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The trick is to have your legs underneath of you. If you are pulling
forward with the strap or falling backwards, that tells me that you have
your legs in front of you. (Not to mention what the horse's neck
probably feels like after hours of somebody hanging on to it.)
Your legs need to be in neutral alignment so that you can stand or sit
without swinging your legs to a different position. You should be able
to draw a straight, perpendicular line from your shoulders, through your
hip, to the back of your heel. Your knees should be lightly flexed, and
heels down slightly (not the extreme fashionable in hunt classes). It
is NOT standing in the classic sense, but more of a crouch (like waiting
for a ball in tennis/racket ball).
Ask somebody knowledgable to lounge your horse as you ride so that you
can concentrate on YOU. You should be able to post and stand (2 point)
without holding on to <anything>. Drop your stirrups and try to the
same thing without them. ("Abs of Steel ain't got nuthin on a riders
thighs!) When you pick up the stirrups again, they will feel SHORT
because you've stretched you legs out. At a stop, see if the stirrups
are hanging where your feet/legs ought to be. They may not if the
saddle is the wrong size or the stirrup hangers are in the wrong place.
This will take a little practice and it may feel strange at first if
you've been doing it differently all this time. You'll find that riding
in a balanced position will help you & the horse.
Linda Flemmer
Blue Wolf Ranch
Bruceton Mills, WV
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