Seat of the rider
The rider's seat is the rider's posture and movement in harmony with that of the horse. The correct seat of the rider depends on the riding system ridden and the activity performed. He is the foundation of every riding.
basis
The basis of riding is the stable seat of the rider. Stable is not to be understood as rigid and firm, but rather as calm and flexible following every movement of the horse . The area of the body that is of central importance is the area from the upper lower leg to the hips. The leg should lie lightly and without tension on the horse and the rider should sit relaxed and with his trunk as a stable center "in" the horse.
The idea of the ideal seat was quite time-dependent and is still different today depending on the riding style. In ancient representations, the riders, who did not know the stirrup at the time , consistently sit in a chair with their legs bent, while z. B. Pluvinel describes the split seat with straight leg as ideal. The modern term of the three-point seat (which is actually misleading, as one only sits on the ischial tuberosity, and which is only intended as a memory aid to bring the hips into the correct rotational position, namely with the pubic bone almost in contact with the saddle) only described in more recent sources. The question of whether or not the lower leg should touch the horse in the basic position is still answered differently today, depending on the riding style. However, it has always been undisputed that the rider has to sit in a balanced position, as this is the only way to use the arms and legs freely and give weight aids.
The seat can be subdivided into a static seat, which describes the posture of the body as such, and a dynamic seat, which additionally describes the movements that the body should exert to compensate for the movements of the horse. The term "static" is not understood in the sense of immobile, but in the sense of a predetermined pattern.
Dressage seat
In classical equestrian art , the static seat should be as follows: The trunk is as upright as possible, i.e. H. with a vertical spine, held with the belly slightly arched, the shoulder blades slightly retracted (but not pulled back) and the head pushed back a little without tilting up or down. You sit with the ischial tuberosities on the saddle, with the hips tilted correctly when the feeling of pressure on the humps is maximum. A pelvis that is tilted forward too much (i.e. back muscles are used more) leads to the so-called split seat with steeply hanging legs, a pelvis tilted too far back (abdominal muscles tense) pulls the legs up with it and thus leads to the chair seat. The arms are placed lightly with the elbows on the hip scoop, with the forearms normally forming an extension of the reins . The hand, closed into a fist, is carried vertically and is not bent in relation to the extension of the forearm, neither when viewed from the side nor when viewed from above. The rider's leg lies on the side of the horse's trunk. Only when the thigh muscles are released can a safe thigh position be achieved. In connection with the flat knee, this results in a natural foot position. The ankles should flex downwards loosely. Depending on the rider's anatomy, the toes may point slightly outwards. The heel is kept low. The heel is not pressed down, this would lead to a cramped posture and loss of feeling for the stirrup, but the leg naturally hangs down. The Achilles tendon should be roughly in the center of gravity of the rider. When using stirrups, the ball of the foot rests on the stirrup; the stirrup strap should hang down as vertically as possible.
Deviations from this standard seat : The arms can be carried higher when the horse is in a higher position, provided that the rider's weight aids can compensate for this. In the high school , the elbows can be placed a little further back and the hands more in front of the rider's stomach. The forearms can be brought down further until the fists rest on the thighs, if a horse is to be led forward-downward . After all, in high school the stirrup can also be grasped with the toes and the entire thigh can thus come a little further back.
In general, the following applies: The correct external shape depends on the equilibrium situation and the rider's anatomy. So it cannot be assessed statically according to the textbook, but must be considered by the trainer and through the feedback on the well-being of the rider.
The dynamic seat, i.e. the seat when the horse moves, is intended to compensate for the movements emanating from the horse in such a way that the above-described static seat is maintained as much as possible, and, if necessary, is intended to act simultaneously, i.e. to provide assistance to the horse. Central points in dynamic sitting are the movements of the hips to compensate for the horse's swinging up, down and sideways, and the movements of the arms in order to decouple the position of the hands from movements of the rider's body in such a way that they adapt to movements of the horse's mouth can adapt and at the same time be able to give rein aids in a suitable manner.
