Strengthening Your Cross-Country Seat and Riding Turns and Circles

For a horse and rider to successfully negotiate solid fences and ride across undulating terrain at speed, the rider must first be able to maintain a balanced forward position with the stirrups at jumping length, before even considering approaching a jump. These basics will enable the horse to stay in balance, lighten the load he has to carry and prepare both the horse and rider for cross-country jumping.

Unable To Maintain Cross-Country Position

A lack of physical strength in the upper body and legs, coupled with a lack of balance, are the common causes of riders being unable to support their weight when riding in a forward position. Common problems include balancing on the horse's neck or reins, tipping forwards or bouncing in the saddle and general rider fatigue.

By improving your overall balance in the saddle, you will also gradually and indirectly improve your strength. Enquire at your local gym about a strengthening programme, squats and forward lunges are great for strengthening leg and buttock muscles while lying on your front on the floor and carefully lifting your head and shoulders up slightly strengthens the back.

Practise riding with your weight out of the saddle progressing to work over trotting poles. Start with just one pole and build up to a grid of six, ensuring the distance between the poles is correct for your horse's stride length. approach the poles in a rising trot. As you reach the poles stay up on the rise and let your weight drop down through your heels and relaxed ankles.

Do not rely on your reins for balance. Once you can trot over a row of six poles without tipping forwards or resting your hands on the horse's neck, progress to grid work with a small fence at the end. After you have mastered this you can go on to tackle small obstacles on undulating ground.

Concentrate on keeping your seat just above the saddle and on dropping your legs around the horse. Steady, frequent work like this will both strengthen you and improve your horse's technique in a few weeks. Riding Turns And Circles.

It is important to be clear about the classical way to turn or circle. The most effective, simple and light way to turn is to ask with the outside aids and put the inside of the body forward into the turn, moving the inside seatbone forwards. To turn right put the right side of the body forwards and to turn left put the left side forward.

Collapsed Hip

Riders often collapse a hip when trying to turn, or when trying to achieve a particular lateral movement, usually one which they are new to or unsure of. It is very closely related to collapsing at the waist but in collapsing at the hip, the rider has usually mastered the upright posture of the upper body but overdoes the use of the seatbones. In a new or difficult movement, slight anxiety to get it right can take over and the rider allows the hip to drop, usually on the side away from the direction of the turn.

By maintaining lightness in the seat, neither hip bone should be inclined to drop or tilt. First, check your position and ensure your hips and seatbones are in a central or neutral position.

To make a right turn, press the outside/left rein sideways against the neck, just in front of the withers, and take the outside leg slightly back from the hip to just behind the girth to encourage the horse to bend around the curve (so that his quarters are not swinging out but his hind feet are following along the tracks made by the forefeet).

The inside seatbone, with the shoulder above it, comes forward a little with the leg at the girth and the inside hand can be slightly raised and carried slightly inwards (never backwards) to invite the horse into the turn and maintain an inward flexion. This technique of turning carries over very well to lateral work, particularly if the rider slightly lifts the inside seatbone, or the seatbone on the side to which she usually collapses.