Notes from the June 26, 2016 Study Group meeting. Three riders met in Lake Oswego, Oregon for what ended up being 6 hours of ‘chat’ about the Academic Seat. This was a ‘horseless’ meeting but afterwards it felt like we’d been riding anyway! Of course, it’s impossible to cover everything about this all-important topic and every point below is a series of lessons unto itself…so our meeting consisted of identifying the broad basics. A meeting on Exercises in the Academic Seat (with horses in attendance) to follow. Discussion notes:
Part 1
GOAL OF THE ACADEMIC SEAT
It is understood that our goal is to communicate all through the seat as the primary aid. Every subtle shift of balance or movement of our own body ‘tells’ the horse our intentions and asks for its cooperation without force. In order to teach the primary aid, we must first teach the horse all the secondary aids so we may correct its mistakes until comprehension of the Seat aid is established.
BASIC SEAT and INDIVIDUALITY
Historical writings by riding masters give varying degrees of detail and instruction about the rider’s seat position/use; it is agreed that due to the unique body of each horse and human, the seat really has no final determination but is an individualized concept. While there is a basic understanding of an effective seat position, we must be able to adjust our basic Seat to any given horse. Quotes from riding masters of the past regarding the Seat were read aloud.
THEORETICAL ACADEMIC SEAT
Theoretically, the Academic Seat sits in a relaxed and balanced position, ‘standing’ in posture, lower legs relaxed in the irons, upper legs lying flat, arms and hands relaxed. The rider gives shape to the horse with her/his seat, and sits parallel with head/shoulders/ hips human-to-horse/horse-to-human. We covered in far more detail individual aspects of the theoretical seat, but decided to wait until we had an on-horse meeting to do an in-depth focus, so detailed notes were not taken today.
THE SEAT AID IS AN END-PRODUCT
The Academic Seat is an end-product of a horse’s education; the aid given is a culmination of ‘requests’ from the rider to the horse. Establishment of the ‘language of aids’ is necessary through focused teaching and practice that can take years to establish.
When the seat aid is given and the horse does not yet understand enough to act upon the request, the secondary aids are given to help it understand. Secondary Aids include those of the hand, the leg, the whip, the voice, the rein, the caveson, the bit, etc.---they are the ‘reminder’ aids utilized by the rider to teach the horse the correct reaction to the Seat Aid. Secondary aids are learned aids, and are not covered in today’s discussion.
The desired reaction of this end-product is, when the Seat aids are given, a horse who willingly gives the correct reaction through its learned comprehension (not through force or continual/constant application of secondary aids).
RIDER’S SEAT AS A TOOL
Part 1 of our meeting ended with an all-important reminder that, as riders, our body is a tool, and that to operate effectively we must understand its use. Our Seat is not simply the physical manner in which we sit upon a horse and look good--our goal is an effective and educated seat, not one meant to impress others. Discussion about how academic study has benefited the Participants’ use of the Seat and comprehension, and transformative effect of this.
(break for lunch….)
Part 2
THE PHYSICAL SEAT
Discussion of the physical seat that follows and influences the movement of the horse. How our body can help or hinder the movement. Discussion of the influence of our seat and our legs upon the horse and how we give practice to shape, takt, tempo, schwung. Discussion of how we develop our physical seat through academic education and practice. A basic overview of the six aids of the leg (inside lower leg, outside lower leg, direct leg, preventing leg, framing leg, collecting leg). Light discussion of the ‘closed seat’ that lifts us from the knees and is used in extended gaits to free the back of the horse (in lieu of posting)…and the position of the ‘open seat’ that invites collection, the rider’s knees relaxed and containing the compression of the collected horse’s body. (More to follow in the future meeting of Exercises in the Academic Seat meeting).
THE STATIC SEAT
Discussion of the static seat which gives straightness and balance to the horse in movement. How the basic fundamental of riding correctly is a horse that steps always under the point of weight and how our static seat helps or hinders the horse in balanced movement. Light discussion of the seat’s balance in lateral movements (but to be saved for the future Exercises in the Academic Seat meeting).
WHAT WE FEEL IN OUR SEAT
Discussion about how we must learn to define the things we feel through our seat when astride the horse, understanding motion of the horse and positions of its body in motion so that we can give our aids with clarity of intention and at the optimum moment. A reminder that our aids aredetermined and given according to the movement of the horse; if we are unable to feel and unable to comprehend what we feel in our body when mounted, we cannot give the aid successfully.
Discussion went to the whiteboard with a basic definition of schwungin particular, i.e., the ‘through’ 3-dimensional movement of the horse in motion, correctly unified in the spine, hind to fore, and the 'feeling' associated with the correctness or lack of correctness in movement.
Noted were some things we come to learn simply by ‘feel’, i.e., discussion of the quality/correctness of the stellning (connection of spine from hind to front), the movement of hindlegs and forelegs, the quality of the collection, the balance of the horse, etc. So much, so much, so much...that can't be described!
A final reminder that we must pay attention to biomechanics and understand the gaits, the definition of collection, the physical structure and movement of a horse, etc, etc. to become a good and effective rider. Knowledge is power to the rider, and with knowledge comes clarity, ease and enjoyment in our horsemanship.
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(Our meeting was quite long but very interesting, informative and elucidating. We agreed that simply sticking a toe in the pool of equestrian knowledge gets one started in learning to swim in it!--And gives courage to venture into the deep end now and then.
Thanks to the foresight of bringing goodfood & drink this time around, we had a refreshing break halfway through--and while our brains were brimming with oh-so-many things to think about, we came away incredibly inspired and eager to get on our horses at home and continue our work…)
