A seat that swings

Take a look at the picture, note the location of the skeleton that is in contact with the surface, it is the point which we call the riders seat bones, ie the lowest point of the pelvis (when the pelvis is upright!). Note the hip joint resting freely, well above the base, just like the femur.

As we sit on a horse, the seatbones are in contact with the saddle and on them rests our torso and our legs is hanging along side the horse's sides. The basic idea is that our legs belong to the horse and that they must absorb the movement that is created by the horse's body as it moves.

When walking, there are two movement that the rider should be able to feel in their legs and joints. The calf penduling with abdominal movement (knee joint), and the thigh rolling slightly in the saddle (hip joint). Both of these movements should follow the horse's movements.

The walk also causes a movement in our trunk, it occurs when our seat bones slides forward and back in the saddle in harmony with the movement that occurs in the horse's back in walk.

Many riders receive the movement through a "break" in the lower back. The spine above the lumbar spine is completely rigid and the motion of the horse is only absorbed by the lower back.

If you instead see the spine as a center around which the pelvis moves, rotating maximum a half turn on the left and right side, that movement allows the movement given by the horse's back to billow up through our back up all the way to our shoulders. The spine is straight, the lower back are not exposed to any break and we get a swing in our own back.

In order to perfect compliance, we also strive for a quiet hand - a hand that is stationary in relation to the horse's mouth! This means that the arm needs to be mobile in the shoulder and elbow, so you can keep an even touch with the horse through the bit.

Walk out in the terrain and allow the horse to move you. The feeling is almost like waves on the beach one summer day, some comes in with more force and some splashes softly. Be observant of yourself so that you really let yourself be moved and do not start doing more than required - if you do it is very likely that you "ride more" than the horse actually gives.