help for a crooked rider - can't bend horse to right

[fromatox]

Hi everyone,
a major and very frustrating problem has led me out of lurker-status. I'm fairly new to dressage and have recently discovered that I cannot for the life of me get any horse to go well to the right. Going right, they bulge to the right, and the harder I try to get them to bend around my inside right leg, the more crooked it makes me. I know the initial problem is my crookedness, but I don't specifically know where it's coming from. My instructor is very good and is trying to get me through it, but I'd love to hear some other tips that might work for me, too.

I have started doing yoga and it's helping a little bit, but not too much.

[XenophonKnows]

MARY WANLESS is my favorite resource for these issues. I recommend her "RWYM - Rider Essentials" book as a starting point. Wanless has made it her life's work to search out and convey the mechanics of dressage riding. If you're in the Northeast we have her to the farm 2x/year !!

I don't know if you will be happy to hear this or not, but it may be that your inherent crookedness is not something you can work out at the beginning stages. There may be other essential rider mechanics that need to be addressed before you can have a chance of sorting out a side-to-side crookedness. For example, few riders are correctly aligned front to back and few riders maintain this alignment throughout the ride. It is possible you would need to sort this out first before you could hope to tackle the more complicated side-to-side issues.

[dbadaro]

do you visit a chiropractor? i found out that myhips are seriously crooked therefore making my horse crooked. my right side is more forward and my left is further back (if that makes sense) since i have started visiting a chiro it slowly working itself out. worth a try!

[oharabear]

Try one of those giant stability balls. My PT made me get one becasue my pelvis is crooked. Most of them come with instructional videos, and there are lots of books and workout videos available if you just get the ball. I found that I can tell exactly where my issues are by which way the ball usually rolld when I'm on it (to the weaker side). It also helps by just making me more aware of my overall balance.

All of the exercises are focused on core strenght and building muscles around the problem area to help "hold" the problem area into the correct place.

I find my exercises are most helpful after I visit the chiro or the PT and they adjust me back into place. Then I just hang out on the stability ball while on the computer/watching TV/for fun and it helps keep my adjustment longer so I don't have to always go back in. :yes:

[Equa]

You will probably have to "unpack" a lot of your body awareness stuff - and at least you are aware that something is wrong. Probably, you are constantly turning left, and positioning your horses left, even going to the right. It is something many of us do unconsciously.

It is good to have someone (Mary Wanless, or Richard Weis if you are lucky) on the ground to help you pinpoint which muscles and joints are in a holding pattern. Even if you don;t have a guru to assist, it is still worth experimenting (on a tolerant horse) and also unpacking in your mind what it is you are trying to achieve when asking for "bend".

Remember that bend is not really about contracting the inside - it is about lengthening the outside. The horse's ribcage and abdomen swings slightly to the outside of the bend, and he has to stretch the flank area between the last rib and the hip. This is hard, so he might leave the quarters out a little and then have to weight the inside shoulder more, for balance. Convincing the horse to allow you to suggest he change this balance and straightening the horse is at the heart of dressage...

It can help to "copy" what the horse is supposed to be doing, with your own body. I find it easier to turn right if I stretch MY left hand ribcage (actually, try to stretch from heel to armpit) and turn my chest slightly to the right. Maybe overdo this and see if it changes anything.

[goeslikestink]

look here http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=178116


look at the above link and make sure your stirrups are the correct lenght as this effect your position and balance
also dont ride how you write, most people are stronger on one side than the other mostly right hand side so horse is stiff on the opposite side so you have to give as in you give and the horse will then be even and wont advade you

simple exercises on the lunge with an instructor will help you balance and start to work form an indenpendant seat so your hands dont hold your bodyweight for support
ie some people can be heavy in the reins or handset becuase they arnt balanced

read alll the links from helpful links page its all relevant will help you a lot to understand how to use the hands correctly so the horse s on the bit

simple excises on the lunge- walk and sitting trot with no stirrups helps you to sit into your horse once mastered try off the lunge once mastered it off the lunge move up to rising trot then canter

a hands exercise-- place a crop across your hands on top off your thumbs so it balances
start off in walk then trot and try not to drop it or grab hold of it this will help to keep your hands even soft and light and steady eddie hands

[slc2]

"I cannot for the life of me get any horse to go well to the right. Going right, they bulge to the right, and the harder I try to get them to bend around my inside right leg, the more crooked it makes me. I know the initial problem is my crookedness",

If your instructor really is good at fixing it, I don't understand why come here and ask for help?

