Postural Therapy Will Improve the
Rider’s Seat

“It is an old saying that ‘a rider can be judged by his seat.’ The result of a good seat will always be a good influence upon the horse. It is every rider’s duty to improve his seat and to make it firmer by taking every opportunity of observing better riders, and correcting himself. “
Richard R. Watjen

Dressage can be described as ballet for horses. When horse and rider come together in this beautiful, yet highly athletic endeavor, we expect a relationship of two beings that are in perfect balance, a symposium of beings in precise control of their every movement. Dressage requires an incredible amount of strength, control and coordination on the part of the horse as well as the rider.

We spend years developing straightness, balance, and suppleness of movement in our horses but tend to neglect developing our own bodies’ athleticism. Most riders arrive to riding with less than perfect posture and this has an effect on our ability to communicate with the horse. Our bodies are intended to be aligned in a certain way.

• The head centered over level shoulders
• The shoulders sitting directly over level hips
• The hips firmly planted over symmetrical knees
• The knees and ankles aligned with feet pointed straight forward

When we develop misalignments, these “mistakes” become the body’s point of reference for straightness and since the body always uses itself “as is” it, it performs any physical activity “out of alignment.” In other word, if we have developed rounded shoulders in daily life we will still have rounded shoulders on the horse. The result is that when the riding instructor tells us to bring the shoulders back the body has forgotten how to do this properly. It is not that the body does not want to oblige…it will try, but the muscles in the front of the shoulders and chest are probably so dysfunctional that the muscles in the back can no longer pull the shoulders back properly and so the body might arch the back or lean back or compensate in a variety of other ways. And worse: it will take a lot of effort to “try” because as far as your body is concerned, rounded shoulders are comfortable and feel right.

Straightness in a rider is just as important as straightness in a horse! Good postural alignment should be the basis of every rider’s “training scale.” We can show you how!

Please contact us: info@yourhealthyposture.com