All of the great riding masters emphasize the classic riding position. Eyes up, heels down, hands in front of the withers…this is the most effective way to ride and beautiful to watch a talented rider allow his horse to perform with invisible aids.

As in any great design, form follows function. Having your heel down, for example, helps anchor your lower leg so that you can control your upper body. Keeping your reins short and positioned just in front of you allows for quick adjustments when the situation changes.

Have someone video tape your ride so you can analyze and improve your position. Riding is a never-ending learning experience, each horse is an individual and you must learn to feel what works best. Be flexible and patient.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 19th, 2008 at 12:45 pm and is filed under Clinics, Jumping, Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.