Classical Seat Training

Stick to the horse, naturally

The much repeated phrase seems to be true, there isn't anything new in horsemanship, but we do seem to have forgotten a lot. This classical seat training instructs all of you, your mind and your body, in a way that allows you to develop the internal resources you need to remain on the horse because you are lightly balanced there, not because you grip. It is unfair to ask for lightness from horse if there is less than lightness from the rider. If you habitually grip the horse to stay on, then you will have some element of stiffness, and this of itself will reduce the amount of lightness that the horse has available to you. Add a natural result of such stiffness, poor hands, and is it any wonder that horses "misbehave". Without a good seat, good hands can only result from a miracle.

Surely it is only common sense that we will enjoy riding horses more the better we do it. I find it hard to believe that anyone gets much fun from feeling that they're going to fall off at any moment. So what to do about it? Few of us have the hours it takes to "just ride" long enough to get a good seat.

The seat work gently challenges your balance and automatically improves your seat, except perhaps for those who enjoy falling off. In a very short time, far shorter than you might believe, you will be able to adjust your own balance and posture to improve the quality of the very foundation of your balance. It is no surprise that the result of working like this is a classical seat. To work towards it by trying to conform to an image of the way it should look is to invite stiffness and discomfort that it takes a long time to overcome, and many never do.

If you would like to discuss this further then email or telephone me and we can discuss the possibility of arranging lessons.