Is anyone ever going to say it’s ok NOT to have a straight line from your ear, shoulder, hip and heel?
Of all the rider position directives I think this one causes the most frustration and along with that, problems. This directive pretty much derived from most of the ‘classical’ schools has been handed down through the military and civilians for quite some years. If you look through the books that came out during the 60’s and 70’s from the riders from the Spanish Riding School in particular from Colonel Alois Podhajsky it is mentioned frequently. But here is where there is a problem. If you look at all of the photographs in the books hardly any of the riders are actually in that exact position.
I’m not for a minute saying that they are sitting badly but most of them are not in that ‘classic’ pose in the photos. Curiously if you look through books of ‘the classics’ there are often drawings of stick figures demonstrating the position, but not in many of the photos. If they are in photos it is more often than not at the halt when someone is posed to demonstrate the ‘correct seat’. Actually that’s the same in most modern books too. A slim, perfectly proportioned rider sitting in profile at the halt.
I had my first riding lessons when I was a teenager and was told ‘how to sit’ by a local instructor who knew the quote. The thing is as a slim, fit, long legged teenage boy (no wise cracks! I was once,… ) I actually didn’t find sitting like that very difficult, especially at the halt.
There are two main parts to cover here. WHO is trying to sit like this and WHEN should you try to sit like this?
I believe most people riding dressage today will have this ‘position’ in mind as a goal. Not a bad thing. Unfortunately the majority of today’s riders are not slim, fit, long legged teenage boys, nor are they athletic, young men entering training in the Spanish Riding School. A great majority are female of middle years who are NOT shaped like teenage boys. Sometimes they are even of rounded thigh, fatted calf and her cup floweth over…..
And here is where the problems often are. For years I have watched so many riders struggling and fighting to contort themselves into this stick figure shape when quite honestly it’s not going to happen. Especially if she is also on a broad barreled horse. I see people lengthening their stirrup leathers to ridiculous lengths trying to develop a ‘long leg’. Reality check; a lady of middle years, 5’2” tall and perhaps slightly broad in the hip cannot expect and should not expect to sit in this ‘classical picture’ easily or naturally. And even more importantly shouldn’t beat themselves up for it when they can’t!
How often have you heard, “Oh she looks so elegant on a horse..” But elegant does not mean effective. I saw plenty of riders who looked ‘elegant’ on their horses at Greenwich 2012 but not a lot of them really effective and in HARMONY with their horses. In fact a few were vastly lacking in the harmony department. Conversely some of the ‘average’ shaped riders who sat in adequate positions had some wonderful harmony going on. Naturally in a perfect world we have all three, elegance, effectiveness and harmony. (Thank you Charlotte, Laura to mention but two!)
Of course a well balanced and coordinated position is always required for good quality riding. I personally feel that this can be achieved by pretty much most shapes of riders and not just the stick figures. You will always need the basics; Core strength, balance, suppleness, a degree of fitness and either natural or practiced coordination. When I first meet a horse and rider combination my eye goes directly to the horse, not the rider. If the horse is moving freely forward, mentally relaxed and confident, swinging through the back for as well as his level requires and there is an overall look of unison why would I start to nit-pick rider position details? I’m not talking about lateral displacement of the seat and other such moves for effectiveness, but just the overall look. If the horse is pinning ears, swishing tail, moving with short agitated steps then often my eye is led to see a stiff, uncoordinated rider with body tension. Unfortunately all of these traits can be ‘hidden’ inside an elegant look.
The problem is that rider number one may be a rather short, plump lady with no neck and her horse is perfectly happy to carry her. But rider two is an 18 year old willow figured nymph sitting with a straight line form her ear to her shoulder to her hip to her heel! But filled with stiffness. I go back to who is correct? Or which is better?
It is never very productive to try to sit totally vertical on a young horse either. This is why we do a lot of rising trot with the upper body angled forward and a lot of canter in a half or light seat. They need a light, balanced forward seat until they develop strength. Like wise out hacking etc.
So WHEN do you need to sit with the ‘straight line’?
When you are riding in a sitting position, verging near high collection then being as vertical and balanced as possible will be helpful. However not so much if you are ‘forcing’ yourself. Never sacrifice the suppleness and softness of your seat. Keep the ‘straight line’ in mind as a guide and keep as close as you can to it when needed but if you can’t be there ALL of the time it doesn’t mean you are a bad rider.!
All good riders and trainers come in and out of ‘position’ all of the time, but they are usually quick to notice and make adjustments. Actually losing your position sometimes can be useful as it gives you information or feed back. Simple example in an upward transition if you find your self falling slightly backwards it’s probably because the horse dropped his back and/or disengaged. Seat slipping to the outside doesn’t always mean your fault it could easily be the horse trailing that leg, especially in canter. (Losing your position to the extent that you end up sitting on the floor... Hmm.. probably not so much!)
