This is where all riding begins, even if people tell you otherwise.
The seat is the main contact area with the horse. While we often speak of contact through the reins, we often neglect to think about the amazing power of connection you can have with your seat.
The seat is responsible for:
your balance
your horse's balance
half-halts
driving aids (bigger stride)
turning aids (point the seat in the direction of the turn)
transition aids (up or down)
maintenance of the gaits
"harmonization" (because if you can release through your seat, the rest of your body can follow)
Unfortunately, because we often want to just get going on the horse, we tend to focus more on the leg and hand aids simply because we want to have control and safety around the horse first.
However, if you ever have the opportunity, developing your seat aids and coordination before anything else is the quickest, most efficient, and more importantly, most effective route to control, safety and balance. There is no replacement for lunge lessons, if you can find them, because it is only by being lunged that you can focus on developing the muscle memory in your core - the type of movements that you really have little control over and can't will into being. It's purely physical, and by allowing someone else to control your horse, you can just work your body until it can do all the micro-adjustments on its own.
Off the lunge line, you still need to begin every aid and movement from the seat. Want to turn? Turn from your set (and then your upper body and legs can follow). Want to trot? Trot from your seat first (and then your legs can aid as needed). Want to stop? (Stop your seat and only after that, take pressure on the reins if you have to). Need to ride through a buck or over-exuberant duck-and-turn? Release through your seat and let it stick on the horse - the rest of you will follow!
I'm sure you can think of many other purposes for the seat, and I will list a few articles below that I've already written about it through the years. Suffice it to say that any riding on horseback must start with the seat. There is no other way!
How have you developed your riding seat? Comment below.
Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!
Ready for something completely different? If you liked what you read here, you might be interested in the new Horse Listening Practice Sessions.
This is NOT a program where you watch other people's riding lessons. Start working with your horse from Day 1.
Now is the time to re-evaluate your goals and path to riding success!
If you’d like a structured, but personal tool to set goals, take a look ourGoal Setting for the Equestrian: A Personal Workbook. The pages are designed for you to set and keep track of your progress over the course of a year.
Included in the book:
design your overarching goals
long- and short-term planning,
debrief your special events such as clinics or shows
reflect on, plan and evaluate your goals
sample goals and pages
The Workbook is available for instant digital download so you can print the pages right off your computer. There is also the option of a paperback version if you’d rather have a professionally bound book to hold in your hands.
Well, by now, if you've been reading my articles fairly regularly, you might already know that when something is "simple" in horse riding, it isn't necessarily easy! Quieting your hands falls into this category.
What is this simple way? Well, stop using your hands!
It's pretty simple to not use your hands, but it might not be so easy to increase the use of your other aids in lieu of the hands.
If you're anything like me, and you developed the habit of controlling pretty much everything from the horse's mouth long ago, then you know how difficult it can be to reduce your reliance on your hands.
However, I'm here to tell you that it can be done. It is possible to go to your other aids and save your hands for only two things: the end of the half-halt (in order to help with re-balancing the horse) and straightness/flexion.
They also can maintain the horse's straightness, especially in the shoulders, especially when you are on a bend or turn. They also can help with maintaining the flexion of the jaw (usually in the direction you are going).
Other than that...
... the hands should and can sing poetry in the horse's mouth and help him develop confidence and strength within his own movement. (Click here to tweet that if you agree.)
The rest of the body can take over much of the in-movement communication with the horse. And this is where the difficulty comes in for some of us. It takes a quite a lot more coordination and core strength to aid your horse through your seat, legs and body. But with practice and guidance, it can be done. Only then can your horse lighten on his feet and carry you with more comfort and strength. And for the rider, there is a sense of freedom that comes along with the reduced reliance on the hands.
4 Aids to Use in Lieu of the Hands
The Seat
The rider's seat is the root of all good in horseback riding. Not only does the seat keep your balance and allow you to move in harmony with your horse, but it also sends an almost unlimited amount of communicationto your horse.
Because, you see, the seat is the largest area of contact with your horse, and it sits (pun!) literally in the middle of the horse. From there, you have such an opportunity to send almost invisible signals to your horse. And he will likely respond easily just by virtue of the fact that it is easier for him to move from the middle of his body than the front.
The Weight
The use of weight is an off-shoot of the use of the seat and they work together in tandem. You could ride with a balanced seat that isn't indicating anything in terms of weight, or you can use your weight to your advantage. Let's imagine a turn - if you can weigh your inside seat bone into the turn, you will invariably help your horse turn easier and with better balance. How about a leg yield? Use your weight aid to invite your horse into the direction of the movement.
The Legs
The legs are critical for clear communication. The inside leg works on bend and keeping the inside shoulder moving straight. The outside leg is responsible for asking the hind end to stay in line with the front end (and not swing out, for example). It also is the main initiator of bends, shoulder-ins/haunches ins, canter departures and turns.
You can also "step into the stirrups" to support your seat aids, or to create a stronger leg if the horse is moving into it. The more educated you and your horse get, the more meaning you can offer through your leg aids.
The Voice
Especially at the beginning, either for a novice rider or horse, the voice can be a welcome reinforcement of the body aids. If the horse is young or relatively untrained, voice cues might not initially carry much meaning, but they can serve to calm the horse or conversely, add a little "spice" into the horse's movement (if you need increased energy).
Voice cues can be words or sounds, depending on how you want to develop them. You do not have to be loud to be effective. Use consistent voice cues and your horse will in fact be able to understand and predict what you want.
Well, there you have it! Riding with less emphasis on the hands is possible and highly recommended, not only for your pleasure, but for your horse's comfort as well. Although it might take more time than you might initially want to invest, developing your other aids to the point of clarity is well worth the effort.
Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!
Ready for something completely different? If you liked what you read here, you might be interested in the Horse Listening Practice Sessions.
This is NOT a program where you watch other people's riding lessons. Start working with your horse from Day 1.
I don't believe in putting my work behind a paywall. But there are expenses in every venture. If you really liked this article, consider tipping us! Your tip will help me keep producing more riding TIPS (pun!) with free access to everyone. With thanks for reading!
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Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book:Stepping Forward to Effective Riding
From Horse Listening, The Book:
"There are many reasons why we enjoy riding horses. Maybe one of the most appealing facets of riding is the sense of freedom: freedom from our own limitations, freedom from gravity, freedom to (literally) roam the Earth. Time stands still while we have the privilege of feeling movement from the back of our four-legged friend.
Riding gives us the place to just be.
Of course, there are other purposes too. Some of us revel in the challenge of learning the skills required to becoming a good team member of this unlikely duo. Riding is like no other sport or recreational pursuit simply because of the equine partner that must not only carry us, but also do so effortlessly and gracefully. As we develop our specific skill sets, we also grow as human beings in character, emotional maturity and mental acuity.
But there is one other motivation that drives some of us to persevere in the never-ending learning process that is horseback riding: improving the horse. As your own skills develop, you begin to realize that not only can you meet your own needs through riding, but also that you can even become an instrument of benefit for the horse."
And so begins the book that reflects the most important learning I have had in all of my riding years: that I want to be the best rider I can be for the sake of my horses.
This book is geared toward the rider:
- the rider's motivations
- the essential skills for the rider
- some specific strategies
- solutions to common problems
- and the results: the great horsey moments we get to experience
Along the way, you will find chapters that discuss everything from the seat to the leg aids to the reins, discussions on half-halts, imbalance, halts, straightness and more!
Special in this book are the "In The Ring" sections that give specific suggestions based on the preceding chapters. Take these to the barn to try with your own horse!
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