Balance Finding Exercises





			Written by Sue Morris

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	Moving the Upper Body Around and Over a Correctly Placed Leg


	These familiar looking on-horse exercises are used to teach you how to stabilise your seat and use your legs as an anchor (without bracing or gripping) whilst moving the the torso freely.


	The legs must remain in place as you:


	Slide both hands up the horse’s crest towards the ears

	Bend down to touch the toes on both sides with each hand

Reach behind to touch the top of the horse’s tail

During the toe-touching exercise, you must bring your nose to the knee. If you lean out "beside" the horse or step into the stirrup on that side, you will pull the horse out of balance and possibly fall off! You should shift your weight to the opposite seat bone before leaning over (i.e., to the right seat bone prior to leaning left). You may not succeed first time, but with practice your flexibilty and stability will improve.

Common errors to look out for:

Again, thanks to Jan Dawson for her permission to use these Secure Seat illustrations.