If 'they' is the various horses you try to ride, and by 'bulge to the right', you mean they push against your leg and actually lean inward, fall inward, or even simply don't bend and just go around the corner stiffly, without bending in the bod and neck, well, I'm not sure what you mean by 'bulge to the right', so I'm assuming you mean you put your leg on and you try to bend the horse and it isn't happening, whether the horse is simply straight or actually falling in to the left.

I think it's important to listen to your riding instructor. You didn't explain whether you're a beginner, advanced dressage rider, or something in between.

If you've been riding well for years and have lots of dressage experience, and very suddenly find your leg just isn't working, despite you knowing what to do, and having done it alot in past, you need to see a doctor, you may have something causing weakness in your leg.

If you're just learning dressage, or mastering basics, it's more likely that you are sitting wrong, unintentially using the wrong aids to bend your horse.

The horse may not bend right, for example, simply because you're not giving enough with the left rein to allow him to bend, because the inside rein isn't bending him, or because you're inadvertently using your left leg very strongly, and he's moving away from THAT leg, instead of him moving from the right leg.

If it's ALL the horses you ride I tend to discount the idea that the horses are all too difficult or improperly trained, that's unlikely.

One of the simplest reasons a rider gets crooked in the saddle is simply because he is not getting any reaction to his leg aid.

The more he tries, the more he tightens up, 'pretzels up' and gets crooked in the saddle. The more he doesn't get a reaction to his leg aids, the more he twists his shoulders, hips and draws his leg on one side up, and the more he slips to one side of the saddle....also, the less the horse reacts, and the more crooked everyone gets.

The solution is to not try so hard with your body, and get a reaction from the leg aid.

The rider can use a lighter leg aid, and back the light leg aid with a tap of the whip - INSTEAD of tightening up and twisting in the saddle. That's just a matter of discipline and being conscious of when one is twisting, and just determinedly stopping it and doing something else - tap with the whip.

it ALWAYS helps the horse to be supple in his body if he is bending in the same direction. You can also practice walking sideways, doing a sort of leg yield, pressing the leg at the girth, and bending the horse on the same side in the neck a little, which makes it easier for him to bend his body.

Getting on a longe line for longe lessons can give the rider a chance to feel how he can sit on the saddle and just passively go along for a ride, sitting in the middle of the saddle without twisting, and without having to think of so many things at once and tense up. It can also give him a chance to do exercises and both loosen up and get stronger. The rider can turn, twist, raise his arms up, touch his toes, and just generally feel how it feels to be sitting comfortably in the middle of the saddle.

[fromatox]

If your instructor really is good at fixing it, I don't understand why come here and ask for help?

Sometimes I just find things "click" better through someone else's wording.

If 'they' is the various horses you try to ride, and by 'bulge to the right', you mean they push against your leg and actually lean inward, fall inward, or even simply don't bend and just go around the corner stiffly, without bending in the bod and neck, well, I'm not sure what you mean by 'bulge to the right', so I'm assuming you mean you put your leg on and you try to bend the horse and it isn't happening, whether the horse is simply straight or actually falling in to the left.

Yes - falling to the inside is exactly what I mean. The horse mirrors by body and gets crooked. I would describe myself as a beginner dressage rider.

One of the simplest reasons a rider gets crooked in the saddle is simply because he is not getting any reaction to his leg aid.

The more he tries, the more he tightens up, 'pretzels up' and gets crooked in the saddle. The more he doesn't get a reaction to his leg aids, the more he twists his shoulders, hips and draws his leg on one side up, and the more he slips to one side of the saddle....also, the less the horse reacts, and the more crooked everyone gets.

The solution is to not try so hard with your body, and get a reaction from the leg aid.


That is what happens, I definitely feel the "pretzeling". Most of the horses I ride are really well-trained, though, so I don't know why they wouldn't react unless I'm not asking right or I'm just that crooked.

[MelantheLLC]

Agree w/slc it's very likely you are trying too hard. This not only makes you crooked, it can mean that you are weighting the outside seatbone in an unconscious effort to leverage your inside leg (a nutcracker effect)--and are telling the horses to do the opposite of what you think you are telling them.

