About effective seat training

Effective seat training helps you become a better rider. You will feel more secure in the saddle and you will be able to use your aids more efficiently. All riders, regardless of level, benefit from seat training and professional feedback. But if you experience any of the following you will most definitely benefit from seat training:

• your upper body leans forward in downward transitions
• you lose one or both stirrups
• your feet are bouncing in the stirrups
• the contact in the reins comes and goes
• you cannot sit deep in the saddle
• sitting trot is uncomfortable
• you cannot remain in two point position for as long as you would like
• you get tired when posting the trot
• you are left behind the horse's motions in, for instance, canter departs or lateral movements
• the slightest un-rhythmical or unexpected movement on your horse's part will unseat you or even cause you to fall off

The trademark of a good seat is a stable position that is not affected when the rider moves hers arms, hands, legs or feet, a supple posture of the rider's upper body and a soft suppleness in all gaits, in transitions of speed and direction..

100% focus on the individual’s needs

When you do seat training with me you will ride on one of my calm and stable school horses while I lunge the horse. This will enable you to concentrate fully on your seat without the distraction of controlling the horse you are sitting on. The training consists of specific movements designed to help you explore the feeling of balance and coordination. These exercises will help you recognise the feeling of an erect and supple posture which will enable you to follow the horse easily in all gaits.

In real life

Effective seat training adheres to an old and well tested list of priorities; the first order of business is the rider's upper body. The key to a supple and balanced seat on horseback is the erectness of the rider's upper body and the balance of this erect body over the rider's seat bones. What this means in real life, what it feels like and how you can stay in this supple balance in walk, trot and canter is what you will experience during seat training with me. In order to enable the rider to explore the feeling of true balance, seat training is done without the use of stirrups.

When the rider can recognise and change and control the balance in her upper body at will it is time to consider the position of the lower legs. When the rider can control both the balance of the upper body and the position of the lower leg without tensing in all gaits, when the use of the stirrups doesn't negatively affect the balance of the upper body, then you have reached the goal: a supple and balanced seat.

Seat training includes the following steps:

1. erectness and balance of the upper body
2. following the horse with your seat in all gaits without disturbing no 1
3. the placement of the lower leg without disturbing no 1 and 2

How many lessons?

1 lesson will give you useful ideas

3 lessons will give you the ability to recognise when your balance is better or worse

6 lessons will give you the ability to make efficient corrections on your own

12 lessons will give you a good foundation to stay in relaxed balance automatically which allows you to concentrate on riding and communicating with your horse

Here is a video showing Effective Seat training (in Swedish)

Client success stories

Hi Lena! I have just had the most fantastic day with my horse! After some seat training, the same exercise we did in our last lesson, I asked for tolt using the light half halt and breathing. It worked so amazingly well! I'm so happy!

Kerstin Johansson

Hi, I want to share this with you. My daughter (13 years old) did some seat training with you. A few months later we participated in the Swedish Championships for New Forest ponies. Everything went very well but the best was when one judge gave her extra points for her seat. Thank you!

Maria Tayli

Hi Lena! Thanks to you I have become more aware of my strengths and my weaknesses. I missed your clinic since I went to clinics with Perry Wood and Rui Almeida back to back. I haven't trained with them in 6 months. Both pointed out how much better my equestrian tact had become and they were both very happy with the progress my horses as a result had done. I sure owe you a huge thanks, you have made me, the horses and my trainers happy!

Gunilla Grebbert

To book your lesson, contact lena.danius@ekipage-1.se.