Perfect Leg Position and Better Balance will Build Your Confidence in the Saddle
In the recent clinics I’ve taught, I’ve seen my riders soar in their skill-level from this simple exercise. It’s simply riding in the standing position, with your hands behind your back. I say simple, but it’s not easy.
The benefits of this balance exercise are too numerous to explain here, but I can tell you that the end result is a stronger, more secure rider, who trusts her horse more, and whose balance on the horse is dramatically better. Who among us doesn’t want a piece of that?
Balance requires alignment of your skeletal system, between your ear-shoulder-hip-and heel. In most instances, that alignment remains vertical, or perpendicular to the ground. But when you ride in a more forward position, like this exercise requires, that alignment is canted forward, with your lower leg stretching back behind you in order to maintain balance. Conversely, if you are riding behind the vertical, your lower legs would come slightly forward in order to maintain balance.
The ‘balance exercise’ can be practiced at a stand-still, walk, trot, and canter, but it’s wise to start standing still. You’ll need to learn to rise from your thighs (which will help you in many other aspects of your riding), by spiraling your thigh muscles inward as you transfer the weight from your bottom to your inner thighs. One of the most common mistakes riders make is pushing off the stirrup to rise from the saddle, which will make it impossible to find your balance because when you push off the stirrup, your heels come up and your leg moves forward.
You will lift your bottom up and out of the saddle in a motion just like standing up from sitting in a chair. Your hips will come all the way forward, leaning against the pommel in a Western saddle. This exercise requires a bit more balance in an English saddle since there are no swells at the pommel to keep you from going too far forward.
Don’t expect to master the balance right away, but it will come quickly with repeated practice. You will know when you are balanced, because it will suddenly become effortless to hold the position. If you feel like you are falling back in the saddle, it is because your lower legs are too far forward. As you rise onto your thighs, your lower leg should stretch back behind you, as you lengthen through your heels.
As the video below will show you, once you find your balance standing still, sit down and ask your horse to walk. Then come again to the standing position and find your balance. Once you’ve found your balance at the walk, try it at the trot. With each subsequent gait, you will start over to find your balance. The most productive gait for this exercise is the trot, where you will find the very rhythmic feeling of having springs in your ankles, knees, and hips. (Perfect Practice and Arena Guide Bundle)
You certainly don’t have to put your hands behind your back in order to gain some benefit from this exercise, but when you do, your balance improves even more and you may learn that your horse is more trustworthy than you think. Obviously, it’s best to work in an area of confinement if you are letting go of the reins (like a round pen or arena) and make certain you secure your reins in some manner so they don’t drop to the ground. And by all means, pick up the reins anytime they are needed for control. But you may find that your horse is even more relaxed when you relinquish the reins. You may find that your horse’s trust in you increases when you let go of the reins and trust him to do the right thing. This can be very empowering to both horse and rider.
Review the video before you try this exercise and make a commitment to practice it for at least a week. You will find that your balance on the horse increases drastically, your leg position becomes ballistic, you are more secure in the saddle, and you’ll have more trust in your horse.
Check out this article: Rider Skill Assessment Training Plan