Ride the corners and notice which seatbone is down when you attempt to use your leg. It should be the inside seatbone--if you find it's the outside one you are giving an aid to the horse you don't mean to give.

It can be somewhat counterintuitive, because we are often told to "bend around the inside leg" so we just keep trying to use that leg harder and harder, but sometimes you need to focus on the outside rein and ask the horse to "stand up" on his outside shoulder, even allow him to counterflex slightly as you enter the corner, THEN lightly use the inside leg and he will shift his balance into the outside rein and bend correctly instead of motorcycling around.

I may not be describing this well. But as long as he is popping his inside shoulder and falling inward, no amount of inside leg will counter his lack of balance.

[Manes and Tails]

One of the things both my instructors say constantly is 'Don't overwork'.

If this is happening with every single horse, you're miscueing. I'm working on a similar issue myself right now, and that's my leg drifting forward when I post...which is fine until I try to do a half halt, apply the leg too far forward and end up losing the trot. Oops.

I agree, you're probably dropping the wrong seatbone. Easy to do.

[Reiter]

I agree, it sounds like you are actually using your inside leg too much, trying to muscle the horse into the bend and what happens then is your inside leg pulls up, your hip collapses and you are actually putting more weight on your outside seatbones giving conflicting messages to the horse. Go straight, sit up straight and even and when going to the right forget about tightening the inside leg and pushing, but instead concentrate on letting it hang down low. You should feel how this is weighing your inside seat bone. When using the leg, only use the calf without tightening up the rest of your leg and body. Practice this at the walk until you get the feel for it. You will have to really concentrate on it for a while until it becomes natural, but it should make a huge difference in your riding!
By the way, I like your username! ;)

[fromatox]

One of the things both my instructors say constantly is 'Don't overwork'.

If this is happening with every single horse, you're miscueing. I'm working on a similar issue myself right now, and that's my leg drifting forward when I post...which is fine until I try to do a half halt, apply the leg too far forward and end up losing the trot. Oops.

I agree, you're probably dropping the wrong seatbone. Easy to do.

Someone else rode in my saddle and said that the depression for the left seatbone is much deeper - I must be leaning on it more.

[mheathcurry]

Hi everyone,
a major and very frustrating problem has led me out of lurker-status. I'm fairly new to dressage and have recently discovered that I cannot for the life of me get any horse to go well to the right. Going right, they bulge to the right, and the harder I try to get them to bend around my inside right leg, the more crooked it makes me. I know the initial problem is my crookedness, but I don't specifically know where it's coming from. My instructor is very good and is trying to get me through it, but I'd love to hear some other tips that might work for me, too.

I have started doing yoga and it's helping a little bit, but not too much.
As SLC2 has said, and i agree, trying too hard to influence, what should be GIVEN, and offered from your horse is causing you to influence the stride, negatively.
So go back to basics, if your horse does not move forward from your leg, whether both legs for the trot, or the half halt or the inside leg to lengthen, do not attempt to maintain a gait, not even the walk for any period of time, the results will be frustrating.
i suspect that your horse is not "on the aids" meaning he responds ASAP to ALL aids.
So begin to RESCHOOL him to leg, and reinforce with the whip. Also be sure your horse is ON your outside rein.
You will know he is ON your outside rein, if, when you add inside leg, at the walk, trot or canter, while half halting on the outside rein, your horse, balances, and feels "In Pause" or very light,
If Not, then he is NOT on the outside rein, thus not balanced, or on the aids.
Back to basics, lots of transitions, from walk to trot, and back , and trot to working trot and back, all on the outside rein, and BOTH legs for the downward transition,( softening your seat, by closing your calves and making a space for his back, under your seat)
and the INSIDE leg for the lengthening. Be patient and following in the downward transition,( let him find his balance) but be firm, and assertive in the upward transition, it must be quick, and without hesitation, i hope this helps. . . .-H

[Beasmom]

Fromatox, is there any way you can take lessons on the lunge? If your crookedness is the reason for your horse's crookedness (a common scenario!), lunge lessons may help. Horses often (not always, certainly) are just trying to stay centered under their loads. If you're a bit off kilter to begin with, and horse is trying to support you and you get yourself even more off kilter trying to correct, well, there you go.

