Staying In???

Ok I ride drill team and I have to do a circle and half and land in the middle of the arena as everyone goes around me but I have trouble staying in the saddles when I do a dead run circle any tips on how to stay in besides heels down I do that. My horse is FAST!!!

I would suggest slowing your horse down with your body in addition to your rein aids. It causes you to have a deeper seat, so that you should also be able to stay anchored in your saddle better as well :)

Meanwhile, maybe you should work on getting back to the basics in your training so that your horse listens to you better.

Good luck!

i don't think you quite understand what drill team is. There are many maneuvers that are meant to be performed at top speed. The op never mentioned she had trouble controling her horse, just the issue of her seat. I think what she is asking is how to have a better seat at the faster gaits. Op, I appologize if that is not what you are asking. As for help from me, sorry, haha but I am not much of a speed demon! Maybe head to the barrel racing section as I am sure they have some pointers on how to stay seated going that fast.

I do think that slowing it down at first will help actually. That is, IF you need to do it at the gallop, I can't really tell from your post whether you want your horse going that fast or not. But at a slower speed at first anyway, you'll get used to the feel of the movement, then if you need to speed it up do so gradually and it'll be easier.

The other thing to remember is make sure you're not leaning into the turn too much because that will unseat you and unbalance your horse. If we're not addressing what you're describing, please explain a little more clearly, your post is a little difficult to understand. For example: what about staying in the saddle is hard? Are you falling off the side, or bouncing a lot?

Sorry for the double post, just wanted to add that lolayla also had a good point--post this in the barrel racing section if it is a maneuver you need to be doing at a gallop--they do sharp fast turns all the time!!

I've ridden in a drill team in my earlier days, so yes, I understand what they are. But you have to be PRECISE, not just fast.

Anyway, I did sort of misunderstand the post, and I just realized she needed help on her seat more than anything.

However, I still think slowing down and getting better at slower gaits would be better... going back to the basics in her riding. I agree with the above poster :)

I'm assuming that you are doing some kind of pivot. If you are having trouble keeping your seat, maybe ask your coach to move you closer to the center until you get better, that way you won't have to go as far as fast.

geeze, I just reread what I wrote and it sounded a touch rude haha sorry about that! Agreed with the rest lol