Have you ever heard your trainer say that you’ve got a chair seat and not known what they’re talking about? Today, I’m sharing a short video on the chair seat, showing exactly what it is and how to correct it!
So, what is chair seat? It’s when your knees and feet come in front of the line of your ear-hip-heel. From the side, you look like you’re sitting in a chair, hence the name! It’s a SUPER common rider position fault that totally destabilizes your weight distribution, makes your leg position powerless and offers zero stability for your seat and upper body. The whole situation makes your riding position unbalanced and ineffective.
Chair seat is usually a sign of very tight quads and tight hip flexors.
The best way to correct this is to stretch your quads. This is best done from the ground (although if your horse is trustworthy you can do it astride). Pull your toe back up to your butt so you can feel the stretch in the front of the hip and the front of the thigh. You should be able to feel your thigh hang more horizontally once you have stretched it out adequately.
An accompanying issue with the chair seat is heels pointing upwards. To overcome this, imagine your ankle joint has a hinge and point the ankle joint downwards.
Have a look at the video where I demonstrate this on the very unflappable Mercurio and let me know in the comments if you find it helpful!
Thanks for watching and happy riding.
