Correct rider position and the effects it has on the horse are foundational aspects of riding. I have spent a good portion of my career creating a strong position for myself and instilling that in my students. There are many reasons that correct position is important and steps you can take to check and improve your position.

What is Correct Rider Position?

A strong position is essential because it provides the base of your support in the saddle. In a standstill or at the walk, your position begins with your foot and where it’s positioned in the stirrup. I like the stirrups right on the balls of the feet. The outside bar of the stirrup should be slightly ahead of the inside bar, which is a safety precaution so that your feet can come out of the stirrups quickly. Your heel should be down and your toe should be slightly turned out. Your leg contact with the horse should start with the back of your ankle and your calf. You should have a nice angle of about 90 degrees in your knee with light contact but not pinching. The leg contact continues with your thigh as you go up your leg.

A good way to test your leg position on your own is to get in your two-point position at a standstill or the walk or trot. If your leg is in the correct position, you should be able to hold your balance while standing in your stirrups without falling forward or backward. In my Jumping Clinic column for Practical Horseman, I see some riders who have their leg too far forward. It would be hard for them to remain balanced in their two-point position because their too-forward leg position puts them behind the center of gravity and is going to constantly drop their seat back in the saddle. They will be fighting to keep their seat out of the saddle. On the other hand, if rider have their legs too far back, they would also have a hard time remaining balanced in their two-point position. Their too-far-back leg position throws their balance forward because they are ahead of the center of gravity.

Your seat bones should be centered in the saddle with your back slightly arched so that your seat and hips are pushed a hair forward toward the front of the saddle. Think of it like sitting on a bar stool rather than sitting in a chair. Your hip angles should be open so that your body is fairly upright in the saddle. Your shoulders should be back, and you should be looking up with your eyes. Also, your neck should be in line with your spine and not leaning forward. For your hands, they should be just above and in front of the horse’s withers, so your reins must be short enough to allow your hands to naturally assume this position. Your thumb should be turned slightly in—not a flat hand or an upright, bulldozer driving-type hand but slightly turned in.

As you ride different gaits, the degree of your hip angle will vary. At the posting trot, for example, your hip angle should be slightly closed. In the working canter, your hip angle is fairly open—not quite as open as when at a standstill or at the walk, but more open than in the posting trot. In a two-point or galloping position, your hip angle is more closed than it is at the posting trot. Aside from sitting in the saddle at the working canter, the faster the gait, the more closed your hip angle should be.

The Importance of Correct Rider Position

Throughout the history of riding and training horses, skilled riders determined what the best position that would allow them to communicate with their mounts in the most effective and least distracting way. If your basics are correct, you’re going to be able to communicate best with your horse. Maintaining a correct position will also give you the most strength in the saddle while allowing for maximum compassion. For example, when riders are in an incorrect position—they get caught forward, they’re up on the horse’s neck, etc.—they’re much more likely to leverage or pull on the horse’s mouth for balance because they have no base of support. So, correct position is not only the correct thing for you as a rider but also for your horse. Otherwise, your communication and aids won’t be as smooth and effective.

For me, I can do weight training all I want, but I’m still not going to be as strong as some male riders. Yet, I’ve always been considered a strong rider. I think the reason for that is because I always strive to have a correct position and the correct basics so I can communicate effectively with any horse. Whether I’m riding a Thoroughbred or a strong warmblood, I can be fairly effective with both kinds of horses.

Safety Matters

Another important reason for your position to be correct is for safety. If you’re caught in a vulnerable position, such as leaning up the neck when your horse stumbles, you’re probably going to fall over his head or at least significantly lose your balance. If the horse stops or spooks, you’re going to be caught farther up the neck or on the ground.

In the wrong position, your communication with your horse will also become rougher. If you get caught in a forward position and need to slow your horse down, you’ll be forced to use your reins only—and likely pull on the horse’s mouth—instead of being able to use your body position for leverage. Another common position problem is when riders get caught with their leg too forward and their seat too far back. In this position, you don’t have the ability to put your leg and seat on the horse when he needs encouragement to go forward.

The rougher your aids and the more you move around in the saddle, the more distracting it is for your horse—and the less safe you both are. What we do is a game of concentration for both horse and rider. The less your position interferes with your horse and the less negative input he receives from you, the more he’ll be able to concentrate on his job. If you can simply support your horse in the correct position, the better he can focus on that next fence.

How I Developed My Position

I had some very good teachers when I was young and learning how to ride, who emphasized equitation. I don’t think correct position comes naturally to anybody. Just like in any other sport, it’s something you have to develop and continue to work on even as you get older. It’s easy to get stuck in bad habits that you’ve developed over time for whatever reason. This is why it’s helpful to have somebody on the ground to coach or video your rides to ensure your basics are correct.

In my opinion, the equitation divisions in the U.S. have helped riders develop correct basics and techniques that some riders in Europe might not learn as extensively. The U.S. has a solid base of riders who’ve experienced success and enjoy what they’re doing because they have correct basics, which enables them to ride different kinds of horses and courses.

Common Position Mistakes

The most common position mistakes are the rider’s leg position getting too far forward and riders pinching with their knees. The two-point exercise I suggested above is helpful for addressing these rider mistakes. Working without stirrups is also excellent for developing a strong, independent seat and a secure leg position.

Another common position mistake is riding with too low of a hand both on the flat and over fences. When you pull down with too low of a hand, the bit puts pressure on the horse’s bottom jaw, which isn’t comfortable for the horse and will likely cause him to resist. While you might get his head down this way, it’s unfair to the horse and is incorrect riding.

The horse should have confidence in the rider’s hands and confidence that the bit isn’t going to hurt him. To help keep your horse up in front of you and the bit in the corners of his mouth, picture your hands above the withers, with your elbows slightly in front of your body and the reins short enough to find this position. There should always be a straight line from your hands to the horse’s mouth. As the horse’s head goes up and down, the height of your hand follow to keep that straight line.

Practice Technique

There have been very successful riders who have position flaws, but I believe they’re successful despite those shortcomings—not because of them. They’re likely successful for other reasons. They might make up for position flaws with their timing and feel of the horse. Or maybe they’re so athletic that balancing with the horse is naturally easy. That being said, when there’s a flaw in a rider’s position, it’s not something that should be copied by others.

In the end, riding in the correct position is about being responsible to your horse—and is probably the faster way to reach your goals and achieve success. In every sport —golf, basketball, tennis—athletes constantly drill technique, technique, technique. We need to do this in equestrian sport as well to improve our ability to perform with living, breathing animals. Ultimately, riding in a correct position will enable you to be responsible to your horse, communicate clearly and effectively with him and create a safer situation for both of you as you work toward your riding goals.  

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About Beezie Madden

Beezie Madden captured Olympic show-jumping team gold medals in 2004 as well as 2008, where she also earned the individual bronze medal, all riding Authentic. She won the FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in 2013 with Simon and in 2018 with Breitling LS. Other accolades include an Olympic team silver medal in 2016 riding Cortes ‘C’, with whom she also took 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games team and individual bronze medals. She won the prestigious 2019 CP ‘International’ at CSIO Spruce Meadows and the 2019 USEF International Equestrian of the Year. She and her husband, John, are based out of John Madden Sales in Cazenovia, New York.

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