HORSE SENSE: The novice rider and possible alignment problems 03 February 2017 Premium

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03 February 2017

Irish Field Contributor on 03 Feb 2017

HORSE SENSE: The novice rider and possible alignment problems

Catherine Crowley, BHSII riding coach and lecturer at CAFRE, discusses some of the common issues faced by novice riders and offers helpful advice on improving rider alignment

Irish Field Contributor

3 February 2017

Charlotte Dujardin pictured riding Valegro to individual gold at the London Olympics. Charlotte shows correct positional alignment – there is a straight line from her ear through to her shoulder, hip and heal. There is also a straight line from her elbow to the bit

Figure 1. The type of saddle you are using, especially if it is very forward cut, can have a tendency to put the rider in the 'chair seat'. The rider pictured above is having this problem, as you can see from the Viualise jacket, her upper body position is fairly good but her lower leg is quite a bit away for the ear, shoulder, hip and heel alignment

Charlotte Dujardin riding Valegro to individual gold at the London Olympics, Charlotte shows perfect positional alignment (Photo: Kit Houghton/FEI)

Figure 2. To help her towards a better alignment, she established where her seat bones were, aimed them in a more vertical position and then moved her thigh into a point that allows her lower leg to sit in the correct alignment and acts as a stabilising force. However, she has dropped her hands which is causing her shoulders to slightly slump forward but overall she is in a more independent position

Figure 3. This rider has got a decent ear, shoulder, hip and heel alignment, however, he is hollowing his back slightly and pointing his pelvis and seat bones towards the back of this saddle. The overall result being that the hollow back has lost its flexibility and the tilted pelvis and seat bones restrict the rider from taking a deep stable seat

THE novice rider has many aspects to contend with as they make their way through the development of their skill as a rider.

The majority of riders want to ride because of their love of horses and the ability to connect with them. They may start riding at a riding school or on a quiet horse/pony owned by their family or friend. This initial introduction to riding will either progress their skills at a spritely pace or set them up for a lifetime of just not quite getting it.