Help..Help..Help...Help!!Balance Problem

Thankyou everyone I have a friends mum that knows a lot about horses and I think I will get her help me!!!!

Hello.
So far you have gotten some excellent advice but I figured I would offer my two-cents (so to speak).

My first suggestion, as others have mentioned is to get someone to lunge you while you are in the saddle. That way you are focusing on your position and balance without having to worry about what the horse under you is doing. That way the person lunging you if they have enough experience can offer you advice as well. Also, stirrup-less is good - I would start on the lunge. Because it can help you to find the centre of your saddle and can help you relax in the saddle. But, you do need to relax your seat and your legs. Also your upper body - otherwise you will become tense and start bouncing around in the saddle which will cause yourself to become unbalanced.

Also, does your saddle fit you correctly? If your riding in a saddle that doesn't fit you correctly it can put your balance off. Another thing relevant to the equipment your using is, if your stirrups are too long it will cause your legs to swing. Making your upper-body become unstable and this would then result in a lack of balance. Again, if they are too short it will also cause a lack of balance. Bareback, is good. But you need to have a level of balance and a certain good seat to be able to ride bareback - otherwise you can bounce around causing you to tense up once again and loose balance.

Riding without reins is another good idea, because when people have a lack of balance they tend to bump around in the saddle and use their horses mouth to balance on - not saying you are doing this but it is something you need to be careful not to do. I once read a book about centred riding. It mentioned how your breathing will help your balance and for you to stay centred in the saddle, if your breathing is uneven it can actually cause you to become unbalanced in the saddle.

There is the mental side of things, if you think you are unbalanced. You will be, but if you use a positive mind-frame and think I can stay balanced, I am centre in the saddle you may find you have a more positive result. Work hard, stay positive and I'm sure you'll have great results. Remember to also feel your horse and try to work with their motion instead of against it. Using objects to work around - will help. Such as tyres, buckets, ect. Work on transitions, turns, circles, ect and you'll be noticing improvements in no time.

Photos and videos would help a lot and members may be able to recognize riding faults that are causing your balance issues. Remember, all riders have faults.

Thankyou very much^^^ I cherish all of you guyses advice it really helps me!!! In answer to your question chingazmybaby my saddle does fit correctly (i had an expert come and check it out) ...........i will see of I can get any videos or photos......i try!!!

Thats great that you got an expert out, shows real commitment.

If you like I can explain things in more detail and I can also post photos/videos of the exersizes.

Do you mean "centered riding" by sally swifts? I read it, too!! And I read it many times! I found it quite usefull!!!!! :)

^^^ I have had quite a few people recomend that book to me I think I will look into it!!!...........also chingazmyboy I would love to see any videos of some excercises if you have them!!! Thhankyou very much everyone

Have someone walk you at a real slow walk bareback. Once you get this down well move onto with the saddle. Make sure your weight is distributed evenly in both stirrups. Also, make sure you have a good position. Make sure you are sitting on your seat bones. You should feel your butt bones poking into the saddle so it feels hard. Don't wear buttons on your jeans or it will be hard to tell. Back straight and shoulders nice and strait. Head level. Ect.

I know how you feel! I sprained my ankle last year and it changed the way I walked, making my left hip crunch up! I had to go to a chiropractor because I had caused my hip to turn under on the left side. It really hindered my circling and turning! My circles were so sloppy!
I felt so unbalanced in the saddle I was afraid to ride. I got a balance or a "wobble" board and practiced balancing with my eyes closed. It helped get my riding back to where it was :)
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^^^^ thankyou both fr that!! Owww that sounds like it would have hurt Clair

Some great replies in the leaning forward at the trot thread here that can help you too - and I agree with what was said here. Good luck to you! :)