Equa's post is right to the point. We get used to the "wrong" (crooked) way and it "feels" right. While you're retraining your body to ride in balance, there will be times when things just don't feel "right". If your trainer tends to stand to the inside of the arena, ask her to watch you occasionally from the "outside". It may make flaws in your position stand out more clearly and she can more easily help you make corrections.

It's a frustrating sport, dressage is, and you're not alone! Keep posting about your progress.

[goeslikestink]

Someone else rode in my saddle and said that the depression for the left seatbone is much deeper - I must be leaning on it more.

then get your saddle re flocked as well whilse you at it
have your saddle checked by a master craftsmen

a little tip,, if you drop your schoulders so does the horse, ie tie horse will fall in

[slc2]

It is actually very, very difficult to find a 'master craftsman' here, or to get saddles reflocked. It takes months, in which the person usually needs to purchase another saddle if he wants to continue to ride, and quite often it turns out the 'craftsman' was not quite so 'master'.

In fact, it's often more common here to get rid of a worn saddle and buy a used straight one in good condition. One will have to buy a saddle anyway to ride in the interim...unless one can borrow a saddle for some months. Only a handful of people in the USA have quick access to a real saddler.

[MidlifeCrisis]

I am a crooked rider:lol: I tried all the suggestions above and went on a journey of chiropractors, yogis, different body workers. Finally I found a physical therapist that has slowly released muscle after muscle in my body starting at the groin and working up to the neck.
The upshot is that I could not get my horse to turn one way because I couldn't rotate my body properly to that direction. My PT has unlocked the muscles which were adhered to each other preventing proper motion. Finally, yesterday I was able to track right on a 20 meter circle with just my seat. YEAH!
Anyway, my suggestion is you do a little exploration on the ground with an experienced eye to see if your body is blocked.

[ToiRider]

do you visit a chiropractor? i found out that myhips are seriously crooked therefore making my horse crooked. my right side is more forward and my left is further back (if that makes sense) since i have started visiting a chiro it slowly working itself out. worth a try!

I second the chiropractor. I also have crooked hips from one to many falls from my Arab before we resolved some major spooking issues. He became very one sided and would not take his right lead ever. I finally went to the chiropractor and got myself straightened out, and my horse now takes his right lead again (after several years of being left sided, which was my fault as it took me several years to get to the chiropractor). It only slowly occurred to me that I was crooked and therefore the problem, as I had never had the problem in the past. Since I trail ride and ride endurance, the right lead issue was not as big a deal as if I did ring work. However, I am very pleased that my horse is becoming balanced again.

[Beasmom]

Very good points, Midlife and Toi. Bodywork, whether it's chiropractic, massage, PT or other offers real benefits for riders. I'd add Feldenkrais or Alexander Technique to the possible options.

Months to find a good saddler? I don't think so. We have a couple of good ones here in Colorado. I just had two used saddles completely reflocked and it took a week. My favorite saddle only needed some tweaking while Suzie was at the barn, so I had something to use while the others were being fixed.

Get your own body in alignment first. That will save wear and tear on your saddle, your horse, and ultimately, yourself.

[slc2]

Another suggestion is to see an osteopath. My back is quite crooked due to atrophying discs and the osteopath helps alot. But so do exercises. Where the soreness shows on me is actually in the iliotibial band, it's often so sore it's impossible to even touch it with a finger tip.

[pines4equines]

I have this same problem, it's more so my left. I ride nicely to the right and completely fall apart to the left. I had posted about this several months ago and a poster suggested to me as my problem is left-side weakness because I'm so right handed.

She suggested carrying water buckets with my left hand when I do chores and performing other chores left handed just to build up. (I self care.) I have done this and it does help some. But I thought I would add it to the suggestions as something else to try.

Another thing is the way I swing the pitch fork makes me very strong to the right. If I could figure out how to switch that comfortably, I'd be in business.

[slc2]

For a moment, I thought 'I self care' was some new smack talk teenage diss.

[goeslikestink]

I have this same problem, it's more so my left. I ride nicely to the right and completely fall apart to the left. I had posted about this several months ago and a poster suggested to me as my problem is left-side weakness because I'm so right handed.

She suggested carrying water buckets with my left hand when I do chores and performing other chores left handed just to build up. (I self care.) I have done this and it does help some. But I thought I would add it to the suggestions as something else to try.

