One of the most difficult and most important things when riding is giving the “illusion of stillness.” When you watch a top rider, they look as if they are sitting perfectly still, but in reality, they are moving a LOT. They are moving in perfect harmony with their horse!
This is where “hinges” come in. The hinges (joints) in your body must absorb the motion of your horse! In your leg, for example, you have a hinge at your hip, one at your knee, one at your ankle, and a hinge in your foot where the stirrup should sit.
All of these hinges must be mobile for correct rider position and to be able to correctly influence your horse. “Frozen” hinges cause incorrect and ineffective legs:
- Frozen ankles – cause heels up, constant squeezing of the horse, and ineffective legs.
- Frozen knees– cause difficulty kicking, rider unable to move the leg from the “girth position” to behind the girth for bending, flying changes, turning, ect.
- Frozen hips – cause bouncing in the saddle, problems taking the leg off and ineffective leg aids.
It is essential that all of the hinges in your leg are moving in order to effectively influence your horse! Sue takes us through it in detail in this video!
Have a look at this video of some of the lecture that Sue gave and let me know in the comments if you find it helpful.
Want more rider position advice? Join my upcoming free webinar on Rider Position. It’s free of charge to attend and it’s for any rider who wants to improve their riding. Sign up here.
Thanks for watching!
