# Chair seat?



## lubylol (Aug 8, 2011)

I don't think you have a chairseat, but I do think you're stirrups are too long. I also believe your saddle is too small, and if you were to raise your stirrups, your knee would come past the knee roll.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## rachelgem (Oct 22, 2011)

i think your legs are too far forward, which means your heels are too far down. but in the 4th picture down, your position is pretty great!


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## SpottedDraftRider (Jun 26, 2011)

You do tend to have a bit of a chair seat in most of these pictures. The most noticeable is in the 3rd picture. I agree with lubylol that your saddle is a bit too small and that you should raise your stirrups.


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## Thyme (Sep 4, 2010)

K, thanks! Ill look for a larger saddle when I can afford it
and Ill play around with my stirrup length


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## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

Your leg is slightly too far forward and you heels are jammed down way too hard, they should be slightly down, but no real pressure in them, more in a neutral soft ankle and heel.


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## ceasar (Dec 21, 2011)

try tilting your pelvis a tiny bit forward, not to the point were your perching, cause if you sit to much on your butt you automatically get chair seat... sit more on your seat bones


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Thyme,

I looked over and over at your pictures trying to see what seems "off". I think it is that your knee is locked. you have multiple joints in your body , useable to absorb the horse's motion, but since you are locking up in the most important one, your knee, the foot then becomes overloaded. Too much pressure directly down into the heel, which is pushing the stirrup forward.
If you can relax a bit more at the knee and ALLOW your leg to follow more closely, in a draping manner, along the side of your horse, there will be less feeling of Force into the stirrup. you can see how the whole lower leg comes off and sticks out stiffly to the side in some photos.

I think part of the reason this happens is due to the shape of your hrose. My guess is that he has a nice big barrel and porportionally narrower shoulders. The half draft that I ride is shaped this way. What this does is make it hard for me to keep my lower leg from drifting forward into the kind of "groove" area in front of the girth. What I need , in order for me to be able to be stable and not fall behind the motion, is to have my leg under me, and I need my knee to kind of accordian up and down some (of course it doesnt move, but rather opens and closes) . Also, think about "aiming" your heel back, toward the horse's rear feet, ratther than straight down to the ground.

The more impulsion you can get from the hrose's hind forward, the easier it will be for you to achieve this.


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

First thing is do I have a chair seat? No, you do not have a chair seat. You have a straight line form you shoulder through your hip to your heel.
I think it is more drastic in some pics then others.
Also are my heels too far down? Depends. Are you forcing them down, with a lot of pressure in the stirrup, or are you just stretched down into your heel? Can you maintain the same angle in your ankle without the stirrup, or do you have to press against the stirrup to get them where they are? If so, do try releasing some of the pressure, and only having your heel as far down as it will go without forcing. 
Are my stirrups too short? No, the are a fine dressage/flat work length. They are actually too long for working in two point or jumping.  They feel long to me but is that because of the chair seat? No, it's because they're too long to allow you rise out of the saddle in two point and maintain a position out of the tackt, as you should be able to in order to jump. The hit just below my ankle bone when I hang my lags down. 
The last picture is our most impressive jump to date ;P You will need to ride with a shorter stirrup before attempting anything much higher. 
You can see how long my stirrups are in it, and about the heels?

I agree with the poster's comment about the saddle being to small, and the flap being too short.


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## Thyme (Sep 4, 2010)

Thanks for the replies! I have never really paid attention to my knees apart from trying not to hold on with them and hitch. How should I train them? I will also work on "pointing" my heels to his hindend, I am trying to fix off my new habit of bracing against the stirrups I have developed through the last few months of training especailly after he bucked me off and dragged me. (its been 2 months though so I need to break it!)
For the heels, I dont think I am forcing them down, I was just putting all my weight in them and not in the ball of my foot, it is to my understanding now that there should be weight in both places?
I kept my stirrups long so I was more secure when he would buck and act up, now we have had a good month, and my trainer rides him a couple times weekly. She has been jumping him, and I start this weekend (with my trainer), I definitly shorten them before we jump so I dont mess him up.
The saddle gives me four fingers in front and five in back (although the back goes up pretty steeply should I need more fingers in that case?) but I see what you mean about the flaps, I have never thought of that I just look for seat sizes, how do you measure your flap size?
Iv started a saddle fund. . .the saddle I ride in now is a Colligate and i LOVE it, I can hopefully find another one my size that I can afford sooner then later, are there any other brands similar to Colligate?
thanks again, really appreciate the help!


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## Thyme (Sep 4, 2010)

Oh this saddle is a 16" or 16.5", should I got for a 17"? Also, do I look stupid in it , just wondering Ill try to get a new one as soon as I can but this is what I got for now.


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## GotaDunQH (Feb 13, 2011)

In some pics you have a chair seat and in some you don't, so you have an inconsistent seat. Like other have said...that saddle doesn't fit you and it's giving you too much of an opportunity to get too far back on your pockets (it has a banana-type seat). You should always be able to feel your seat bones and some of your crotch in a triangle shape/feel. If you are back on your pockets too much, you don't have that balanced/centered seat. You have a long leg and you need to find a saddle that can accommodate you with the right stirrup placement, the right length and shape of flap, and the right seat shape. 

I would like to see a straight back as you have collapsed some at the waist, and your shoulders need to come back. Also, to keep your leg under you, you need to bring your WHOLE leg back from the hip. Lots of time people will say, "bring your lower leg back" when it's actually a problem with the whole leg that starts at the hip.


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## Showjumper1 (Dec 20, 2011)

SpottedDraftRider said:


> You do tend to have a bit of a chair seat in most of these pictures. The most noticeable is in the 3rd picture. I agree with lubylol that your saddle is a bit too small and that you should raise your stirrups.


I agree. Too small a saddle and the stirrups are too long.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

When you push your legs forward your bum goes back. By keeping your heels under you as in Pic 1 if you'd pulled your pelvis into the deepest part of the seat you'd have been fine. You are also looking at the back of his head causing your chin to drop and your shoulder to slump forward. In one pic you are leading with your left shoulder to boot. An exercise to try is to stand in the stirrups. OK good, I'll bet your shoulders are forward and your bum is sticking out behind. Straighten up as straght as you can and you need to be straight with your eyes looking way ahead. (no dropped chin). Now sit down as tho you will sit on the pommel. Don't allow your hips to move back. When you lower straight down your pelvis will be in the deepest part of the saddle with your heels nicely under you. Your back will be straight and your chin level. Try to maintain this at the walk. If you lose it, just repeat. Enjoy a few giggles while trying to do this. When you're good at standing in the stirrups, ask your horse to walk. Have fun.


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## Thyme (Sep 4, 2010)

awesome thanks! Ill definitly work on that and get back!


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