07/02/2026
🤨 This may seem controversial, but balance in the saddle isn’t about how a rider looks or even how they feel.
It’s about whether their centre of mass is over their base of support. The same principles of physics apply off the horse as they do in the saddle.
In A, the line up from the stirrup falls in front of the rider’s centre of mass, so she’d have to use muscular effort against the saddle to stop herself falling backwards. In B, the line passes underneath her centre of mass, so she’s balanced.
If you take the horse away and ask the rider to balance over a block where the stirrup would be, the difference becomes much clearer. Yes, what the rider is doing relative to the horse matters, and every rider will look slightly different because of their body proportions. The physics, however, is the same for everyone.
This exercise wasn’t about replicating a riding position. It was about understanding the principles of balance that also apply in the saddle. Once you’re balanced, you can then lower your centre of gravity closer to the horse while maintaining that balance.
Why does this matter? Because your horse wants a rider who is balanced, not one who has to press into the saddle, brace through the stirrups, rely on reins or use muscular effort simply to stay upright. If you’re already working just to stop yourself falling, you have less capacity to absorb the forces created by the horse’s movement, making it harder to move independently and give clear, consistent aids.
That’s exactly why I created the Riding Ready Position Course. It isn’t about copying a position. It’s about understanding the anatomy, biomechanics and movements your body needs in the saddle so you can build a balanced, effective position that works for both you and your horse
