RE: Re: riding position a different problem

["Kathy Mayeda" <kathy_mayeda@atce.com>]

"A riding instructor told me not to have more than 10% of your weight in
your seat.  Let's say 4 oz is less than 1% of your weight on your
stirrups, this leaves 89% of your weight where??????"



I wouldn't worry about percentage weight distribution at this point.  This
is splitting hairs because your weight distribution will be different at
different paces, different terrain and what you want to tell the horse to
do.  If you have to think about it that much, then your mind will be so tied
up in these details you won't be able to ride!  If you are going at a fast
pace, your might not have any weight in your seat at all.  If you want to
your horse to slow down, then you could put more weight in your seat.  If
you start thinking "4oz in my feet, 65% in my seat, 20% on my thighs", 15.2%
calves, you'd go crazy because you will have to do too much math, and you'd
really go crazy trying to do the math while posting - "UP - 0% seat, 4 oz.
Feet,. 99% in the air....  Lif's point is referring to that the ball of your
feet is just where you "connect" with the stirrup but the weight is absorbed
thru the heel.

Try to think about "absorbing" weight through your joints and "ride your
bones."  Try to pick up the book "Centered Riding" by Sally Swift and/or
take some instruction from a Centered Riding instructor.  I had spent two
years wasting my time and money on hunt seat instruction and never really
learned the basics except that trotting without stirrups is a big pain in
the ...Then I took just a few lessons from a Centered Riding instructor and
it made a world of difference in the way I ride.  (But all this instruction
would fly out the door if the saddle doesn't work!)

Kathy