Event rider here. Because my horses are OTTBs, its nice to be in a jump saddle at the beginning of the canter work to get off their backs into relaxation, although it is possible to do that in a dressage saddle if necessary. I ride in my dressage saddle on each horse at least once a week, feel this is where I can really get my position organized and they are so much easier to get balanced, forward and in front of my leg. Love dressage and thank you Amelia for all of your incredible tutorials ❤
I am an h/j rider but take a lesson once a week with a dressage trainer. the dressage lessons have helped my position so much. I love riding in different saddles. thank you!
I would be interested in a video about riding without a saddle. I realize that's impractical in some ways (e.g. big, springy trot work), but I can feel things without a saddle and it seems easier for me to communicate with the horse. A video breaking down what a rider can gain and learn and practice without any saddle would be fabulous. 😊
this is a great suggestion - the only thing is some people take bareback a bit far... seemingly for the attention. Nearly any rider who's been in the saddle over a year can do almost everything bareback - but saddles protect horse's backs. The channel takes the weight off their spine. A little of everything (I jumped, in addition to walk, trot, canter) can give you excellent feel - you can feel all the same muscles through the saddle - and that's useful - but it's a dabble lightly thing, is all. No stirrup work has more benefits, beyond that little bit of "feel" a day or so of bareback can give you. You can regularly trail ride, at a walk, bareback. For everything else - going no stirrups is much better.
I'm taking lessons for the first time in my sixties. I'm learning on a jump saddle and now I can definitely see the benefits of a dressage saddle. I'm grateful for your videos even though sometimes the terminology is lost on me. It really is another language!
Current dressage saddles are so big, heavy and there's a lot of mass over the shoulders, big panels. Why do folks need hard blocks jutting out to hold the legs on place? Dressage saddles were much more practical in the 50s-90s. Less bulk. We need that back! For me, I've found dressage saddles dont let me get close to the horse, lots of thick bulk in the seat.
I had no idea that this amazing channel existed until I watched “let’s Judge Horse Trainers: Amelia Newcomb Dressage” by Raleigh Link. I’m super grateful that I watched it because now I’m subscribed to this amazing channel that is about a actual good trainer! ❤❤❤
I am a trail rider. However, in the arena, I practice dressage with my horse because it helps her stay fit. My main goal is for my horse to have a strong back because she is 23 and I believe a strong back will keep her rideable as she gets older. We ride in a Tucker equitation saddle. To me it feels like a cross between a western and dressage saddle.
Would love to see you try dressage in a western saddle as well! and explain the differences/struggles that you may need to overcome when in a western saddle
Great video! I am new to Dressage and I am really enjoying it! I feel so confident and secure in comparison to a jumping saddle. It takes me a couple of minutes to get organized when I switch between the two. Enjoy both disciplines and feel that the combo makes me a better rider!!
I’m a reining rider mainly and so is my horse but we do so much western horsemanship, western pleasure, speed events, English equitation, English pleasure, we’re just getting into jumping but I don’t think he can jump very high as his withers are naturally lower than his hind end (I think that’s because it helps him with reining and he was bred for reining) now I figured I should get into some simple dressage lol, I wouldn’t do much dressage though because there’s absolutely no simple dressage shows around me in Canada it’s all western stuff with some English stuff thrown in, but I have an all purpose saddle so I’m sure that would work for some dressage, his gaits are very smooth too though and I have no problem riding him bareback so bouncing around shouldn’t be a problem
My discipline is flat work. Have hip tension which eased after nearly 3 years but the big difference which took the pain away was changing to a close contact jump saddle. Agree with dressage being the basis for all disciplines and that includes hacking. Would love to be able to ride in a dressage saddle but my pelvis would feel like it is being ripped open when sitting stationary and leg pain in walk and trot. Canter was different, I never had pain when doing canter.
