Quote:
Originally Posted by MIEventer Exactly Anabel!
Did you know that those who are brought into the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, are not allowed to ride on their own for a whole year?
They are put on a lunge line, with no reins for a whole year - why? Because this forces them to ride SEAT first, establish their seats and teaches them to focus primarily on the more important aspects of their body, than the least important *unlike here in North America where 8 out of 10 riders ride hands first*
Do exatly this - not for a whole year, but have someone put you on a lunge like who is experienced to aid you - and drop your reins and leathers. You're seat will quickly say "HELLO! Remember me?!?!" |
I rode with a lot of crazies early on in my dressage career. My first dressage trainer couldn't really teach anything beyond correct seat and position so I was basically stuck on the lunge. My second dressage trainer decided I was "unbalanced" (having never ridden a horse with big gaits) and put me on the lunge line on an imported Hanoverian state stud mare (read: VERY large gaits) and then had me touch my opposite foot with my hand in all gaits.
Then I had a jumping trainer who would remove her students stirrups for weeks and she would set up a chute, tie your reins up and give you a blindfold, the "crazy" part was that the jumps were at least 3' tall and the final oxer was always reminiscent of a free jumping oxer for a stallion testing. When I trained with her all I had to say about x-country was thank God there was no way to set up a chute out in the middle of nowhere!!
The good thing I got from all the crazies is that now a horse can absolutely bronc on me and I do not move. The last time I fell off a horse was dismounting and my horse spooked when my leg was already over and the time before that was getting wiped off on a wall by a mare that most of the trainers in my area won't touch with a 10' pole.
Lunge lessons in excess = you do not fall off.