Advice on Half Seat

[claudia.n.dallas]

Hello,

I'm a YouTube/self-taught rider that's very bad when riding half seat. Any advice or pointers would be great.

I ride western, have decent balance, am not heavy on the reins at all, and can do a posting trot (which I heard the rising part is similar to). I struggle the most with my posture and leaning too far forward when running. I lose my balance with any turns from my horse no matter how sharp.

Tomorrow, I will try to take a video of what my seat looks like now so I can provide a better, shown example of what I struggle with.

I do not have the money between my life and the lives of two horses to tend to to afford lessons, so please do not tell me to take lessons. Also, please do not consider me a bad rider just because I cannot half seat... Someone on a different social decided to pull that card, and I am not having it. My horses are there mainly for companionship, I can w/t/c just fine full seat with good eq. It's just half seat I struggle with.

Thank you,
Arrin

 

[MrA]

First thing I would do if you haven't already is get a neck strap, or just find something to use as a neck strap as understandably money is tight where horses are involved.

I'd then check to make sure your stirrups are not too long, we used to go up a couple of holes if not more for forward seat etc. Or they could be too short!

An exercise my instructor used to do with me was getting me to go into rising (posting trot) and then alternate between that and just standing for 4 beats. When I say standing she used to literally just make us stand up and the focus was just on making sure we changed between the 2 very lightly. I found this great for balance and being aware of my body out of the saddle.

Another thing she did was make us do half seat or jumping position at walk and go from walk to halt to walk. Sounds really easy but on a riding school horse if we weren't in the right position we wouldn't be able to use our legs and the horses would not move.

We also used to practice getting the right position at halt, can certainly help to get a feel for what is right and wrong.

Sometimes I find half seat easier going over poles, so be seated upright and then a few strides out go into light seat over the poles. I also find it far easier at canter but obviously might be best to stick at trot or walk if not feeling confident.

I also have quite an upright light seat as I prefer it, maybe not technically correct but I feel more secure.

But main thing for me was using the neck strap and finding a position I felt comfortable, secure and with the movement

 

[Skib]

Ale posted above while I was writing this. I agree that one can pactice in walk.
If one learns to ride mostly sitting, i.e. Western or classical as I did this can be a problem.
I am curious about when and why you would want to use half seat?
And will simply mention 3 things that helped me.
The first was a young RI who only hacked with me once but told me to put my weight in my heels. Weighting your heels lifts you seat from the saddle a tiny bit and that may be enough.
The next was our long term RI who talked about the angle of the rise. She compared it to setting up an ironing board. Whether one rises just slightly or crouches low, the weight of ones head which is very heavy must be balanced by the weight of ones seat sticking out behind.

And then for me the revelation came at a demo by Tik Maynard which was mainly on jumping and eventing. He said that one's legs should drape the sides of the horse with a contact like one might get from a wet Tee shirt. This changed my life complete, cantering out in the open.

Some people do like a neck strap and Pippa Funnel from whose videos I learned so much used one. But I have never liked them because they tempt one to lean forward, and I only had one on the horse when riding bareback.

 

[Doodle92]

Half seat while cantering out hacking is a million times easier for both horse and rider and less tiring for both. Its easier to balance if a horse slightly looses its own balance and makes undulating or rougher ground easier to cover. Look at event riders. Between fences they are up out of the saddle.

Next straps help by hanging some TV bug to grab on to if something goes wrong. Far easier tj grab that for a second than jab the horse in the mouth. It can also be useful as a steadying aid to the horse as it is round the shoulders rather than just pulling the mouth. It is also a great conference giving boost for me just knowing it was there.

 

[Skib]

Half seat while cantering out hacking is a million times easier for both horse and rider and less tiring for both.

I never thought of it like that, Ella (I was told) has a bumpy trot and canter and I do instinctively lift from the saddle.
But I do have reasons for sitting her canter. The possibility of dogs and walkers on the track or a sudden deer. And at times my own safety. One is more secure on the horse whern sitting. Ella is the first horse I have cantered long distance hacking out on my own. It went from being a really big issue to something completely normal.

Look at event riders. Between fences they are up out of the saddle.

Yes but they are going really fast on a timed circuit. I am an old lady on the safest horse on trails where it is forbidden to gallop.

It is odd but the only time I have told a horse he can go as fast as he likes was not in the open but in a school. doing canter down the long side of a large dressage school, after watching the Olympics. And naturally I sat to that.

 

[Doodle92]

We are all different but I feel in half seat i am hugely more secure. Hugely! I also have to deal with the same issues when hacking (dogs walkers deer and the miss killed blade of grass). When in half seat my legs are much more a secure. Robin (and my other horses, horses I have ridden for work etc) has a very quick spin. Minto had a buck when excited. Half seat allows me to not move in the saddle and absorb the movement with my weight down either side rather than on top. Robin has massive paces so actually easier to absorb the movement in my legs rather than try to sit it. I suspect the horses i ride and the horses you ride are very different.

I also do not allow my horses to gallop very often. It is not needed and there are very few suitable place. I proper forward hacking canter is what I am talking about.

Each to their own.

 

[carthorse]

I'm struggling to see how you would ride in a half seat in a Western saddle, wouldn't the design of the saddle make it almost impossible?

@Doodle92 I also find a half seat very secure when hacking out, though I guess it depends on how secure the lower leg is - if it swings back then a half seat becomes very insecure, likewise if the upper body moves too far forward and the hips don't move back to balance it.

 

[domane]

I'm struggling to see how you would ride in a half seat in a Western saddle, wouldn't the design of the saddle make it almost impossible?

My thoughts, too. Surely the pommel will get in the way?

 

[carthorse]

@domane I'm glad I'm not the only one!

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

I am not sure why you need a half seat on a Western saddle either. Tell us a bit more, and I am sure those videos will help us understand!

 

[Doodle92]

That’s a good point and I missed the western bit! I agree half seat wouldn’t be doable that way.