The dressage rider in a jump seat

There is a posture that is appearing more and more frequently in dressage arenas. The rider sits as though preparing to jump: the stirrups are pushed forward, the pelvis tilts backwards, and the legs drift away from the horse's sides. From the outside, it may look secure, balanced and even elegant. Biomechanically, however, it creates a very different reality.

When the pelvis tilts backwards, it loses its ability to follow the natural oscillation of the horse's back. Instead of absorbing movement, the rider begins to block it. The weight no longer falls vertically through the seat but is directed backwards into the horse's lumbar region.

To remain stable in this position, many riders instinctively push down through the stirrups while allowing their legs to move away from the horse's sides. This undoubtedly creates greater stability for the rider, but it comes at the expense of the horse. The back loses its freedom, the stride becomes shorter, and the rhythm often becomes quicker and more tense as the horse attempts to cope with the restriction.

This is hardly surprising, because dressage was never intended to be ridden from a defensive or jumping position. In jumping, the rider deliberately adopts a posture designed to free the horse's back over a fence and to cope with the forces generated during take off and landing. Dressage demands something entirely different. The rider's pelvis must remain capable of following every oscillation of the horse's back, allowing the movement to pass freely through the entire body.

Only then can the horse genuinely lift its topline.

Only then can balance replace tension.

Only then can movement become elastic rather than restricted.

Dressage does not begin in the hands.

It begins when the rider's pelvis learns to follow the horse's back.

Many of these problems persist simply because nobody has ever explained how the rider's seat truly works. This is exactly what I explain, step by step, in The Young Rider's Manual. My aim is not simply to teach a position, but to help riders develop a seat and a contact that support the horse rather than block it. Because good riding is never created by holding the horse still. It is created by allowing the horse to move.

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

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.