I am so thankful that I have the talent to sit such a bumpy horse.

   I know this is a blog about my horses rollkur recovery.. But for this blog entry I am going to discuss the importance of having a good seat, and share about my seat experiences. For some reason I feel I need to discuss this subject
   A good seat. It's what every dressage rider desires. Well, at least this dressage rider. The first thing I look at when I see a rider riding, is 1) The hand position/placement and, 2) The seat. A good rider, who uses his legs properly should display a still, quiet, steady seat, with little movement. A perfect example of this seat is Dutch dressage rider Edward Gal, or Adelinde Cornelissen. They both have lovely seats with great movement. If you watch these riders preform, take note at their legs. Their legs are not moving with them, instead their legs stay quiet and steady. If I was a horse, I know I would like to have a rider who didn't plop on my back too much, or ping me with the spurs with every trot stride!
  I have seen so many riders with just the opposite of a steady seat. I am rather ashamed to see many of Americas riders have a seat where everything moves. Legs, head, tummy, arms, etc. All I can see with these riders is the spurs digging in the horses side every step. That can't feel good, it just can't!
  Obviously, I made it a very big focus to have a good dressage seat. There are a few good secrets that I did to get my seat the way I wanted it; minimum movement. I practiced every ride so, so, so much. I took my pony and would gallop fifteen minutes straight on trail rides sitting the entire thing to improve my seat. I would come home sore as can be, stiff with every step.. But I knew in the long run it was what I needed to do to get what I wanted.
  Eventually, my seat became very desirable. People who had seen me ride stopped to tell me what a great seat I had and that I had a talent for it. When I would take my pony out on the trails (we would go to empty fields and do lots of dressage!) many passers by would stop and wait until I was finished riding to just tell me I had a lovely seat. A few times several people also pulled by in their cars to compliment me!
  It was so rewarding to hear such kind words about my seat. I had worked so hard to get it that way! Every compliment I got made me feel so great about myself!!
  Anyways, Udex is a rocking horse from rollkur. Which in other words means he has a lot of movement. Also the fact he is extremely skinny doesn't help either. He also has huge, floaty movements which make sitting him all the more harder. Everyone who has sat on my horse says, (even after just a few steps in walk!) that he is the most difficult and bumpy horse they have ever sat on.
   When I first got him, I became extremely discouraged. He was extremely difficult. In walk I was moving so much it was scary!! In trot I would bounce so high out of the saddle, I could only do a few steps. Canter was almost impossible. That trot right before canter and coming out of canter was so hard to sit!! Seeing a lot of other riders, and even my trainers ride him and have the same seat I did with him was even more discouraging. I truly thought that I would never be able to sit the horse. I had friends lunge me and I held onto the saddle and just practiced sitting trot until my stomach muscles felt like jell-o. I tried bareback trot many times as well. Still, even with all this practice, I had no luck. When people would come into the arena to watch, instead of complimenting my good seat like others had once done, they looked at me like I was a crazy person who couldn't ride worth a darn. Even explaining as to why I was sitting him the way I was, they still thought I couldn't ride. There were nights I just came home and cried. I worked so hard for a good seat, and here I am with my horse.. Every step was a challenge not to fall of!!
  Everyone knows that dressage tests require you to sit the trot, rather then rise. I felt that I didn't have a chance with my horse. His sitting trot was so bumpy, I fell off so many times I can't even count. Every time I managed to loose balance though, I got back up and tried again and again and again. I knew I couldn't give up. I wanted to sit my horse. I worked hard for my good seat, and no way was I going to let that slip away with Udex. I then decided I was going to sit my rocking horse better then anyone else had ever sat another horse.
  Thats when I tried harder and harder and harder. Now, -almost six months later- I am successfully riding my horse at every gait very balanced and smooth! I have learned to adjust my body to become one with the bumpy rhythm of Udex in all three gaits. My seat doesn't look like as good as it does with a normal horse, but it still looks extremely well considering the standards with Udex. My friends who first rode him still can't sit him.
  Anyways, although in the beginning I was extremely discouraged about my seat and Udex, I now realize that it was a blessing in disguise. My already great seat became even better. I can now sit a horse without even moving. Because I had to work even harder to get the feel of my horse, other horses feel like sitting on a sofa. Once again, I am thankful I worked so hard to make my seat work with Udex! In the long run all those hard times really payed off. I am sooo thankful!!!! A good seat makes the ride so much easier!!!