And to end with…. Here are four very famous trainers, all well known for their work and some would say ‘correctness.’ Carl Hester, Reiner Klimke, Kyra Kirkland and the legend himself, Mr. Podhajsky. And not a straight vertical line to be seen by any of them. Good riders don’t always sit like stick figures… Just saying like…
I’m not for a minute saying that they are sitting badly but most of them are not in that ‘classic’ pose in the photos. Curiously if you look through books of ‘the classics’ there are often drawings of stick figures demonstrating the position, but not in many of the photos. If they are in photos it is more often than not at the halt when someone is posed to demonstrate the ‘correct seat’. Actually that’s the same in most modern books too. A slim, perfectly proportioned rider sitting in profile at the halt.
I had my first riding lessons when I was a teenager and was told ‘how to sit’ by a local instructor who knew the quote. The thing is as a slim, fit, long legged teenage boy (no wise cracks! I was once,… ) I actually didn’t find sitting like that very difficult, especially at the halt.
There are two main parts to cover here. WHO is trying to sit like this and WHEN should you try to sit like this?
I believe most people riding dressage today will have this ‘position’ in mind as a goal. Not a bad thing. Unfortunately the majority of today’s riders are not slim, fit, long legged teenage boys, nor are they athletic, young men entering training in the Spanish Riding School. A great majority are female of middle years who are NOT shaped like teenage boys. Sometimes they are even of rounded thigh, fatted calf and her cup floweth over…..
And here is where the problems often are. For years I have watched so many riders struggling and fighting to contort themselves into this stick figure shape when quite honestly it’s not going to happen. Especially if she is also on a broad barreled horse. I see people lengthening their stirrup leathers to ridiculous lengths trying to develop a ‘long leg’. Reality check; a lady of middle years, 5’2” tall and perhaps slightly broad in the hip cannot expect and should not expect to sit in this ‘classical picture’ easily or naturally. And even more importantly shouldn’t beat themselves up for it when they can’t!
How often have you heard, “Oh she looks so elegant on a horse..” But elegant does not mean effective. I saw plenty of riders who looked ‘elegant’ on their horses at Greenwich 2012 but not a lot of them really effective and in HARMONY with their horses. In fact a few were vastly lacking in the harmony department. Conversely some of the ‘average’ shaped riders who sat in adequate positions had some wonderful harmony going on. Naturally in a perfect world we have all three, elegance, effectiveness and harmony. (Thank you Charlotte, Laura to mention but two!)
Of course a well balanced and coordinated position is always required for good quality riding. I personally feel that this can be achieved by pretty much most shapes of riders and not just the stick figures. You will always need the basics; Core strength, balance, suppleness, a degree of fitness and either natural or practiced coordination. When I first meet a horse and rider combination my eye goes directly to the horse, not the rider. If the horse is moving freely forward, mentally relaxed and confident, swinging through the back for as well as his level requires and there is an overall look of unison why would I start to nit-pick rider position details? I’m not talking about lateral displacement of the seat and other such moves for effectiveness, but just the overall look. If the horse is pinning ears, swishing tail, moving with short agitated steps then often my eye is led to see a stiff, uncoordinated rider with body tension. Unfortunately all of these traits can be ‘hidden’ inside an elegant look.
The problem is that rider number one may be a rather short, plump lady with no neck and her horse is perfectly happy to carry her. But rider two is an 18 year old willow figured nymph sitting with a straight line form her ear to her shoulder to her hip to her heel! But filled with stiffness. I go back to who is correct? Or which is better?
It is never very productive to try to sit totally vertical on a young horse either. This is why we do a lot of rising trot with the upper body angled forward and a lot of canter in a half or light seat. They need a light, balanced forward seat until they develop strength. Like wise out hacking etc.
So WHEN do you need to sit with the ‘straight line’?
When you are riding in a sitting position, verging near high collection then being as vertical and balanced as possible will be helpful. However not so much if you are ‘forcing’ yourself. Never sacrifice the suppleness and softness of your seat. Keep the ‘straight line’ in mind as a guide and keep as close as you can to it when needed but if you can’t be there ALL of the time it doesn’t mean you are a bad rider.!
All good riders and trainers come in and out of ‘position’ all of the time, but they are usually quick to notice and make adjustments. Actually losing your position sometimes can be useful as it gives you information or feed back. Simple example in an upward transition if you find your self falling slightly backwards it’s probably because the horse dropped his back and/or disengaged. Seat slipping to the outside doesn’t always mean your fault it could easily be the horse trailing that leg, especially in canter. (Losing your position to the extent that you end up sitting on the floor... Hmm.. probably not so much!)
And to end with…. Here are four very famous trainers, all well known for their work and some would say ‘correctness.’ Carl Hester, Reiner Klimke, Kyra Kirkland and the legend himself, Mr. Podhajsky. And not a straight vertical line to be seen by any of them. Good riders don’t always sit like stick figures… Just saying like…