Another thing is the way I swing the pitch fork makes me very strong to the right. If I could figure out how to switch that comfortably, I'd be in business.

just give as in you give on the strongest side so your riding even then the horse wont advade you
trot round with a whip sitting on your thumbs ie acorss both hands and dont drop it

[Perfect Pony]

Get your own body in alignment first. That will save wear and tear on your saddle, your horse, and ultimately, yourself.

Well it depends on your saddle! Having my saddle gutted and completely reflocked fixed my position about 50% right there, and made the exercises I was doing in lessons more effective.

As far as being crooked, a lot of it is simply muscle memory. Both in lessons and lunge lessons I work on straightness with my trainer, and together we figure out what works. The feeling often feels "wrong" but I work on the feeling of straightness and telling myself that it is "right". It's certainly slow going but little by little you get straighter and straighter, making bending your difficult direction much easier.

One exercise we do all the time is to move my seatbone slightly to the inside of the circle, and imagine my inside leg is stretching al the way to the ground, the circle pivoting around the leg. Remember to sit tall, and almost feel the sensation that you are leaning to the outside with your upper body, stretching all the muscles on the inside. Not sure if the visual makes sense on paper outside the lesson, bu that sensation and visualization has helped me both directions.

[Beasmom]

Yes, you're right! I got to thinking about that post and realized that it's a chicken or egg deal. If the saddle is so lopsided you CAN'T sit straight, fixing yourself won't help. Reflocking the lopsided saddle first makes sense.

It does take a while to correct crooked riding. What "feels right" is wrong, and when your instructor (finally) says, "That's it! NOW you're sitting square in the saddle!" (Or whatever the issue was), you'd swear she's smokin' crack, it feels so BAD!

[MLMcFaddenJD]

The crookedness issue raised by this poster is actually not that uncommon. Most horses are naturally contracted on the left side of their bodies and stretched on the right - a banana shape to the left if you will - and then when you add on our own physical crookednesses it can be quite difficult to sort out. Think of all the things we do to reinforce the horse's typical bend to the left - we mount on the left, handle on the left, usually turn a horse to the left when putting him in the cross ties or stall - an then we get in our cars and drive with the left leg drawn up while the right leg is stretched out to the gas pedal and then the brake. Then when we ride, chances are we are contracted to the left and going around corners to the right with the right shoulder and ribcage leading - adding our own collapse issues to the ones the horse has, so it isn't entirely the horse's fault that we have trouble turning them to the right! And the tendency to pull on the left rein (because we don't feel the correct contact) and then complain that the horse won't "give" on the left - is simply because the horse is already so contracted on the left that we are pulling against the side that is already totally contracted - he can't get any shorter on that side! So the challenge is to get the left side STRETCHED out - which we can't possibly accomplish by pulling!

There's really no one silver bullet - other than our awareness of the issue! It's more like finding the right ingredients for the stew. I have found that tai chi-based drills (exercizes) like "picking fruit" can help to traction my left side which wants to contract most of the time - and when my back is more even on both sides in terms of tone - my hips get more even and I can feel them both more equally. If you have a James Shaw Tai chi clinic in your area, he is worth working with. Yoga and other disciplines can also help - as do any exercises that take care of your own back and promote your own symmetry. Then for the horse, before you even think about getting on, it can be helped by handling on both sides, turning to the right from the left side as sporthorse handlers have to do, even some of the Parelli games switching the horse's direction, leg yield work in hand can help supple the horse before you get on - and increase your awareness of how his parts line up. Does he habitually work with his hind legs to the left of his shoulders? Can you manage a correct turn on the forehand in hand before you get on - and is it the same both directions?

Then when you do get on, you could borrow an old Pony Club exercise for yourself that is very simple - and that is to change trot diagonals every stride - up up down or down down up, for quite a while. That may help you become more symmetrical without having you overthink the problem. It is also possible to do cat stretches on a horse by pulling the stirrups up as short as you can get them, and then putting your head down on the neck and stretch the back up, then experiment with having your head on one side and your butt pointing off the other side (if that makes sense!~) and then alternating sides. (Probably want someone around when you try that - but the horses seem to think it's fun!) My basic point here is that you can't fix the horse if you are too crooked to start with, so you have to work on yourself, and don't give up if you don't get instant results from the ground work you pursue.

