The Art of Natural Dressage

Working with the Horse's Initiative
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 2:55 pm

All times are UTC+01:00




Post new topic  Reply to topic  [ 6 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 8:48 pm 
User avatar

Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2007 3:20 pm
Posts: 1822
Location: Norway
I was just reading Hempfling and noticed he sits a lot further back on the horseback than I have learned... Both when he rides bareback and with a saddle. I didn't just get why - do anyone know? And what IS the best for the horse??


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 4:31 am 
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2007 5:47 pm
Posts: 302
Location: Grantville, PA
I've experimented and found when bareback there always seems to be a spot you just end up in and it is real work to sit anywhere other than that spot.

With a saddle I try to experiment and see what combo of where to put saddle and shims makes my horse happiest. I don't base it of saddle fit rules- I just use the "rules" as guidelines to help me find what my horse likes best.

_________________
Learning to put the relationship first.


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 8:18 am 
User avatar

Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2007 3:20 pm
Posts: 1822
Location: Norway
Yes, I totally agree with you, but I see Hempfling sits a lot further back... And as I understand he thinks this is the more healthy for the horse... And this I don't understand, and wonder if any of you understand better...???


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:52 am 
Site Admin

Joined: Wed May 16, 2007 7:51 pm
Posts: 2055
Location: Netherlands
On some pictures in his books he sits really far behing the withers, but when you look at the other pictures, you see that most of the time he sits approximately at the spot where you 'glide' to on your own anyway. As Danee wrote already: it's hard work sitting on a spot too far forward or too far behind!

Hempfling's idea behind sitting so far to the back is that in dressage your horse is taught to make his frontquarters lighter and raise them while loading and lowering the hindquarters. So his conclusion is that is you sit further to the back, you make this easier for the horse. It sounds logical, but when you look at the anatomy of the horse you see that the point about 10 to 30 cms (depends on how big your horse is of course ;) ) behind the withers is the point where the spine is the strongest (with long, dorsal extentions) and where the musculature (that you sit on) also is the strongest. If you're going further to the back, the structure of the back weakens and you also risk sitting in the area of the kidneys, where the back is quite vulnerable.

So the idea of Hempfling to sit further back is logical from a dressage point of view, but not so much from the biological point of view: the horse is built to overload his frontquarters all day long when grazing and standing and walking around on his own, so the frontquarters are actually designed to deal in a healthy way with a lot of weight resting on it.

So I would just sit on the place that feels the most comfortable for you (which is approximately at the spot where you would sit on when in the saddle too).


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 10:02 am 
User avatar

Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2007 3:20 pm
Posts: 1822
Location: Norway
Thank you Miriam! Yes, I sit there... :lol:

Thank you very much for explaining Hempfling's theory and the anatomy - it was as I thaught, but I had to understand better what Hempfling meant, because I could of course be wrong... 8) :lol:


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:56 am 
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2007 5:47 pm
Posts: 302
Location: Grantville, PA
I had a student that said she was having trouble staying to the front of her saddle. Looking at her position- she looked good. She was sitting on the corect spot on her horse, but the saddle was too far forward. Next lesson we will play with it as the horse will need padded up (low back- pretty typical in older Morgans as they are so tight in the back)

Not exactly on topic- but close!!!!

_________________
Learning to put the relationship first.


Top
   
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic  Reply to topic  [ 6 posts ] 

All times are UTC+01:00


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited Color scheme created with Colorize It.