Why We Bring Up Lack of Rider Symmetry at Clinics

The importance of symmetry in the mounted rider is not one to be overlooked as it can do much damage to the horse.

I cannot count on one hand the number of times that this question has come up in our clinics and how often we have had to address it. Often my husband will work diligently to explain and to help the rider address the issue of their asymmetry but also fairly often the rider and/or their significant others, whether that be family members, support team or trainer, will be annoyed at the time we spend on the topic.

Renowned author Susan Harris does a grand job of explaining the issue. 

As the great masters such as Alois Podasky advised all those eons ago, the matter of how the rider sits upon the horse should be as though the rider is draped across the horse's back with balance being critical.

The rider should not hold themselves in a crooked position, or indeed any position with gripping thighs and legs as the results of such activities show in the illustration above.

Many riders will grip and pull more heavily on one rein than the other as most riders have a dominant side or hand. One of the best things riding helps people improve is their equilibrium or natural balance.

The seat of the rider conveys many signals to the horse through the use of weight and angle of the pelvis. Obviously as the rider advances through the gymnastics of the levels of dressage, the use of weight becomes ever more critical. Similarly in eventing, hunters/showjumping or Western disciplines, the rider's balance and ability to be straight with the horse is essential.

At basic levels the rider's weight and pelvic tilt may be used for simple exercises such as turning, while at Grand Prix is will be used to correct rhythm and collection in movements such as piaffe and passage. Between times lateral work will be driven and corrected by the use of the rider's weight.

The moment of re-balancing the horse in lateral work - half pass at the trot to the left in this case.

 

Correction of a weak or collapsed hip of the rider to one side, or an inability to sit in symmetry with the horse can be difficult to fix while the rider is mounted. It requires gymnastic exercises to strengthen the rider be completed on the ground.

Riders can seek chiropractic, acupuncture and massage and other adjunct therapies to aid in the corrections needed to their own bio-mechanical issues. 

Horses can be used as a therapeutic resource to aid in the rehabilitation of humans that endure significant injuries, but every horse used for such a purpose should be regularly schooled in straightness to ensure it does not suffer from constant punishment of a crooked or unbalanced rider.

Horses themselves may also be crooked for various reasons. A myriad of causes could be listed here such as the obvious one of an injury the horse has sustained, to innate issues such as the position of the horse within the uterus during gestation and even parturition. 

If a horse is crooked this balance issue may then be inadvertently transferred to the rider.

Just as with humans, horses can be helped with alternative therapy treatments. 

Many riders including my hubbie and self, regularly enjoy the benefits of these modalities to help us keep as flexible and correctly positioned in the saddle as possible. 

Ageism being the adversary to many athletic endeavors, injury being another one, all aid that can be received to help maintain and improve rider and horse health are much appreciated.

Just as some people are born with better natural balance than other, so are horses. This is why experienced breeders of performance horses like to breed mares with excellent 'harnessing' and natural balance in free gaits. The canter is the gait that best demonstrates a foal's natural balance.

 

Willowview Hill Farm's homebred Dutch Warmblood/Belgian Cross Mare Gambol's Middernacht aka Midi

The art of dressage can many times aid the horse in straightening itself out, just as it can aid the rider in doing the same.

Balance is not just a matter of horse and rider. It is also very important in the tack that comes between a rider and the back of the horse, the saddle. 

If you've ever bought a used saddle and found during close inspection that the tree is twisted to one side, you will have clear evidence that either the previous horse upon which it was used or their rider or both, experience issues with asymmetry and balance.

Riding in a saddle that is in poor balance can cause a litany of problems for both horse and rider. This is why it is also important that a horse's saddle be regularly refitted and re-flocked if necessary by a professional master saddle fitter of good repute. Sore shoulders, blocked shoulders, inflammation of back tissues and many other negative consequences can ensue if the saddle is not in balance both laterally and longitudinally.

Balance is not just to be considered as a left to right, lateral issue in riding, it is also a longitudinal one - but that is a different topic.

Great masters quotes often address the issue:

"Mistakes of the legs show up in the mouth." Nuno Oliveira

"Use hands and legs sparingly, and maintain balance through the seat." Nuno Oliveira 

So next time your clinician brings the matter of crookedness up during your ride, don't be offended. If you don't address the basics you will never improve the horse you seek to train or yourself. 

Natural harmony is always to be revered, and this cannot be achieved without relaxation, patience and the ability to correctly use the seat to direct the horse. Nuances aside, every rider has the ability to improve their balance and harmony with the horse. And as clinicians, our job, is to help them achieve it. 

British Grand Prix Dressage Duo Paul & Nikki Alvin-Smith