If the right posture gives you security and comfort, it will influence the stability of the rider/horse unit and determine any change of balance. It is the major aid, everything else is only ancillary. It is the most important tool of communication between horse and rider. Any change of posture is a strong cue to the horse. It must be wanted, controlled and mastered.
There is no riding without a good positioning of the rider. It is absolutely, -physically- impossible to collect a horse without having a very good position, because the back and chest of the rider cannot give cues.

A correct but tense position will create stiffness and worry in the horse. Only a relaxed rider can ride a relaxed horse.
A theoretically correct posture that does not allow the horse to move free and light is only an illusion and a pretense. It sometimes manages to impress the public, but the horse is not convinced!

Only the balanced posture will allow the horse to be comfortable, mentally and physically. A rider in the wrong place, and not in balance, or stiff, will prevent his horse from relaxing, keep the horse from developing and muscling up harmoniously. Any exercise, any training, becomes difficult, if not impossible.

The best posture is the one that allows the horse, in a given exercise, to be in balance and impulsion ( forward thrust ) with minimum interference of the rider.

Therefore, the rider has to possess a good body outline, meaning a good mental picture of his body. Take conscience of your body. Feel your balance, your positioning, perceive your stiffness. Only than you will you sense your horse and be in harmony with him.
 
 

Most important, keep your:

Upper body close to vertical
 Thigh/torso angle open, almost flat
 Shoulder/seat bones/heels on the same line

Upper body tall and relaxed Pelvis rocked, belly button slightly pushed toward horses ears Lower back supported, flat, and even lightly arched Head straight, in the line with the torso, neck with no stiffness Eyes toward the ears of the horse, slightly higher Shoulders low and relaxed Arms falling naturally near the body Angle of arm/upper arm rather open
	Wrist rounded, nails facing, hands half closed, and fingers relaxed

Legs loose, falling naturally and vertically, never sticking to the horse or squeezing Thighs aligned with torso (thigh/torso angle as open as possible) Knees not tight, slightly open, with the back of the knee in slight contact with the horse Legs (calves) loose and soft Ankles limber heels neither up or down, but free Feet parallel to the body of the horse, simply resting in the stirrups on the first third of the foot

This posture is not static, or unable to change. It has to adapt to the speed and the actions of the horse; it has to always be limber and free, the lower back supported without stiffness or restraint, the thigh/torso angle open, the vertical line of the upper body adapted to the degree of collection of the horse.
Each rider, depending on his built, his muscles and his degree of relaxation will make the necessary adaptations, taking into account the morphology and the problems of each horse. The essential is, while respecting these principles, to be in harmony with the horse and to always control the balance of the horse/rider.

A bad posture attracts the eye: you only see IT.
A harmonious rider, well seated and relaxed, makes you forget him, he is only the producer of his horse.
 

Do not look for the "beautiful posture" on horseback. Rather look for the right posture, at the right time, and you will have a beautiful posture.
A correct gesture is beautiful. Watch the slow motion gestures of the big athletes. Have a posture that is correct and beautiful.

Work on your seat while someone is lunging you. You won't have to worry about going forward and straight, and you will be able to concentrate on your body.

Your strength and you balance in the saddle depend on your position, and on you equilibrium. In no way does it depend on the strength of your legs and hands.

Have heavy buttocks and soft legs. Your torso, your arms and hands will than be able to relax, be in place and become light.

Keep your chest motionless, your shoulders fixed and your lower back limber.
A well inflated ball bounces on a hard floor. If you harden your legs, if you squeeze your thighs or your knees, you will bounce and jump in your saddle. If you let your lower body loose, only than will you be able to let your upper body relax.

Relax the lower part of your face, smile from the inside, and you will be able to relax easier.

You have to relax each part of your body - your entire body - and especially your lower back, your upper back, your thighs, your legs and your ankles. For this you should point your toes toward the ground, possibly without stirrups.

When on your horse, imagine you are a tree. Lower your legs, back up you thighs and your knees, pull your toes down. The roots of a tree are the lower part of your body. They are seeking water down, deep in the ground. Your spine up to the neck (the trunk, the branches and the leaves of the tree) grows, stretches itself upward, toward the light.
 
 

Control the verticality of your chest. Imagine a scale: the front end and the back end of your horse are the 2 pans of the scale, and your chest is the beam. Any action of the chest will influence the balance of the pans.

If you try to relax your chest and your upper aids without letting go with your thighs, calves and ankles, you will work hard for years with very little result. Let your lower body be loose, and you will be surprised by the results on your upper body.

Working the back, the aids of the back, the seat and the chest are essential in Dressage. Everything else is only ancillary. Hold your horse with your chest and your belt and give back the hand.
If your chest and your legs support your horse, all the conditions are good for giving back.

Always keep your shoulders parallel to the shoulders of the horse. Look between the ears of your horse. You will always stay in tune with him.