There is a newer book out that talks about straightening the crooked horse - which it doesn't actually explain how to do, but is useful for increasing your awareness of what a crooked horse looks like. It may be of some use to you. Also, Kyra Kyrkland's video tapes illustrate these issues well.

I hope some of this helps! Don't feel like you are alone - even the best riders struggle with the straightness issue.

[goeslikestink]

It is actually very, very difficult to find a 'master craftsman' here, or to get saddles reflocked. It takes months, in which the person usually needs to purchase another saddle if he wants to continue to ride, and quite often it turns out the 'craftsman' was not quite so 'master'.

In fact, it's often more common here to get rid of a worn saddle and buy a used straight one in good condition. One will have to buy a saddle anyway to ride in the interim...unless one can borrow a saddle for some months. Only a handful of people in the USA have quick access to a real saddler.

good people out ther understand this a bad fitting saddle effect the way the horse goes
under no circumtances must you ever ever ever keep riding in a saddle that doesnt fit
or has a defect it in it ie as a above ie a depression
that means the saddle has something worng with it, and will put added pressure on a horses back
if you keepr riding in saddles that are defected in anyway you can and will give your horse permenant back damage

[slc2]

Yes, I am just saying people often tend to get rid of a saddle rather than have it fixed because it is difficult here to get them fixed.

And yes, actually, I once had someone sell me a messed up saddle years ago when I didn't know how to check them. And yes my instructor got one look at it and told me.

It's difficult here in the USA to get them fixed; unfortunately there are a lot of used, crooked saddles going around.

[tpup]

Someone else rode in my saddle and said that the depression for the left seatbone is much deeper - I must be leaning on it more.

Check your saddle pad too - the underside to look for rubs or areas of uneven wearing. My saddle fitter noticed it on mine - I use a black one, and the wear was very evident, as was more of my horse's hair on the pad.

[slc2]

The crookedness of the horse and rider tend to go together. Once the rider starts correcting the horse, he just naturally starts sitting more evenly. The two things feed back on each other. Often a rider is crooked because the horse is pulling, off balance, or simply crooked. As he gets better fixing those things the horse and rider improve together.

Horses can also put a rider into a crooked position. They 'place' the rider on the horse's back and adjust their position to put the rider where it is more comfortable and easier for them just like a person adjusting a backpack on their back. Horses will bump a rider onto the other diagonal and do a number of things to move the rider on their back to a comfortable spot.

Some rider crookedness is due to injuries or tension, or not settling down into the deeper dressage position. A person sitting on a horse is relatively flexible, without weight bearing on his legs he is pretty adjustable and he can get quite twisted around.

Riders can also get twisted in the saddle because they are not getting a response to their aids; they may push, press and struggle and in the process get uneven in the saddle.

There is a lot of very traditional, simple straightening work that is ongoing in any dressage training every day. The rider is continually using shoulder in like positions and bringing the shoulders in front of the haunches all the time in the training of the horse, guarding the tendency of the horse to throw his haunches to the inside and shoulders to the outside in canter work and canter transitions, or to not bend both hind legs evenly. Bending, positioning, straightening should be an integral part of every dressage ride.

[rileyt]

fromatox, I think I can help you...

Many years ago, when I was riding 5-6 horses a day, I noticed that most of my horses did not bend well (or as well), when on the left rein. While they didn't bulge to the inside, I had difficulty getting the sensitive ones to stretch through the right (outside) part of their body, and into an even contact. It interferred with me getting them "through". While some horses were OK, others were not, and I dare say the problem existed with each of them to some varying degree. Thank God for my excellent instructor, who helped me sort it all out... For me, when I used my weak left leg, I was anchoring my RIGHT seatbone into the horse's back... and it was too much pressure, and causing the horses to resist bringing the outside part of their back up.

Your problem (if I understand it correctly), shows up on the right rein, with your horse pushing his shoulders to the inside? So, its similar in the sense that you're not getting him to stretch through the outside part of his body, so the bend and connection is all askew.

