The “Bouncing Rider”

There is another type of rider who creates a very different problem. They do not collapse through the body, nor do they organise their seat. They bounce.

With every stride, the body rises and then falls back onto the saddle like a ball. This happens because the pelvis is unable to follow and absorb the natural oscillation of the horse's back.

The horse's movement should travel through the rider's body like a wave, flowing continuously from the horse into the pelvis and through the rider without interruption. But when the pelvis becomes stiff or blocked, that energy can no longer flow naturally. Instead, it rebounds upwards, and the rider begins to bounce back down onto the horse's back.

The result is a series of small but repeated impacts.

Impacts that the horse feels with every stride.

The horse responds in the only way it can. It tightens the back, shortens the stride and often increases the rhythm, not because the movement itself is difficult, but because no one can move freely with a ball bouncing on their back.

A good seat does not bounce.

It breathes with the movement.

It receives the horse's oscillation, follows it and quietly returns it without interruption. When that happens, something remarkable often occurs.

Many horses begin to lift their backs on their own.

Many of these problems exist simply because nobody has ever explained how the rider's seat actually works. This is exactly what I explain, step by step, in The Young Rider's Manual. My aim is not simply to teach riders how to sit still, but how to develop a seat that follows the horse's movement, supports its balance and helps the horse instead of blocking it.

If you would like to explore these principles in greater depth, discover:

The Young Rider's Manual

https://www.dressage-isaac.com/young-rider-s-manual/buy

The Professor at Home

https://www.dressage-isaac.com/q-a-consultations-with-isaac/buy

You can also follow my work on YouTube:

https://youtube.com/@isaacaresdressage

The eagle doesn't learn to fly by following the flock.

Isaac Ares

Classical Trainer. Independent Observer. Critical Voice. For the Horse. For the Truth. For the Art.