argh!!! i cant stay in the saddle!!!

Ok so to cut this short- when I ride shad I bounce in the canter! If I use my wintec stock saddle I don't, but if I use the dressage saddle (its a county) I do!

Sooo lately I have been doing heaps of no stirrup work. I warm him up, take away my stirups, keep my leg long, relax etc, I give him a long-ish rein ( just incase I balance with the reins) but I still bounce! Its not a big bounce, but is still a problem. Then we have sit trot, which is giving me trouble also. But the worst part is shad is one of the only horses whose movement I have this much trouble with.

So I decided I would give up the no stirrup work with shad and start no stirrup work with bella. She is easier to ride than shad and when I could get it all right on her, I would go back to no stirrup work with shad.

So I put her on the lunge (sp? Lol) to warm her up, also because she hasnt been ridden for a few months. Then on I hopped, rode her around with no stirrups trot (sitting & rising) and canter. I had no problems! None at all. But im still the same when I ride shad.

Is it just a matter of time and work? Is there anything else I can do?
Thanks :)

Anyone?

I guess in the stock saddle you have the thigh rolls to lean against and hold yourself in. Also the synthetic has equisuede and the County is leather? Big difference in "stick" too hehe.

I would keep up with the no stirrup work in the dressage saddle on Shad, really relax your back, think about sitting on the back pockets on your jeans and move with him. Stretch down through you calves but make sure you back stays relaxed.

Yeh the dressage is leather and the other one isnt :)
Thanks for the advice, will do

I had a similar problem with my horse, (in my opinion, I felt like my horse's long back threw me out of the saddle at a canter) that I covered up with 2-point for the first three months that I had her, but when I started getting into dressage obviously that doesn't fly, so I borrowed my friend's dressage saddle and rode in it half of the times I would go to ride in a week. I actually ride in a county so I see where you're coming from. My turning point was when I literally took the stirrups off of the saddle (so that I couldn't even be tempted) and cantered all around the ring doing circles and figure-eights with my horse on a super loose rein. Really exaggerate rolling your hips and lean back at like a 70 degree angle, and maybe even think about keeping your heels down. If that doesn't help, literally let go of the reins, (or just one) and hold the back of your saddle with your hands and try to press yourself into your seat to get the idea of what it feels like when you're sitting back. Obviously only do that if you're comfortable with your horse freely wandering around the ring. ;]

My instructors tell me to relax my lower back and bring my stomach forwards and up, keeping everything from the waist down totally relaxed and riding the motion upwards through my hips. I still bounce a bit at times but I know how to get back to riding it again now :) The thing I think of most, though, is bringing my stomach forwards and up, because that stops me from leaning forwards and engages all the muscles that need to move with the horse.

It could be that the horse you are riding does have difficult movement to ride. The saddle you ride in will also hinder or improve your position so you need to evaluate what it does for you.
Continue to do non-stirrup work and with time it will come. The more you do non-stirrup work, the better you will get. You need to give it time. A good way of working the difficulty is to be able to focus on it. See if you get someone who's experienced with lunging and ride on it. Remove the stirrups off your saddle and tie your reins in a knot. Hold both the front and the back of the saddle and sink in. Focus on the horse's movement. You know what to do.

Some horses just don't make it easy.

Good Luck :)

Dig those seat bones in and crank your heels down!!!

For many, those first four or five canter strides are tough - especially if your hose tends to blast into a canter, or is a bit jerky. Think and feel it next time - are you trying to grip with your knees or thighs? That will squeeze you up and out. My old TB tended to have a beautiful transition, then would steamroll ... gain speed, get all excited and we were off!!! I would always tend to get stiff and bouncy as I anticipated having no control.

Do you have any leather lined Jods? You can pick some up at places like Country supply rather cheaply. Sometime that extra grip gives tons of confidence.

It is very important to "feel" your horses strides and move you hips a bit - much like anticipating a wave when you are standing on a boat. If you try to remain ridgid, you will be bounced.

Even when you are upright, prim and proper, in perfect English equation position, you must think of yourself as fluid - almost like a slinky, from bellybutton to butt. That is your shock absorber, and is constantly moving and adjusting.

Toes up and heels down!