Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives



The main question is "how to adopt the best position for the horse and the rider". It is very difficult to keep the very same position for hours at the canter. Sometimes you sit in a dressage like position, sometimes you adopt for some minutes the chair seat, sometimes you are in a two points position, sometimes you use your legs, sometimes you are in a more dynamical position, and the list goes on... 

In Europe, because of our long canter training sessions, everyone developped his own position, the one she/is the most confortable. Keep in mind that we canter (without stop) for 2 or 3 hours on the beach on on a racetrack...

The problem with the photos is that they just show an instant, even sometimes at the time of the canter which is the less favorable for judging the rider position.

But here in Europe, we are noticing more and more an evolution to a more classical position. More young riders coming from classical riding clubs... this is the trend...

we, old men, will have to attend lessons in the sandy arena :-)

Leonard, www.endurance-belgium.com

Interesting information, Terry. I've wondered too if the riders hold the

chair position for 100 miles or if it's just one of the many positions they

use during the ride. Still, it seem the ladies have no need for the chair

seat, so maybe the guys would give it up if they wore compression shorts?

Kathy

Terry wrote:

Well, I question whether the riders did the entire 100 miles in this

position. Can anyone vouch for that? It may be just the photo at the end

and the rider is tired and changing position? (I know I've done that)

In any case, I wanted to condense and share this information on riding seat

progression through history, from Dr. Deb Bennett's very excellent and

thorough book "Conquerors" which shows pictures of ancient riders sitting

literally on the horse's croup