# Help for the Unbalanced Rider



## Kim2 (Mar 19, 2019)

I’ve had my husband videotape my Gymkhana rides because I like to review them afterwards. 
I’ve noticed that I’m very unbalanced ☹ My stirrups are set even on my saddle but during the rides I must be putting way more weight on my left stirrup because it’s way lower in the videos than my right...

*Not sure if it worked but I tried adding a snapshot from a video that really showed the unbalance* 

Anyways, what should I do to fix my crookedness? 
Any exercises, tips and tricks are welcome! 

P.s. The stirrups can’t go any shorter on my saddle.


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## AndyTheCornbread (Feb 3, 2019)

I have only ever seen something like that one other time. I took a lady riding up here with me and she didn't have her cinch tight enough and she braced way too hard into the stirrups instead of actually riding with the horse. I forget which leg was her dominant side but every time the horse I loaned her would lope her saddle would shift like that because she was pressing so hard into the stirrups and her dominant leg was so much stronger. Tightening her cinch helped some but what really helps is riding with the horse and gripping from your knees to your hips with your legs and not pushing hard into the stirrups.

Also if you are riding circles in an arena and are pushing hard with your outside leg that can turn a saddle as well.


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## SteadyOn (Mar 5, 2017)

You might be shifting the saddle over just by getting on!

As an experiment, see if you can get on from something that's high enough that you can totally skip the stirrup and slide straight into the saddle. Then see if you're still off centre when you're riding!


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## Kalraii (Jul 28, 2015)

My friend has the exact same thing. I noticed that no matter where she's sitting at work or on the sofa she always slouches left as well. I think it's time for back strengthening exercises and developing better posture habits! xD Easier said than done! What worked for me personally is getting rid of stirrups and doing tons of trot and canter work as it'll really force you to use your whole body. This was easier when I wasn't on a bouncy horse.


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## SteadyOn (Mar 5, 2017)

I've also seen (and had) it happen where the saddle just didn't fit the horse right, and the motion of the horse was skewing the saddle to one side because of it.

For most of a season, I was riding my current lesson horse in a different saddle, and I would complain all the time that it was shifting to the right and my coach said I must be weighting that leg too much. So I tried really hard not to do that... but it kept happening!! And she kept saying it must be something I'm doing.

Well well well. We get near the end of the season, and suddenly the horse is in a different saddle. "Yeahhhhh, so... three other riders told the OTHER coach that that saddle was shifting to the right on her." And I was VINDICATED! :lol:


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

have you checked out the fit of the saddle?
and, you say the stirrup lengths are the same. . . . by the number on the stirrup leather? of, did you measure them actually? your horse's movement can be throwing you off to one side, too.


when you post the trot, does it seem like you always end up on the same diagonal?


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## TXhorseman (May 29, 2014)

Stirrup leathers can stretch over time, especially if the horse is consistently mounted from the left and especially if mounted from the ground. Check to make sure this isn’t part of the problem. 

Have someone observe your seat from behind. The saddle should be divided equally with half on either side of the horse’s spine. Your hips should be spaced equally on either side of the horse’s spine. Your head should be directly over the horse’s spine. There should be an equal amount of distance between each of your shoulders and the corresponding hip.

All that said, riders sometimes shift their position while riding. This is especially true if the rider generally sits or stands with more weight to one side (usually the left). Riding without stirrups may help correct this. When riding with stirrups, a rider may unconsciously put more weight on one stirrup than the other. 

Also, try to become more conscious of your posture when not riding. If you are balanced, you can stand, sit, and perform various tasks with much less muscle tension.


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## Cedar & Salty (Jul 6, 2018)

I had this problem recently and the solution was two-fold...

1. I measured my stirrup length with a measuring tape and even though I counted holes from top and bottom, they were over an inch off. My husband just got a new Circle Y and the holes were different on each side, too.

2. I am lopsided due to a hip injury (thanks Salty!). I am working on my biomechanics -- keeping both sitting bones on the saddle, as well as getting back to my daily yoga to restore my range of motion and balance. I frequently stop while riding and adjust my balance and seat, and I notice my sitting posture at work and adjust my balance, too.

It does make a difference to my horses and they appreciate my efforts to straighten myself out.


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## Kim2 (Mar 19, 2019)

I was really focusing on it yesterday. My right side is dominant and I tend to slouch/lean to the right so, my left is stretched out more often throughout the day. 
I went riding last night I really tried to use even pressure on both sides but once I started loping it shifted over to the left because I was definitely putting more pressure on my left leg.. 
I’ve read that doing yoga can really help your balance so, I’m going to try that and it’s a good way to kick start the motivation to work towards a healthier life style. 

I have a love/hate relationship with my current saddle (Orig BM Treeless) 
Pro: 
- It fits my mare beautifully, was professionally fitted and I was told treeless is a wonderful option for her or a custom made treed saddle when I have the $$$ (once my student debt is paid off in a few years)
Con: 
- Doesn’t fit me well LoL It’s a bit too small and the stirrups are hung too far forward for my liking. 

I know that treeless saddles have a tendency to slide more than a treed saddle would. Now I have never measured the stirrup length and will do that tonight because I never thought about the mounting side stretching but that makes perfect sense LoL


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

Are you left handed?


