seat and thigh, varying contact from the knee down. I also held my hands a little higher in dressage mode.

After I got on the horse, I’d make sure my leg was in the correct position and holding it throughout the ride made everything fall together. Warm-up time really helped because I’d be able to focus on making sure my legs were where I wanted them, especially at the walk and trot. By the time we started doing more intense work, my body was “set” in the right mode.

I will sympathize on sitting trot though. Sitting trot in IHSA mode always hurt…I have more cushion available to sit on in dressage mode!

[Mukluk]

OK what if you use one horse for both dressage and HJ/eventing? The only dressage I have been exposed to is that necessary to do Beginner Novice. And I did that in a gasp…jumping saddle! My trainer was an eventer so perhaps that makes a difference. I am considering taking some lessons from a dressage person and I hope I don’t become too confused. Where I live there is a monthly dressage competition that I would like to try. I have an all purpose saddle that is more dressage like- don’t know if dressage instructor is going to tell me to get a dressage saddle. I also plan to do HJ schooling shows and get back to eventing when I have the funds.

[Janet]

I agree with what the others have said, and have a couple of new thoughts.

I have a BIG difference in stirrup length between dressage and jumping. I use different saddles, but if they were the same saddle, there would be 6 holes difference.

When I first get on with my dressage length stirrups, I concentrate on strechint my thighs down. I might grap the back of my thigh and pull it back and out. I might let my toes hang straight down, and move them in circles, before putting them in the stirrups. I think about "leading with my stomach.

When I first get on with my jumping length stirrups, I get in two point position, and concentrat on makeing sure I am properly balanced over my stirrups, without leaning on the neck. Then I will walk and trot in full two point, to establish that “feel” and balance. I concentrate on my particilar weakness, letting by feet swing back, by pushing my knees down and my feet forward (obviously if you have the opposite faults, you would do something different).

One of the differences at posting trot-
For dressage, sitting is the base position. When I post, I bring my hips forward (and up) UNDER my shoulders.
For jumping, my base position is the two-point balance. When I post, I let my seat drop down to touch the saddle, but I never SIT on it, and I do not bring my shoulders back.

I rarely have to deal with sitting trot in “jumping” position, but when I do, I keep my weight more on my thighs than my seat.

Work with both your insttuctors to see if you can come up with a simple mental checklist (no more than 4 or 5 things) you can use to remind yourself of the things that are important to each approach.

[Janet]

[QUOTE=Mukluk;8022303]
OK what if you use one horse for both dressage and HJ/eventing? The only dressage I have been exposed to is that necessary to do Beginner Novice. And I did that in a gasp…jumping saddle! My trainer was an eventer so perhaps that makes a difference. I am considering taking some lessons from a dressage person and I hope I don’t become too confused. Where I live there is a monthly dressage competition that I would like to try. I have an all purpose saddle that is more dressage like- don’t know if dressage instructor is going to tell me to get a dressage saddle. I also plan to do HJ schooling shows and get back to eventing when I have the funds.[/QUOTE]

Depends on the specifc saddle. The issue comes when you lengthen your stirrups more thatn a hole or two. SOME jumpimg saddle will put you into a “chair seat” when you lengthen the stirrups. Others not so much. It is related to the distance between the stirrup bars and the deepest part of the seat.

Conversely, if you shorten the stirrups on a dressage saddle, and try to jump in it, it may push you into a “perch” position.

[Keg-A-Bacchus]

I’m trying to figure this out myself and am interested to hear the advice! Primarily a dressage rider I dabble in weeny eventing and am just starting to dabble in Hunters. My pony is schooling second level dressage and being only 7 it isn’t “automatic” for her yet. After I go jumping around I find our collection is buh-bye for a couple of rides while she is in run and jump mode. I’m doing pretty much what everyone said above for me but also adding a different bit, different bridle, different pad, different verbal cues…just to help her and I distinguish the difference. Hoping she knows when she’s in her eggbutt Myler and I’m in a halfseat that I’m not looking for her to stretch into the contact. I want her up and ready to jump. I took 4 months off jumping and really worked our dressage this winter and I HOPE now that the collection and lengthenings are becoming quite natural for her that when I go back to jumping next month we can switch more effortlessly between. HOPE. LOL Interested to see other responses for more ideas!

[2LaZ2race]

I’m going through this too. I got a new dressage saddle for Christmas (after not having one at all for a few years) and it’s been REALLY hard riding in it.

I promised myself I would ride in it exclusively for the month of February… which hasn’t been hard with this weather!