My usual guy is very happy that I can scritch under the crownpiece of his bridle from the saddle. 
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Perhaps the issue is more leg/torso proportion rather than height per se?
Given a proportionally long leg, I still think being a bit taller (say 5 foot 9) is ultimately more functional for riding than being a bit short (say 5 foot).
And core fitness is a problem for everyone.
Some tall women are marvelously athletic, and some sort of slump around like they never really grew into their bodies (of course there are lots of couch potato short women too). But my guess is that if you’re tall you have more ultimate potential, but you might have to work in specific ways to get fit and make the most of it, including balance and posture.
Despite supermodels there is still a lingering discomfort with very tall women in our society, and if someone was the tallest kid in grade 7 they might have started a lifetime of slouching and feeling awkward. If you want to ride well you need to own your physicality and get strong and fit.
Yes this is certainly as issue! 5’11 now, and I was always a very tall child/teen and got called some awful names… I’m now trying to reverse 10+ years of horrible slouching postures. I could just play a recording of coaches yelling “shoulders back!” instead of paying for lessons, because that’s all it ever usually involves haha.
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Watch videos of William Fox Pitt and Joe Fargis (on Touch of Class). They “fold up” over the fences — enabling them to keep their weight over the horse’s center of gravity.
Most tall people go forward over a fence, as short people do. But tall people can’t; if they do they will tip the horse forward.
Core strength is key.
Well actually our society is big on shaming most girls bodies. Big tits or flat tits, too tall or too short, pudgy or bean stalk, big ass or etc etc. If you are “perfect” then you have to endure catcalls and harassment. It’s a major way our society keeps women uncertain and afraid and derails accomplishment during critical early teen years when our self images are developing.
You won’t be a really good rider until you consciously over come the lingering shame and get fit and good posture. Gym, yoga, Pilates, physical therapist or personal trainer. If you cannot stand tall and strong on the ground, you won’t magically be able to in the saddle.
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I love watching Will Coleman, WFP etc. BUT for your particular issue I would focus on watching some tall women–You’ve been given some good suggests. Men have their center of balance in their chest, women in their hips, regardless of height. That upright position for galloping? Awful for tall women. Instead we have to balance and find a vertical center of gravity by putting our butt behind and our chest in front. You’ll find the older version of a more horizontal back a much more balanced galloping position than the ‘au courant’ upright position.
And it isn’t just core you need to work on. You need to get in the gym and work your posterior chain–glutes and hamstrings. Glutes are the strongest muscles in your body and they are the reason you aren’t bent in half at the waist and can stand erect. It is MUCH more effective to build strength by working on these big powerful muscles. Dead lifts and squats. Not only will you strengthen the major muscle group that keeps your upper body erect you will also take care of strengthening the core in the same full body exercise.
Squats, squats squats. We shouldn’t be “folding” at the waist over a jump, we should be squatting over it. (And NO a proper squat is not done with and upright upper body!) Denny Emerson talks about what a big epiphany it was for him when he realized that was what the top riders of his day were doing. When your gluten are strong you position is solid when it’s based off a squat.
I’m 5’10" and I love being a tall rider. For as bad as not having control of your upper body is, it is that much more effective and powerful tool when you DO have control of it. Someone mentioned Dorothy Crowell. On XC she teaches her horses to follow and balance off her upper body. As she lifts her shoulder her horses lift theirs. Nifty trick!
One last thing, I think “sit taller” as I approach a fence to help keep me from leaning and loosing my upper body.
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Guilty as charged. I am tall (though not Amazon) and I struggle with my upper body. I have to focus on it constantly or it swings forward. My shoulders are also the widest part of me which makes everything difficult as well.
I’m absolutely no WFP (I’m a no anything), but I’ve hardly maintained anonymity on COTH, so my ups and downs are well documented on Youtube, lol.
I agree wholeheartedly that fitness is vital. I’m 51 and have had 3 kids. It’s not about muscle mass, it’s about balance.
One thing that helped me was to start thinking of “being in my thighs” more than constantly thinking “shoulders back”
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Being tall is a gift because long legs.
i am very tall and recognize the issues…I am too quick with my upper body and have been fighting it for 25 years. I can make the horses too quick off the ground if I fold fast, which is easy to do if you ride small horses like I do.
But at day’s end— it is an advantage. Learn the value of stillness and softness in the upper body and that long leg!
i do have a green horse hunch in my shoulders from riding a lot of young horses, but it isn’t a problem unless I get too quick folding. Think elastic everywhere. A tall gumby is the ideal rider.
I did say I was working on it! I’m now a physiotherapist so well aware of the importance of appropriate strengthening… but long term motor patterns don’t change overnight.
I am 5’10-11’ and one of my horses is a petite 15.3 1/2 TB. I just started a YouTube channel called DTS Eventing. My recommendation is find a saddle that is designed for tall females and work on core, core, core!
As a fellow very tall rider (albeit male), I’m a true believer in rider fitness, particularly if you’re tall. One exercise that has helped me physically in strengthening my riding position as well as mentally in understand where my balance should be is getting on a spin bike regularly and always thinking about my riding during my bike sessions.
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Start out transitioning between fully sitting and standing to build an initial foundation and feel. Put the resistance one whatever works for you and add resistance when you feel ready.
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As you get stronger spend more time standing and focus on where your center of gravity is and how it shifts. Are you leaning forward or pulling back, supporting your weight on the handles? Focus on a light contact with the handles, primarily supporting your body through your legs and core. As you get a feel for it and build fitness, you’ll notice your shoulders are what moves your center or gravity. Work on shifting your shoulders and upper body without changing the tension you carry against the handles. Keep your weight and center of gravity low and stable.
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After you’ve gotten comfortable with this, the last step is to start working on standing while pedaling with your hands completely off the handles. If you can continue to pedal and maintain your balance, that’s the feeling you need on the horse. It helped me immensely in both understanding the feeling and building the strength to ride with a truly independent hand. Disclaimer: this is really hard.
Go slow, stick with it, and be happy with incremental improvements.
I agree with what a few others have said. Being tall is a liability until you figure it out, but once you do, it can become a huge asset. One thing being tall has taught me is that I CANNOT take shortcuts or get away with even a moment of sloppy riding.
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I’m the same. I’m 6’2 and my lessons basically consist of my coach yelling ‘if it’s comfortable, it isn’t right!’ in relation to my posture. I have spent my entire life trying to make myself shorter.
I agree that core strength is key, as is good saddle fit!
