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How NOT to Bounce in the Saddle

The key to not bouncing in the saddle is that you actually have to move A LOT. A rider gives the “illusion of stillness” by moving exactly with their horse and absorbing the motion of the horse with their body.

To keep from bouncing, your hips, knees, ankles, lower back, and elbows all must be moving and acting as shock absorbers to take up the motion of the horse. If any one of these areas is frozen or locked, the rider will bounce in the saddle.

A bouncing rider that slaps into the saddle is VERY uncomfortable for the horse as horses have very sensitive backs. It is so important that the rider is fit, symmetrical, and in control of their body!

Hope this helps!

Happy Riding!
Amelia

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR
A smiling woman wearing a helmet and riding gear stands beside a chestnut horse with a black bridle and white saddle pad, holding its reins outdoors in a sunlit, green setting.
Hey there.
I'm Amelia Newcomb
At Amelia Newcomb Dressage, I work to develop a trusting and confident relationship between horse and rider. I draw on theories from both natural horsemanship and classical dressage, creating a holistic training approach that adapts to the unique needs of each horse and rider.
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I want to thank Amelia from the bottom of my heart for creating this group and learning module for us. I've followed your suggestions religiously even when it felt like we were hitting a wall at times. Finally, it all came through, all at once! I never thought I'd get a connection and have such light hands in the left lead canter, and yesterday we pulled off a 7 in left canter and an 8.5 in right canter in our WDAA Basic 1 test, with a total score of 67.3!
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Holy Moly. I just learned that I earned 1st place at Training 1 with 5 entries in the class in a virtual show. I received a 65.00. Wow. This is starting to work. Thank you Amelia. Thank you supportive new friends. I encourage you all to try virtual shows. I have tried Greystone, Lower Puget Sound and Oregon. Very helpful for building confidence. I really support this idea. It works like this: you ride at home, send in your video, and then you receive your test with judge comments and your ribbon in the mail. See you all in Strides!!
Joanna Sachs
Joanna Sachs
We see and feel the difference!! Thank you Amelia for this difficult but very helpful program. Our #1 issue was giraffe head in transitions. Downward as well as up. Don't look at my position, I was giving everything to the aids for him to maintain roundness in the trans. Now it will be time to work on our position more!
Carol Anne Marano
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I can't stop making progress, thanks to this awesome program. Today my horse and I could do the counter canter on both hands on the first attempt without our trainer.. Thank you so much for explaining my missing parts! I have to wait until tomorrow, 8 hours of time difference, to see who is the lucky one, but I think we are all lucky to join this incredible program!!
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