Developing a good seat. . . help!

I was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to develop a better seat - my leg is pretty still when trotting, but when I canter I have a hard time really sitting it, and if my horse spooks or trips, I bounce right out of the saddle! I feel like a bag of flour when this happens! Any ideas?

Relax! Take a good deep breath and let it out slowly, pretend you're tired out and sit 'heavy' in the saddle and let your legs dangle - if you're feeling brave, quit and cross your stirrups - sit slightly 'behind the vertical' (ie lean back a little bit)... it will come eventually!

Imagine you have a tenner or buck or what ever note currency you wish to imagine and that unless you sit on it it will blow away. Works wonders for me.

Are you tipping your upper body forward at all? That'll pop you out of the saddle in an instant. Concentrate on really sitting upright, almost behind the vertical a tad so your hip angle is open and your lower back can absorb the motion better. It might just be an issue of muscle memory where you sit a little forward, but don't know it and it feels right.

Having a few lessons on the lungeline really helped me to get my canter seat. Also, riding bareback is another great way to improve your balance.

No stirrups, no reins and on a lunge line is the best way to develop your seat.

definitely agree with Anebel. You'll be amazed how fast it comes along.

I found the best way to sit to a canter is to practice bareback. Dont imagine your sitting on the horse in=magine your sitting in the horse, so that your connected and as one. I admit you may fall off a bit (i fell off a lot when doing this!) so its advised that you wear a current standard hat and body protector if you have one. But if you are persistant with it then you will see great results. The best time to do it, iv found, is coming to the end of a riding session, use the last 5 mins to ride bareback. this way your horse is already warmed up and should be quite relaxed. hope it helps.

bellybaby x

The bareback thing would be a good idea.

As well as riding with long stirrups so that your legs are stretched down, and sit upright, and imagine the movement of the horse. If you can, close your eyes and just feel the horses canter for a few minutes. Relax your back and move with the horse.

That really helps me alot. Good luck. = )

I have a similar problem after a break of a few years from riding and I think its due to two things:
not having the core muscles to hold myself upright and having tight hamstrings which mean my legs can't really relax away from my hips, so any movement in my hips moves my legs too.
SO I am working on improving my core strength and flexibility. I am planning on taking up pilates or yoga to help with this. Maybe this will help you too!