Slip Slidin’ Away
by Barbara Ellin Fox
Here’s one for the “military seat”
I was thumbing through the April ’09 issue of Practical Horseman Magazine and as usual, “The Jumping Clinic” with George Morris provided an interesting view of how hunters are ridden today. You probably know the Jumping Clinic… Mr. Morris reviews photos of four different riders and makes comments on their leg, release, horse and turnout. Once in a great while a picture of an event rider slips in. In this particular issue Mr. Morris awarded the event rider the best form in the class. He said, “This rider shows a classic military-style leg, with her heel way down, toe out 45 degrees and a tight grip through her whole inner leg. While it is not as soft as today’s preferred leg position (with toe out only about 15 degrees), I still like it, and there is no doubt that it is effective and secure.” Mr. Morris further comments that she is “really in balance with her horse”.
The rider is using a bit of a crest release but she is far from laying on her horse with her hands, forearms or upper body like we see so commonly today. The lack of body force driving the horse’s front end into the ground has allowed the horse to jump accurately with nice even knees. The young lady is using her “military seat” for the purpose for which it was intended- riding cross country.
Even though there is way more to the military or balanced seat than heels and toes, (and I’m sure George Morris knows this, too), it’s nice to see elements of the seat functioning the way they were intended AND it’s good to see that George Morris is willing to give credit where credit is due. I believe that even hunt seat riders will benefit from a good look at the military seat principals.
In the words of Paul Simon is balanced seat “slip slidin’ away”?
A second article in the April 2009 Practical Horseman Magazine, left my teeth a little “on edge”. “Dressage for Jumpers” is about the sessions that Robert Dover taught at the 2009 George Morris Horsemastership Training Session. Robert Dover uses the term balanced seat to describe the riding “position” he wanted the riders to assume. Mr. Dover wanted the riders to sit upright as opposed to slightly in front of the vertical and on their buttocks. Mr. Dover says, “Chelsea, sit on your tailbone more…..” And later on to other participants, he says, “You’ve got to be comfortable being back on your rear ends. I don’t know why you think it’s more comfortable on your crotches.” Balanced seat does not include “being comfortable on your rear ends”.
This is not balanced seat. The correct balanced seat never includes sitting on the tailbone. The balanced seat involves the upper body and the base of support. The base of support includes all parts of the rider’s body that are in contact with the saddle and the horse from the points of the pelvic bones to the stirrup. The rider sits on his seat bones and crotch with the fleshy part of the buttocks pushed to the rear. They are not part of the seat. The rider’s upper body is always supposed to remain over its base of support. When the upper body becomes too vertical the rider rides behind the motion of the horse.
The balanced seat in the United States is a product of the US Cavalry School at Fort Riley, namely through the work of Harry D. Chamberlin. The names used for this seat were the military seat, the balanced seat, The Chamberlin seat, and occasionally the forward seat. The balanced seat is not the same as the dressage seat but in one session Mr. Dover took rider the balanced seat to pre Ft Riley days when riders were taught to sit in the deep dressage seat of Fillis and Baucher.
I’m not against anyone learning to ride multiple seats but I am disturbed when the leading professional equestrian icons slur the seats and their definitions together. Our young riders and future instructors need a clear understanding of seats and principals, not a muddied description that is poorly labeled. If we can’t clearly define the different seats we can’t expect the current and future generations of riders to carry on with the solid foundations that have been laid.
Reading the classics on horsemanship, especially on American horsemanship, is essential to good riding, good training and good teaching. In order to teach American riders who have learned American jumping styles an instructor must understand the basic American principals. This is especially important when dressage seat is taught.
If care is not taken to provide clarity in the various seats and styles of riding, the foundations of good riding will be “Slip Slidin’ Away”.
If you would like to read more, check out my thread on the Practical Horseman sit at http://forum.equisearch.com/forums/p/46354/318240.aspx#318240
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There is no difference between the balanced seat as you describe and the dressage seat advocated by the classical dressage masters, wherein the seat consists of three points of contact: the seat bones and the pubic bone, with the upper body vertically balanced over this base of support.
Thank you for reading and commenting. Based on your description of the classic dressage seat, I heartily agree that there is no difference. In fact, this is the same seat that is also sought in Saddle Seat Equitation and Stock Seat Equitation, but perhaps you’d agree that once the rider is urged to “sit on the tailbone” he changes his seat as it lifts pressure from the pubic area and places it on the buttocks. I think the biggest difference between the dressage seat and the balanced seat described by the U.S.Cavalry’s “Horsemanship and Horsemastership”, is the Cavalry’s slight inclination of the upper body forward, which is compatible with the shorter stirrups that were used. Shorter stirrups, a horse with more forward balance, as compared to a longer stirrup, deeper seat and a horse balanced more toward the quarters. The Cavalry Manual made a point of saying the buttocks were not part of the seat. I think this is vague and open to dispute but was probably stated in order to prevent tucking of the seat and riding with the shoulders behind the hips. It is also a remnant of Caprilli. The name the balanced seat was given to the seat that was developed at Fort Riley. It’s not intended to imply that other seats aren’t balanced as in “a” balanced seat. I know that might seem like a fine dividing line but I think it’s an important clarification, even more so when trying to define between the forward seat and the balanced seat. If you have more thoughts on this I would invite your comments. Thanks again for posting. I appreciate it.