My son is ambidextrous, with a slight preference for his right.


He tends to put more weight on his right side, so over time, rather than staying centered up in the saddle, he's actually pushing down with his right and thus, the saddle is simply rolling a little at a time until he has to shift his weight and pull the saddle back to center.


Can you get more pictures, or perhaps video? I keep looking at the picture and your saddle APPEARS centered up, just looking at the gullet - certainly not off enough to explain the wild difference between your two stirrups. I mean, just looking at it, the first thing I'm really thinking is you have one stirrup way, way too short and the other out about one hole too long. I can only assume that's not the case though and you're riding with even stirrups.


*So, next question - what kind of pad is that under your saddle? A cheap pad can allow for saddle roll, no matter how tight you cinch your horse. We had a fleece backed Mustang Manufacturing pad when we first started out, my son bought it at Paul Taylor's in Pilot Point Texas... and I. hated. that. pad. Never could get up in the saddle without the saddle rolling on the mount, no matter how tight we cinched the horse up. Do you perhaps use a mounting block, and maybe aren't realizing the pad is causing the slip?*


Ignore that bolded paragraph - This is a treeless saddle and I missed that. 

Are you walking your horse around a little, rechecking the tightness of the cinch? Some horses can blow up like Mrs. Puff from Spongebob... I've seen my friend's older mare, Twinkie, puff up so much that after she's walked around a little bit, and the cinch is re-tightened, there was a 5... FIVE... loop through the D difference. Not holes in the latigo, I mean loops through the D and back out again. She's a master at blowing up and holding the puff.


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## Kim2 (Mar 19, 2019)

I’m right handed and feel like I have more body control on my right side but my left side is trying to make up for the weakness by push weight down in that stirrup. If that makes sense.

I don’t know how to upload a video... 

I’m using a Skito pad with a Dixie Midnight liner. I haven’t had any mounting issues since I got the liner. 
I typically don’t mount with help but I’ve used a mounting block or my tail gate sometimes just because it’s good to train them to line up for you...

I tighten my cinch about 3-4 times before I ever get one. 
- First, when i saddle up. 
- Before ground work
- After ground work
- and before I mount. 
I’ve always had horses that balloon and find that cinching tighter over time helps prevent cinchyness and saddle rolling LoL


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

Wellllllllll... IDK then unless it's the overcompensating on the left side, as you said. Do you feel like you're putting you're weight in the stirrups or in the seat more? As in, are you perhaps relying on keeping your full weight in the stirrups for balance, rather than letting your seat carry the bulk of your weight?


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## SteadyOn (Mar 5, 2017)

Try riding for a while without stirrups, if you feel you safely can. If the saddle still shifts, it's probably from your horse's motion interacting with the saddle's fit. If it doesn't, then you know it's coming from how you're weighting the stirrups.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

SteadyOn said:


> Try riding for a while without stirrups, if you feel you safely can. If the saddle still shifts, it's probably from your horse's motion interacting with the saddle's fit. If it doesn't, then you know it's coming from how you're weighting the stirrups.


That's what I was going to say too. 

Also, Pilates can really help with crookedness.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

Analyze your standing position OFF the horse. Do you always shift to one side? Cock one hip? Practice standing like a police officer at attention, with your weight equally on both feet. Shift it to one, then the other, then balanced. Our brains are so plastic that it is convinced That is equal, but it is not!


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

You might try riding while standing in the stirrups. Measure the stirrup length from centerline to stirrup and adjust them as equal as possible. Then practice riding while standing in them - virtually all your weight flowing uninterrupted into the stirrup. If need be, hold the horn with one hand to help your balance and ride at a walk and trot, turning and straight, while trying to stand in your stirrups.

Imagine a pool cue sticking out of your belly button. It should point at the horn and your horse's neck. If it doesn't, unequal weight or a bad saddle is shifting things to one side. For that much difference, I suspect you have one leg bent and the other straight. You can't go on like that when standing in the stirrup. As a bonus, it will teach you how your horse balances while accelerating, slowing and turning - and how you can match his balance.

I'll delete this enlargement in a week or so. Earlier if you ask. Looks like your weight is pulling the saddle sideways - look at the breast collar.








I think if you try riding while standing, you will quickly feel the imbalance and your body will take steps to correct it.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

A lot of people have one leg that is a bit longer than the other. Then over time, they compensate. If this is your case, you'll often shift the saddle to one side as you ride. My left leg is about 1/2" longer and my pelvis tends to tilt because of it. If I don't go to the chiropractor periodically, then my back is affected and so on and so forth. Often, if you ride the same horse for awhile, the horse starts to compensate for the crookedness of the rider's pelvis, and then you end up with a vicious circle. If I adjust my stirrups evenly, I feel wonky and the saddle tends to shift as I put more weight on one side than the other. If I adjust the stirrups so I feel straight, one is a hole longer than the other, but I am balanced and the saddle stays where it should. 


Take a visit to your chiropractor and see if that doesn't help a bit. Have someone else ride your mare-- does the saddle shift for them, too? If so, the stirrups may not be even, or the saddle may not have been built straight, or the horse may actually be the cause.


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