Help - i sit wonky!

Sep 14, 2007
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I always knew i collapsed to my left and put more weight over to the right, and my old RI did lots to try and sort it out - i thought it was pretty much banished but flony_pony noticed it out on our hack (she was behind me and it had made the whole saddle slip to the right :eek: poor Flo!) so it seems one of my old habits is creeping back again - i noticed it myself in my lesson yesterday. Say i lost my balance and went out the side door - i will almost always fall to the right as my left side is so scrunched up it seems like i'm halfway off already :rolleyes:! My old RI once made me ride a whole lesson without a left stirrup, and tried to make me less tense through my left hand side by doing lots of loosening, stretching into some very odd positions in the saddle, all sorts, but it doesn't seem to have worked :eek:! I was thinking about booking a lunge lesson to try and sort it out but my mum is getting a bit tired of paying out for extra lessons because i've sort of run out of money myself :eek::eek: - and would one lesson make much difference or will i have to spend longer to try and re-correct it? It's one of those irritating things i thought i'd sorted out but that's popped back up again - and i really want to get my seat sorted before i try any XC (i could probably have a tea party on Mable or Spot's back while they popped round a XC course and they wouldn't notice but some of the other horses are a bit more sensitive and i don't want to be wrecking my nerves again by falling off as soon as i try it :p!) ANy ideas on any exercises i can do to sort it out?
 
A lunge lesson with a decent instructor will help. My RI has given me exersises to do on my girls at home (im hopeless at doing them though) to loosen the tension in my upper leg.

They will give you ideas to practice on (on or off a horse - here is where a share horse would be helpful!) but if im honest i do mine more often off the horse than on
 
If you're collapsing your left hip then you'll be putting more weight on the left, not the right. Try to make sure you're sitting central in the saddle, and sit tall. I do collapse my left hip, it stems from driving (before I passed my test I would collapse my right hip!) and I find that thinking about keeping the top of my rib cage level really helps.

It's worth having your ponies back and tack checked too - sometimes horses can try to get you sitting more on one side to make it easier for them, or maybe your horses back/saddle is a bit uneven and that is causing it to slip.

In the mean time, might as well do those exercises your RI taught you for your left hip, to correct your right hip. Those sort of things only work if you keep at them until the habit is nipped in the bud. :)
 
get yourself along to a sports therapist. I had a full rider assesment with the lady who treats my horse (she does humans and equines) as i collapse my left hip. she gave me corrections i have to work on both on and off the horse. done us the world of good :)
 
im getting a little better with collapsing (left 4 me 2) but i just try and keep a little weight in the right stirrup and its started getting easier - my RS horse has a horrid saddle - she is round so even slips when i get off (dreading SJ now)
 
i have the same problem and my saddle always seemed to be slipping to the left too, thought it was just me but when we had the saddle fitter out she noticed an uneveness in my ponies hip so that he is throwing the saddle off to the left anyway so it just compounded the whole thing, basically we have sorted pony out so now i can concentrate on me and it is so much better. I try to make sure i put plenty weight into my right heel and off horse i do some exercise videos which help with posture and body balance (one is davina mccalls core stability, and the other is new york city ballet workout. i also sit on an exercise ball quite a bit as you have to sit perfectly central on that or you fall off) I also was recommended a sports physio or something similar but at the moment i can't afford it
 
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