# Hows my half seat?



## tzoidbk (Nov 26, 2013)

Ps the boots were 3 sizes too big for me an they were cutting me when i put my heel down so that part your can scratch off lol


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## eventrider (Dec 27, 2013)

It is pretty good considering the boots are a lot bigger than they should be which could cause you to be unbalanced. But try to have your upper body a little more forward and put your butt a little bit closer to the saddle but not touching it. I also noticed that your reins are kind of loopy, this causes a lack of connection with your horses mouth. Try and shorten your reins! Good Luck


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

yeah, it looks like you could close your "accordian" angles. and have a little bit more of your lower leg on the horse. 

the bit looks very high in the horse's mouth. looks too high.


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## tzoidbk (Nov 26, 2013)

tinyliny said:


> yeah, it looks like you could close your "accordian" angles. and have a little bit more of your lower leg on the horse.
> 
> the bit looks very high in the horse's mouth. looks too high.


In the picture, the bridle is not touching his face because he tends to chew or play with his bit. It's common for him and it's actually pretty loose because he has a sensitive mouth due to his abusing in his past from his old owners


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## tzoidbk (Nov 26, 2013)

eventrider said:


> It is pretty good considering the boots are a lot bigger than they should be which could cause you to be unbalanced. But try to have your upper body a little more forward and put your butt a little bit closer to the saddle but not touching it. I also noticed that your reins are kind of loopy, this causes a lack of connection with your horses mouth. Try and shorten your reins! Good Luck


He has a sensitive mouth and he only listens to leg commands because I do tackless with him alot because that's how I pretty much worked with him since I've owned him. And in hunter hack, they like to see slacked reins SOMETIMES. But thank you very much for your input  I got new tall boots that actually fit so I'm happy. And I will work with my butt closer to the saddle!


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

You look as if you're achieving 'half seat' - or trying too - by bracing all your weight into your stirrups so you're legs & heels are being pushed too far away from the horse and they have no contact with his sides at all and you're seat is coming too far out of the saddle so your upper body looks really tense
If anything went wrong while you were in this position you'd be ejected very easily
Aim at looking more like this pic - you could go slightly more forwards but don't do that by pushing off your stirrups


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## updownrider (Mar 31, 2009)

I saw your picture while I was visiting my mother. She has taught many many to ride, and the first thing she teaches is the half seat/two point for balance as a prelude to posting. She liked your position very much. You do have contact with the horse's sides and you are not using your horse's neck or mouth for balance. Understandably, your foot is too far "home" in the stirrup but that will improve with better fitting boots. 

If you search online for the George Morris book Hunt Seat Equitation and scroll down through the pages, you will see your body postion in the half seat/two point is not far off from the picture he uses as a model. I believe I've seen poster bsms post the picture I'm speaking of in past posts. 


Bernie Traurig explains the different seats that could be utilized in a course, and that it is important to be able to use them all. 
5 Minute Clinic with Bernie Traurig


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with you on this one updownrider - her legs are in a really poor contact with the horse - even allowing for the oversize boots and she's close to having the backs of her legs against the horse rather than the sides. 
I agree that she isn't balancing off the horses mouth - but would criticize her contact - or lack of it which is allowing the horse to just 'run along' with no real balance
The point of a critique IMO is to show the person where they can improve their style
I might be misunderstanding you but half seat is not the same as 2 point
This is what 2 point should look like in a well balanced rider


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## updownrider (Mar 31, 2009)

jaydee- you are so anti-half seat/two point you do not even understand what it is. I'll let Bernie Traurig explain it to you. 

Bernie Traurig: Part 10


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

A picture from George Morris's book:










I don't jump, so my forward seat riding has all been on the flat. Concerning lower leg: books from the 30s-60s tend to have the toe pointed out around 30 deg. Chamberlin recommended 15-45 deg out. For Hunt Seat Equitation, George Morris had it around 10 deg out, IIRC, but I guess he doesn't mind larger if it works for you ( The American Jumping Style (Doubleday Equestrian Library): George H. Morris: 9780385410823: Amazon.com: Books ):










Given the too large boots you were wearing, it would be tough to guess how your calf was against the horse. If the contact was with the back of the calf, that is wrong - too wobbly. FWIW, my favorite book on the forward seat is Chamberlin's:

Riding And Schooling Horses: Harry D. Chamberlin, John Cudahy, Edwin M. Sumner: 9781163173299: Amazon.com: Books

However, some of the things he recommended are now frowned upon, like riding with the stirrup in the home position. I do it, but I seem to specialize in doing things that are frowned upon...:evil:


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## updownrider (Mar 31, 2009)

bsms said:


> A picture from George Morris's book:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



bsms - there is a picture of that same woman in George's book when she is in a half seat. Do you have that picture available for posting?

The second picture you posted, while the rider is in a beautiful position, the rider is not in a half seat/two point, because as the caption says, his seat is deep in the saddle. In a half seat/two point position, the seat does not have contact with the saddle. 

Two riders to watch videos of that ride in a forward half seat/two point are Eric Lamaze and Rich Fellers.


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

updownrider said:


> jaydee- you are so anti-half seat/two point you do not even understand what it is. I'll let Bernie Traurig explain it to you.
> 
> Bernie Traurig: Part 10


I totally agree with Jaydee. In what way is she anti-half seat, BTW? I'm sure she has spent as much time in a half seat as some, here, have been in the saddle at all.

Bernie shows a half seat exactly like the one Jaydee posted. For a good balanced half seat, you need to have the inside of your leg on the horse, not the back of your leg.

The OP, in my opinion, is gripping too much with her knees. As a result, the lower leg has been pulled off the side of the horse. This is a very unstable position. She needs to shake that knee loose so that she can wrap that leg against the horse's barrel. Then, she needs to move her seat back a bit over the middle of the saddle. Then, she will have a balanced and much stronger position in the half seat. If the horse grinds to a halt, she will not fly over the horse's head....as easily.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

updownrider said:


> jaydee- you are so anti-half seat/two point you do not even understand what it is. I'll let Bernie Traurig explain it to you.


Why on earth do you think that I'm anti- half seat and two point?
I spent most of my childhood & teenage years, working with horses life and then leisure riding years fox hunting, showjumping, Cross country, Team Chasing, One day eventing, hunter trials and Working Hunter classes 
There is no way I could have done any of those things - or got my BHS certificates without being able to ride in half seat and 2 point!!!
What I am against is the number of riders who think that they are riding in either but are in fact simply standing up in their stirrups or gripping hard with their knees because they aren't fit enough to correctly use their leg, thigh and core muscles and end up with a really weak ineffective seat and balance


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