Keeping your butt in the saddle when jogging and loping?

Question

When I'm riding, I always have difficulty keeping my butt in the saddle. I'm always bouncing around. Any ideas to stop this and help me?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Yes, I do.   Acquire a balanced seat and you will have no problem sitting the walk, trot or canter....and do it with the horse, not against the horse, "ouch!"  I have explained this process on Yahoo answers and realize that it takes a lot of time and space to do so, it isn't hard to do, if you are interested, just email me, I will be happy to help you.  It balances you from front to back and from side to side, so that you are prepared no matter what the horse does...and makes your ride so much more enjoyable...when you are bouncing, your horse is also rougher...one feeds on the other.  You can actually change the way your horse moves by the way that you are sitting your saddle.

Answer 2

Lengthen Your Stirrups.  I'll bet that about 90% of riders with this problem are riding with their stirrups too short.

Answer 3

Yes, when riding the western jog/trot, keep yourself as well as your horse, soft, collected.  The slower he/she trots/jogs, the easier it is to sit.  Try to go with the horse, relax, keep your weight in your stirrups soft, just enough to put weight on the ball of your foot, and no more.  You can feel the soft rhythm of the jog/trot and go with the horse, drop you hips from side to side as if you were one.  Practice makes perfect.  You and your horse must work together.

Answer 4

I have the same problem loping but I figured out a solution. When you jog pretend that you have a dollar under your pocket and if you stay in the saddle you will get, or have you  heard the term "squish your marshmallows." I would suggest that you might ride in an English saddle and have a lunge lesson. Practice the sitting trot which will benefit you to become a better rider and will help you a ton when you jog. Keep your heels down when you jog too which will help. When you lope I have discovered that keep your heels down, keep the same posture when you have when you are walking your horse. Take up your rein and when the mane flops down collect the horse up. Flex your reins while squeezing with your legs. This will slow the horse down and will help you concentrate on your posture. Let your horse take a couple of strides and then when you feel him speeding up squeeze and flex at the same time. Also if you have someone at your barn who has mastered the lope have them help you. Or if their is a riding instructor and trainer that comes to your barn ask for help. I did and now I am on the right track to having better posture at the lope. And if you don't have an English saddle have someone give you a lunge lesson and get your horse into a trot. Good luck!

Answer 5

Hi,

I recommend that you practice riding without stirrups! This will help with your balance!  I have always had good balance and a good seat it just comes naturally, but I also practice riding without stirrups! Also move with the horse rotate your hips and mimic the horses movement.  This will help you keep your balance.  Possibly insure that your stirrups are not too long or short as this could be a possible cause of an unbalanced seat.

Hope I helped!

ADD: I was reading another answer and they told you to lean way back.  I recommend that you do not do this.  You will find yourself leaning way to far back looking silly and looking as though you can not ride! :-)

ADD:: I just had another pointer pop into my head.  RELAX! Do not tense your body and be sure to relax your muscles!

Hope this helps some!

Answer 6

As most of the answers above me are very good, I just wanted to add that the real key to a good seat is to work on your Core Strength.  Once you can 'hold' yourself with your tummy muscles, you can let your hips move with the horse and your but will not move from that saddle.

To practise connecting to your core strength when riding, get some elastic and tie it to something small and round, like a ping pong ball or large marble, and wear it around your waist with the ball just under your belly button.  This reminds you to pull in these muscles.

The difference is astounding!

Answer 7

Shorten your reins, sit back and deep in the saddle, keep your shoulders back and your heels down. Practice lots without using stirrups. That will help you develop your balance. Also, keep your horse in a collected trot when sitting, that way you don't bounce so much and it's easier to use your legs.

Answer 8

What you should do is sit back in your saddle and try to have a deep seat. DO NOT LEAN FORWARD! Also keep your back straight do not slouch, tighten your legs( also helps you stay on if your horse all of a sudden gets spooked) and keep your heels down. Another helpful hint, try to collect your horse when you do his gait will become a lot smoother. You may also see if you need to let your stirups out they should be just a little below your ankle. Also practice riding without your stirups, and ride your horse bareback once or twice a week so you can learn to move with him/her.

Hope this helps.

Answer 9

Try keeping your heels down, toes up and weight down in your feet and legs. Then, try to move your bottom with the horse. This might mean moving your buttocks a little forward and back with the movement of the horse, as it moves. You might be a little exaggerated, at first, but you will learn to feel the horse's movement and then you will become more a part of the horse, rather then someone bouncing on top of it. Move with the horse.

Answer 10

Drop your stirrups, keep your toes up and turned in and your heels down.  Do LOTS of jogging...LOTS of jogging!

This will help you find the sideways movement at a jog, it's NOT a up and down movement.

Answer 11

Well a good way i learnt, my mum used to always shout and say keep your **** down. So she put a £20 note on the saddle just before i has a lesson. And if i kept in under my bum in canter i could keep it. But another way, just keep your thighs tighter around the horse, not 2 tight that the horse slows down though. Sounds silly as well but i always tried to imagine someone was pulling me down round my waist. Always helped.

Answer 12

oo i have the same problem, if you have a suede seat on ur saddle wet it and u will stick alot better, also try rubberbanding ur feet into the stirrups, and ride bareback it will help with ur balance

Answer 13

I have a very bouncy horse and it used to be difficult for me to stay in the saddle when I'd sitting trot or canter.

Think of a basketball, when it's full of air it bounces really high, right?

But when you deflate it a little it won't bounce as much.

My guess would be is that you're trying too hard to stay in the saddle. Try relaxing, taking deep breaths, talking to your horse saying easy and whoa. Even whistling, humming or singing an easy song work too. Lean back almost too much, but not that much, stretch your legs down, grip with your calf and relax.

Don't sit like like a board, you'll only bounce more, remember to relax and talk to your horse, A LOT. I hope this works for you.

Answer 14

tighten up your legs, specially your calfs.

when loping you can twist your body to fit the lead change

(left lead put your left hip forward)

good luck