|
Linda, I have noticed that when I ride bareback,
relaxed, my knees and toes point out naturally, This is also the way my legs
fall in the Sport saddle. I am 46, and have NO aches and pains by riding
this way. I also have horses that don;t need a lot of leg or contact on
them. Personally, I can' t imagine riding with "proper equitation" for
hours on the trail. I don't believe it is a natural position for the body,
and that it benefits the horse more if you are just, plain relaxed and go along
with the horses movement. My proof of this is getting off at the end of
the day with no aches and pain, and horses without sore backs.
My bottom line, though, is that your heels still
should be somewhat under your hips, especially when you are out of the saddle
posting. I STILL see photos of many endurance riders in a "chair
seat". Then again, I still see lots of endurance horses with white patches
on their withers, indicating bad saddle fit and/or rider position
Karen (opinionated as usual)
----- Original Message -----
I think maybe I'm going to experiment with deliberately
improper leg positions (knees and toes pointing outward)
just to see if it makes any difference. I've already noticed
that "heels down" isn't a biggie with endurance riders.
Linda B. Merims
Massachusetts, USA
|