Do not put your chest forward, but your stomach - have a belly on horseback. Whatever your physique is, you will only look slimmer and more elegant. At the same time you are pushing your belly button toward the ears of the horse, let your shoulders down.
 

The shoulders, the seat bones and the heels are on one same line. For that to occur, you have to lower your legs.

Do not put your legs in one fixed point; let them loose to free the upper body. If you want a sleepy horse and to exhaust yourself, squeeze your legs. If you want a brilliant horse, active and relaxed, let go of your legs, forget your muscles while staying reactive, attentive and relaxed.

Relax as much as possible, but control your thighs, the back of your knees, the legs, ankles and feet.

If your heels are down too much, it will make your legs stick to the horse and tensed. The tip of the foot softly rests on the stirrup. Touch the horse with your calf or your spur  (ZAP!), for example in a canter, or at the passage etc.

The heel has to stay free, be able to go up or down. Being able to put the heel up shows the beginning of relaxation.

Never stay tight with your legs, always act in an intermittent manner (touch, let go, touch,...). Have soft legs with no muscles.

"Legs! Legs! More legs!"... NO...!
Legs that are soft, attentive and reactive... YES...!

The legs alone really do not make the horse go forward. The , the impulsion (forward thrust) is in the frame of mind of the horse. The legs indicate, and stay relaxed.

Touch your horse, calf, heel or spur, with an electric touch, lightly, fast, like the pinch of a guitar string, and immediately take leg away.

The spur is only the end of the leg, it has to stay relaxed with light and short touches.

Horses have extremely fast reflexes, way faster than humans. Act fast and briskly.

Your leg can reassure the horse and calm him down, on the condition that it stays relaxed. Legs that reassure, frame and lead the horse.

Practice, every time you can, lowering your legs (see also lowering the hands, in "for your hands). You will gain in lightness and your horse will be more brilliant.
 

For each exercise, seek the best position possible, in the small space between the riders belly button and the neck of the horse. The sensation must be easy and effortless.

Have your hands fixed as much as possible (the least amount of motion possible) and your fingers always moving  (constantly move your finger as if you were typing).
Before using your hands, always use your chest.
Give your hands back to the horse (give him his mouth) and hold him with your chest and your belt.
The hand goes all the way to the shoulder.

Strongly close your fingers while using the legs, until the horse gives in by placing himself (on the bit), whatever strength is needed.

Practice lowering the hands as much as possible. When the horse is in balance, placed, cease all hand action (or leg action).
The horse must not change anything in the exercise.
The lowering of the hands (or the legs) is done every time a result is obtained. The hands cease to ask only if the horse does not change anything in his attitude, his forward thrust, his gait or his exercise.  The hands will ask again only if there is a risk of change in the horse or if the rider wants to modify the exercise.

Always take before you give back, and give in only when the horse gave in.
Always open and close your fingers.
Round your wrists.
 
 
 

Frequently encountered problems

Do the legs have to be tight on a horse?

NO! To be strong on horseback does not depend on the power of the legs, but on the general balance of the rider and on the weight/counter weight formed by the legs hanging down, relaxed and softly touching the horse, and never tight. To tighten the legs or to use the legs vigorously, tires, discourages or exhausts the rider, does not result in forward thrust but contracts, turns off and bores the horse. Well thought actions, fast and relaxed, where the legs touch with care and are immediately retracted are efficient, economical and discrete. “Tighten the legs” is an idea to banish from horseback riding!

A hard hand is a one that has no feel, is incapable of giving in, asks with strength, at the wrong time, with no subtlety. It is damaging to the physical and moral health of the horse!
If I count out the fear, the lack of experience or the mental brutality of the rider that sometimes produces hard hands, most of the times it comes from the absence of relaxation, the lack of balance and a generally bad posture of the rider.

It is than an overall problem.

Try to feel if your posture is in balance.
Your legs could be tight, and/or stuck to the horse.
Such legs will stop you from sitting softly. You are bouncing, your back is heavy, stiff… and your hand is inevitably hard.
Do not forget your hands start at your shoulder on horseback!

Relax your legs, have heavy buttocks and your back will be light (and not light buttocks (darn!) and heavy back!)… Your hand will become better.

If your general posture is good and your legs relaxed, be careful to let your arms fall down naturally, hands rather low, with the arm/forearm angle rather open. Round your wrists slightly toward inside, keep your fingers half opened.

Do not try to have the hands and forearms from the rulebook!

Act with your hands in an intermittent manner, and cease to act as soon as the horse answers. If he does not react, do not harden your action. Cease the action and start it again immediately.

At last, it is essential, be relaxed on your horse.

The “good hand” results from a frame of mind. It has to know when to resist and when to give in at the moment the horse gives in, it has to be in soft contact with the mouth of the horse.

Work toward these goals…
 

Posture-position / Walk / Trot / Canter / Shoulder-in / half-pass /Flying change of lead/ Tempi changes / The canter Pirouette / Piaffe

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