How to Find My Seat on a Saddle

Jumping equestrians learn to find a secure seat while perched partially out of the saddle.

Equestrians recognize that "finding your seat" means discovering the best way to sit comfortably and confidently in the saddle while the horse moves freely at all speeds and over all terrains. While the inexperienced rider typically relies on her clinched legs, tense arms and tight hold on the reins to maintain stability, professional training and practice enables the amateur equestrian to determine the correct body alignment that provides security, safety and a fun ride for both rider and mount.

Instructions

1. Sit in your saddle with your feet out of the stirrups and your legs hanging down your horse's sides. If you are not comfortable doing this on your own, ask a knowledgeable assistant to hold your horse.

2. Center your body in the deepest part of the saddle, engage your core muscles (your lower stomach and back), and arrange your ears, shoulders, hips and heels in a straight line.

3. Measure in front and back of your body to determine if your saddle is a correct fit for you. You should be able to place three or four fingers between your crotch and the pommel -- the front -- of the saddle; and your palm should fit between your bottom and the cantle -- the back -- of your correctly-fitting saddle.

4. Place your feet in the stirrups and ask your horse to move off at a walk.

5. Sink your bottom deep into the saddle by relaxing your legs and allowing your pelvis and hips to sway back and forth with the movement of your mount's back. You should neither force nor resist this movement. Keep your legs and heels aligned with your shoulders and ears.

6. Practice sitting deep in the saddle at all three gaits -- the walk, the trot and the canter.

7. Check your position frequently as you ride. Ask yourself if you are too tense. Assess whether you are sitting in a balanced position -- not too far to the side, front or back of your saddle. Make sure your leg is relaxed and hanging evenly on both sides of your horse.

Tips & Warnings

• Stirrup length is an important factor when finding your proper seat in the saddle. Western equestrians and English dressage riders typically ride in stirrups that hit them just at the top of the heel when their feet are out of the irons. This extra length allows them to sit deep on their seat bones -- the point of the pelvis that you feel in your buttocks when sitting on a hard chair -- and stretch their legs long and straight down the horse's sides giving them a more secure seat in the saddle. However, if you find yourself standing on your toes instead of riding with a relaxed longer leg, you might not be ready for a longer stirrup length.

• Jumpers use shorter stirrups that help them raise their bodies out of the saddle. Riding in the traditional jumper seat requires that you keep your legs and knees flexible and your body centered over your pelvis and heels.

• Work on a lunge line to secure a good seat in the saddle. Drop your stirrups and your reins, wrapping your legs down your horse's sides while moving at all three gaits. If your animal is not used to moving on a lunge line, ride a horse that you can trust, and grab your saddle or the horse's mane to keep from falling off. Have a qualified assistant lunge your horse as you ride.

References

• "Learning to Ride, Hunt, and Show"; George Morris; Gordon Wright; 2009
• "The U.S. Pony Clubs Manual of Horsemanship"; Susan E. Harris; 1989

Resources

• "Dressage Today"; Longeing and the Seat; Arthur Kottas-Heldenberg; November, 2006
• "Practical Horseman"; Build Your Seat Away From the Ring; Belinda Nairn-Wertman; January, 2004