Dressage Today
October 2004
TORSO
Control Your
For a Better Seat
To improve your riding, develop an eye for selfcorrection by understanding body mechanics.
By Holly Mason & Jennifer Cavallaro, L.M.T., C.E.M.T.
Illustrations by Sandy Rabinowitz
W
e achieve superior balance as we sit on horses by controlling and efficiently using the core strength of our torsos. The torso is anatomically defined by the skeletal structure and muscles that encase the
entire human spine. We use the strength of our torso to ask horses to
balance more on their hindquarters and to control the rhythm. The correct riding position necessitates that the thighs are rolled in from the hip, the abdominal and back
muscles are engaged and the back of the rider’s neck is elongated, making the entire
torso a connected, integrated unit. To the horse, this makes the rider an efficient and
predictable mass, which is easier for him to carry.
A continuous elongation of the torso is essential to good movement in riding (we
call it being connected) and is comparable to a dancer. Dancers reinitiate balance continuously in the torso as they work in order to move as effortlessly as possible against
the forces of gravity. In partnering with another dancer, the one who is about to be lifted must be stretched and connected, so that she becomes one integrated unit herself for
the other dancer to lift. If the dancer to be lifted is not connected, or are only partially
connected, she becomes more of a "dead weight," and the result is that the lift will fail
or the lifter might be injured.
Having a clear idea of the structure of the human body can really help explain this
concept of becoming firm but tall in your posture and yet fluid like a dancer.
Your Body Speaks to the Horse
The language of the torso is spoken to the horse through the pelvis and its bony protuberances, the seat bones. This is what the horse listens and responds to first. The anatomy of the rider’s seat is, therefore, a function of how the pelvis is balanced on the saddle and the way in which it achieves co-existence with the motion of the horse’s back.
Exquisite control of that motion by a rider is how the horse knows (or feels) what is
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