Although the problems manifest differently, I think the root of my problem, and yours, is a weak left leg. Think of it this way... anytime you "use" your leg... you have to have a corresponding counter pressure on the other side of the horse (your "anchor" so to speak). After all, you are not floating in thin air. So if you use your right leg with 5 pounds of pressure, there has to be a corresponding 5 pounds of pressure somewhere on the left side of your body -- otherwise the force from your leg will pull your body to the right. When you have a bad habit, like bulging, the tendancy is for the rider to want to use more and More and MORE right leg... to PUSH the horse into the outside rein. But the key is, if you're now using 20 pounds of pressure with your right leg -- WHERE is the 20 pounds of counterpressure coming from on the left side? Ideally, your left leg (and its stabilizing muscles) is SO strong, that you can evenly distribute those 20 pounds over your left leg, so that you don't create any pressure points on the LEFT side of the horse, while the right leg pushes. But, many people (especially amatures) don't ride enough horses, and just aren't strong enough... so what do they do instead? Instead of being anchored evenly down the leg, they anchor with the opposing seat bone (in your case, the LEFT). They dig that seat bone into the saddle, so that they can apply the right leg harder (which they think is the solution). (Your comment about the saddle is a dead give away!)

But - when you dig your left seatbone into his back, you are pushing the left side of his back down and away (and to the inside), which is PREVENTING him from lifting and stretching through the left side of his back. THAT is the solution to the bulging... It really is an issue of CREATING the appropriate space on the LEFT side, rather than pushing him into it forcibly with your right leg.

So - my recommendation to you -- go try it again, and make darned sure that when you push with that right leg -- push only gently, and make SURE that your left seat bone is out of his way. Think of "inviting" the left side of his back over to meet your left seat bone... In other words, put your left seat bone where you want his back to be (this takes a LOT of strength) -- then gently encourage him to go there with the right leg.

Don't expect a perfect bend right away. If he's been going badly for a while, he may be resistant at first. But just keep riding forward, and inviting him over. Accept "less" bulging at first, and gradually move him towards "straight"... and finally towards the correct bend.

Good luck to you... I hope you can learn from my own struggles with this!

[Perfect Pony]

It does take a while to correct crooked riding. What "feels right" is wrong, and when your instructor (finally) says, "That's it! NOW you're sitting square in the saddle!" (Or whatever the issue was), you'd swear she's smokin' crack, it feels so BAD!

Yes I know this too well! I always thought my horse was just being bad, always runnng her left shoulder into my left leg. Sometimes she'd feel like all the weight of her entire body was on my leg leg.

I had a lesson where my trainer had me tracking right, and saying, "sit farther right"...."no farther"...."pick your right seatbone up and move it 3 inces to the right!!"

"OK, NOW you are straight"

I swear it was the worst feeling, but I have consentrated on that "bad" feeling from then on. It's been a few weeks but sitting straight is finally starting to feel "normal", and I am finally gettig some better work, and no longer fighting with my horse as much.

[Nojacketrequired]

Get a dish cloth, fold it in half or quarters and stick it under your left seat bone. Ride walk and trot like that and pay attention to how your horse moves. Then, change it to the right seat bone and do the same. My guess is that you'll find it is harder to keep the cloth where it belongs on one side. While working on the saddle problem, you may be able to shim the low side as well, until you can get it fixed for good, but have a pro help you with that.

Also, work on getting your horse to move OFF the right leg. I have a new horse who wants to bulge against my left leg going left, fall in on the circle, and turn her head to the outside. We've spent a lot of time doing turn on the forehand, spiralling the circle and leg yield to push home the idea that she must move AWAY from my inside leg, not against it.

NJR

[swgarasu]

One exercise we do all the time is to move my seatbone slightly to the inside of the circle, and imagine my inside leg is stretching al the way to the ground, the circle pivoting around the leg. Remember to sit tall, and almost feel the sensation that you are leaning to the outside with your upper body, stretching all the muscles on the inside. Not sure if the visual makes sense on paper outside the lesson, bu that sensation and visualization has helped me both directions.

This is something I struggle with too- I tend to sit too much on my left seatbone, and the more I try to sit on my right seatbone, the more I seem to sit on my left. When I try to sit on my right seatbone, I draw my right leg up. I'd love some imagery and exercises to try to correct this- I have a couple (such as one person said, actually picking my butt up and moving it over) giving a rein and then changing to the other hand and giving that rein instead, and changing posting diagonals frequently. The quote above is the sort of thing I'm talking about- ways to get into the right position without trying so hard to just push that seatbone down.