Depending on the horse's movement, the hips perform tilting movements, pulling them forwards with the abdominal muscles when the horse pushes upwards and dropping them back down when the horse swings down. When turning and walking sideways, there is also an increased weight load on a seat hump, which is achieved by pulling the hips obliquely forward to the center line of the horse.
The hand follows the meandering left-right movements of the horse from the shoulder joint. In addition, the wrist must be kept so loosely that small movements can be absorbed here. Influences with the reins, like parrying and giving in, are done by the hand itself, namely by closing the fist ("sponge expression"), gently twisting the fist so that the little finger moves towards the stomach, or at most by tilting the wrist so that the entire hand (parallel to the floor) moves towards the stomach. Note: Any influence that the hand cannot achieve from its normal position is not the task of the hand.
The other elements of the seat, such as the position of the thighs and the position / posture of the spine, are simpler and usually arise more or less automatically when mastering the two points above.
While the static seat can be adopted and learned relatively easily, learning the dynamic seat is a long-term task until the rider no longer disturbs the horse's movements and can thus develop its free movement potential. In fact, there is a saying in equestrian circles that “being able to ride is being able to sit”.
Sit out
When sitting out, the rider sits quietly in the saddle and follows every horse movement without any effort. The rider has the three-point seat mentioned above and is always exactly above the center of gravity of the horse. Dressage competitions of higher classes are generally ridden in sit-out.
Both in the work riding styles ( Western , Doma Vaquera, Camargue, etc.) and in the classic school riding styles (Baroque, Doma Clásica, etc.), people generally eat out.
Light trots
The light trot or English trot was invented by the English to make the rigors of a hunt easier to cope with, especially for inexperienced riders. It later found its way into classical riding teaching, in which it can be viewed as more or less accepted from the beginning of the 20th century. Light trotting is also part of dressage tests , dressage tests (for young riders) and dressage tests (for young horses) at horse shows . A horse that has been correctly trained according to the principles of classical equestrian art can also be sat out for loosening.
When trotting lightly, the rider can be lifted out of the saddle with every second trot by supporting the natural momentum by stepping out the stirrups and thus keeping one cycle in suspension (it looks as if the rider is getting up) before he gets up again imprisoned.
One speaks of light trotting on the left foot when the rider lifts himself out of the saddle with the imprint of the left hind leg and sits down when the left hind leg comes up. The opposite applies to the right foot . When riding in the riding arena (also on larger riding arenas) one trots on the right foot without exception , i.e. the one that fits the direction ( hand ).
In the event of a change of hands, you have to reseat. Every change of hands is associated with a change of feet. The rider remains seated for an additional step before relieving the saddle again. Even when riding outside a riding arena, e.g. B. in the field, the foot should be changed more often to prevent one-sided stress on the horse.
Light seat
With the easy seat, the rider moves his buttocks a little out of the saddle in order to relieve the horse's back and to be able to balance it better, and bends slightly forward in order to be able to coordinate his center of gravity with that of the horse. The light seat is mostly used when galloping off-road, but can also be used when trotting on very uneven or deep stretches. It is important to keep your buttocks in position over the saddle and let your upper body swing roughly parallel to the horse's neck. If the rider is unsteady in the light seat, the horse tries to keep its balance by stepping under the rider's weight, so as not to fall over, which can lead to an increase in the speed of the trot or gallop. However, it is not yet suitable for beginners as they can quickly lose their balance. The light seat is a good exercise for the jumping seat.
Jumping seat
The modern jumping seat results from the jumping style of the Italian Rittmeister Federico Caprilli . Towards the end of the 19th century, Caprilli developed the forward-inclined jumping seat, in contrast to the backward-inclined jumping seat that was customary up to that time. This new jumping style gave the horse more freedom of movement, but was riskier for the rider, especially when landing and when refusing ; in the old jumping style, the upper body was pulled back and the legs forward so that the rider had a stable stance on landing. The jumping seat is similar to the light seat, but the stirrups are buckled shorter and the rider bends lower over the horse.
Racing seat
As the name suggests, the racing seat is used in horse races . With him, the rider stands very high above the saddle in order to hinder the horse's movement as little as possible. Thanks to the very high straps and the strong flexion of the knee, the racing seat looks like kneeling in the saddle.