12/13/2021
This page is great for dressage all around
Ｆｉｘ ｙｏｕｒ ｃｒｏｏｋｅｄ ｓｅａｔ
This is a long one and probably the MOST free info you'll ever see in ONE post- Maybe save it to refer back to.
Ride each exercise and then go through the awareness list. Most exercises can be done walking, sitting trot, and rising trot. For the canter, instead of a figure 8. just try it both directions on a circle. If you have a solid counter canter, you can try most of these in counter canter too. Have the mentality that you are not trying to "fix" anything yet, but rather you are experimenting and searching with a sense of curiosity about your seat. For maximum effect, go through these with your trainer, and/or video your ride and watch it the same day. You may feel like you are doing the exercises the same amount both ways, but that might not be the case at all!
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬:
A.) Sit WAY to the inside both directions on a figure 8 (outside seat bone in middle of saddle, drop inside hip, knee, heel) EXAGGERATE! If you are leaning to the inside, your hips fell to the outside and you are NOT actually doing the exercise.
B.) Instead of sitting to the inside (which would be more correct) sit to the left on both sides of the figure 8, then sit to the right for both sides of the figure 8. When you are sitting to the outside, go through the list again. This might be gold for feeling things like how sitting to the left while going right is what turns your right knee out- then you know that to turn your right knee in, you need to sit more to the right. There are a lot of answers in “purposely sitting wrong”
C.) Drop one stirrup and ride a figure 8, posting trot. Most likely this will be easy on one stirrup and a killer on the other- but maybe not! Go through the awareness list.
D.) Twist your torso so that your shoulders face to the right. Ride a figure 8. Then do it with shoulders facing left. Most commonly turning right causes the hips to fall left and vice versa, but go through the whole awareness list.
E.) Ride with right hip forwards and left hip back on a figure 8. Then swap to left hip forwards, right hip back. Which side is easier. Do your legs follow your hips? Or go opposite of your hips (when your right hip is forward, does your right leg go forwards or backwards?)
F.) Scissor your legs- one forwards one backwards. Ride a figure 8. Go through the awareness list. Especially how does this influence your hips and shoulders.
G.) Pop your ribs to one side. Yes this will collapse one side, but think of stretching the long side. If you pop your ribs out to the left, this will definitely raise your right seat bone and lower your right shoulder- but which one of those two things happens more? Can you purposely get the stretch on the right side of your ribcage by JUST dropping the right shoulder or JUST lifting the right hip? Go through the awareness list.
𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭: how does each exercise influence your...
1.) Weight in each stirrup? Which stirrup had more weight? Also, compare one direction to the other? Example: Do you have more weight in your left stirrup going left than you do your right stirrup going right?
2.) Shoulders-Does the exercise cause you to turn your shoulders in or out? Does one shoulder drop? Does the exercise fix a dropped shoulder? If the exercise is turning your shoulders, can you do it evenly both ways?
3.) Knees- Does the exercise cause one knee to turn out, or help you rotate it in?
4.) Leg/Thigh angle- Does the exercise help you drop either leg, or push one leg forwards or backwards? If you are doing the sc******ng exercise, can you do it evenly both ways?
5.) Hips up or down- Does the exercise cause your hips to fall in or out, or one hip to go up or down. If the exercise IS to drop a hip, can you do that evenly in both directions?
6.) Hips forwards or backwards- Does the exercise make one hip go further forwards or backwards. Does it do it both directions or just one?
7.) Hands- does one hand go up or down, or close against the neck, or get too tight and grippy, or too givey? How does the exercise influence those habits?
𝟪.) 𝐻𝑜𝓌 𝒹𝑜𝑒𝓈 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓃𝒻𝓁𝓊𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝑜𝓇𝓈𝑒?!?!? This is a biggie! Does your horse suddenly stretch way down, and sneeze, and release the ribcage? Then you might really be onto something! Does your horse suddenly rush off, get tight, lift his head and drop his back? then you know how negatively this position effects your horse- both are VERY useful pieces of information.
Once you have gone through all of these things, you should learn A LOT about your muscle memory and how moving one part influences another. If, for example, you find the only way you can get your right hip down is to turn your torso left, then do that for a while! Make all position changes pelvis first- that is your base. Once your right hip can easily stay down, THEN, slowly twist your torso to the right only as far as you can without losing the pelvis. Slowly unlink old unhelpful muscle memory and gradually rebuild it to help you in the saddle. These exercises will make you so much more aware of any one-sidedness or weird habits you have. Only then can you fix them.
Pic is of Lise demonstrating (on purpose) an old bad habit/ crookedness that she has worked hard to correct.
Follow us for more great tips and upcoming clinics
