So, to begin I am going to discuss the most common mistakes seen in using the leg. We are going to focus on the leg at the trot as this will translate to your canter and over fences once you get the leg correct.
The First of the common mistakes is posting off of the knee. At a glance it looks ok, but on further inspection you will notice the lower leg and thigh are locked as is the hip. It as if something drilled a hole through one knee, through the horse, and out the side of the other knee and clamped them together creating a pivot point. These riders often find them selves up a horses neck over a fence and have little to no break in the waist. They also had a tendency to lean heavily to one side or another through corners and are very easily pitched forward in the event of a hard stop or a sloppy downward transition. I often refer to these riders and "Lawn Darts" as they flip off the front of a horse in a quick violent manner due to the pinching of the knee and the stiffness in the rest of the body.
Another of the most common mistakes seen (or very well hidden depending on the rider) is posting off of the foot. Most often this is easily detected at the lower leg has either a definitive swing to it as the rider posts or, if the rider has managed to stop the leg from swinging at the nagging of their coach you will see the heel rising up as they post off of the toe/ball of the foot. Posting higher out of the saddle than necessary is another symptom and impossible for a rider to hide when using the leg incorrectly along with the thrusting of the hips at the apex of each post. The reason for the excessive height out of the saddle and the pelvic thrust is simple; momentum. When a rider is using their foot as the basis of support to lift their body out of the saddle the foot is GOING to slide forward. 5/8-1/2" of leather is not going to be a sturdy platform to "stand" on. Add to that the rider must rock the their upper body forward to catch up to the foot to push themselves up out of the saddle and NOW comes the pelvic thrust, the thrusting forward of the pelvis is the actually tossing the upper body and the leg backwards to stop the forward motion from the momentum used to get out of the saddle. Imagine running to the end of a cliff and having to stop abruptly, this is the motion the body makes at the apex of each post.
Now, marinate on that image for a moment.
With that thought in mind, what do you hear your coach saying to you about your knees? KEEP THEM CLOSED! NO DAYLIGHT BETWEEN YOUR KNEE AND THE SADDLE! Right? So, let's do a small experiment. Stand up, Knees shoulder width apart, eyes down (yes, and this is probably a very rare time I will tell you to do that) so you can see how your body moves, and thrust your pelvis forward and back several times....I'll wait.
Waiting....
Waiting...
Still Waiting....
Ok, you back?
Great! I'm sure you noticed that with each thrust forward of your pelvis your knees either slightly or drastically (depending on your body type) opened outwards exposing your inside thigh to the world. And just HOW are you supposed to keep your knee closed on the saddle if kinesiology dictates that a wide open pelvis means an open knee?
And so this is where we begin to discuss HOW to properly use that leg so it can work as the multi tool it really is!
If I don't want you pinching the knee and I don't want you pushing off your foot, just HOW are you supposed to get up out of your tack for 2 point and posting? Well, AT THE WALK I want you to concentrate on relaxing the foot, ankle, and knee and using the inner thigh adductor muscles by ROLLING your thigh closed, letting the excess weight drop to the stirrup, letting the knee angle softly open, keeping your hip angle FOLLOWING the inner thigh (you will notice the hip does not want to thrust forward) you will reach the apex of this post when you feel the need to use your feet to push you higher and to thrust your hips forward DO NOT DO THIS. Roll back down to your seated position. DO NOT sit back and begin to rock forward to assist your body to rise out of the saddle, keep your slight forward angle, chest just ever so slightly over the pommel. What I want you to visualize is that your FEMUR is a rolling pin rolling out cookie dough. Each roll forward with the femur rises you up and each roll back sets you back down in to the tack.
You are GOING to feel a slight pull in the groin, and some female riders may very well experience what feels like menstrual cramping the day following the exercise. The reason for this is you are actively engaging your core muscles to lift you out of the saddle and place you back in position in a controlled manner. At the walk you will feel as though your bum is hardly clearing the seat of the saddle and THAT IS OK! The entire point of posting and two point is simple: get out of the way. And when you really think it over, if you are over posting using the wrong muscles and fighting to maintain your balance are you really out of your horses' way? Besides, don't count out momentum of the horse. Once you become strong and consistent posting this way at the walk, you will find your horse will be boosting you that little bit extra out of the tack at the trot.
And as you become stronger still, you will notice a lot more security in the saddle, you will find you hips are soft and able to follow and better communicate, you knee can open and close with out effort, your lower leg can slide to which ever position to cue your mount with out pushing you off balance. And should you lose a stirrup you will notice it will just swing right back on your foot. You will feel less of an urge to chase your horse across the fence as your hips are soft and able to close on their own as your horse's back comes up under you and folds your body. You will be less likely to be left behind at a fence as you won't be caught up trying to use your upper body for momentum. EVEN YOUR HANDS are going to improve. Why? Because when you are locked in the adductors of the thigh and soft in all your other lower joints, your upper body will follow suit (see post "It's all about breathing" for more details) and you will not feel as though your horse is "too fast" as you will be moving will him/her thus removing the desire to hang on the bit for balance and "control".
Now, I KNOW this information seems overwhelming, and honestly, it isn't easy. It will require you to focus, be willing to go back to taking it slow (on the lunge is great, especially having extra eyes that can bust you when your body starts to cheat) But, YOU CAN DO THIS.
Attached is a video showing what I have been describing to you. It is at the walk and standing so you can see the action and the rolling of the femur from different angles (don't mind the eyes looking down, taking time to post the walk is also why your's truly scans the area for any rocks, nails, etc that may have worked up from the desert sand ;) )
As ALWAYS please, feel to as for more clarification if you feel I did not explain something well enough to suit you. You can contact me here or on our facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/AskTheHorseTrainers/