Beginners can start in any saddle, because the basics are the same. I did eventing though, so rode in both like most people own more than one pair of shoes. I loved both of my saddles, but I didn't think of them as interchangeable. I agree, for beginners. However, if someone finds they're passionate about dressage - they're going to want a dressage saddle. I could be mistaken, but it looks like your stirrups are set to dressage length? If so - that's when I found my CC grated my every last nerve. The twistin these saddles is very, very different. So, when the CC's stirrups are the length you would jump in, the leg stays in line, as it should (but that's a much shorter stirrup) - all angles are more acute, and everything is more forward. Once past 18" jumps nearly all jumping is from the canter and in two-point, which is what the CC is perfectly designed for. The twist is a key difference: jumpers don't have to work harder to keep their alignment - it's just the opposite - the CC sets up the alignment in the forward positions you need for jumping. They both have the same overall goals: connection and communication between horse and rider, balance, shoulder over hip, over ankle - but you can't do that jumping the way you do that in dressage, so like farriers have different hammers, riders have different saddles.
iYep I ride on the flat/dressage in a jump saddle.... or it might be an all-purpose. I have ridden id dressage saddles but I've come to like the all-purpose/jump saddle more now .
Try focusing on lengthening and stretching your legs down and back. Start by imagining your hips softening and melting down and around your horse’s ribs. Feel your thighs lengthen down from your long and soft hips. While your knee begins to drop down around the horses ribs, flex your ankle and allow your heavy heels to gently pull your knees back. You should feel your hips opening (like you’re tucking your tail between your legs), and you may even feel your spine grow taller in the saddle - that’s great! Those are bonuses 😊 Be sure you’re keeping your thigh soft and flat against the saddle so you don’t block this chain of events. As your knees begin to drop down, you’ll feel more flexion in your ankles while simultaneously feeling less weight on your irons. That’s also great! Use that extra flexion/weight in your heel to your advantage, and focus on now lengthening and stretching down from your knees to your heels. As your lower leg softens and stretches down, try pointing your heels down and back, as though you’re making an invisible line from your heel to the bottom of your horse’s tail. Be sure you are keeping your weight and pressure in your heels - down and back to your horse’s tail - while simultaneously keeping your foot light on the stirrup, akin to how a ballerina holds the barre (that is; lightly, not for support, but only to use if she loses her balance). So, stretch from hip to knee, down and around the ribs, then stretch down from the knee and back through the back of your leg to your heel, while just lightly holding the iron with your toe, which is flexed up towards the sky. Point your heels to the base of your horse’s tail. Down and back. Literally. Point at his tail. Be sure you have the actual inside of your leg against the saddle or this technique will not work. Your weight will get stuck in the knee, your heels will come up, and as your toes curl in search of stability, your foot will begin bouncing in the stirrup and then your knee and thigh will pinch and lift up and then - argh! You’ll be frustrated and cursing that “idiot TH-camr for suggesting such tripe!’😂 Good luck, and TAKE YOUR TIME! This takes at least two weeks to learn with a good trainer - longer if you’re on your own. Be patient and kind to yourself. If you have questions just reply here, we’ll see if I respond in a timely manner.😅
I took a lesson on a school horse in a jump saddle a few weeks ago. Halfway through I had to ask if we could swap out for a dressage saddle. For some reason I could not get my legs down and around him the way I really needed to. I don't know if I could have tried lengthening my stirrups first, but as soon as we swapped to the dressage saddle things went so much smoother. I think I was just getting too far forward and it was throwing my entire position off.
I used to ride in a dressage saddle. For 2 years I've done dressage in a GP saddle. It's a bit easier than a jumping saddle but still had its issues, especially for 3 point position.
After 50 years in a Hunt seat equitation/ Jump saddle, tried a dressage saddle. While my seat and form looked the same in both saddles to an observer, I never felt as secure in the Dressage saddle. So it’s dressage in a “Jump” saddle. 😉
Hello Amelia. I just started taking dressage lessons with my horse this past summer and was so impressed with the way the dressage saddle feels compared to my all-purpose saddle, which I used for hunt seat! I trained my horse to both, direct rein and neck rein so, I use her for both Western and English, hunt seat (Now very basic dressage which I'm totally enjoying!). When I was a kid (many years ago), I was taught to ride more on my pelvis in hunt seat. Was that wrong, or like dressage should have I been taught to try to ride deeper in the seat despite the shallower seat of the hunter/jumper saddle? Thanks for another helpful video.
@@AmeliaNewcombDressage Thank you for verifying. I feel a bit more justified as to why I have a habit (which I now have to break) of sitting more on the pelvis vs. deeper in the seat.
I have very few saddle options at my barn (it's kind of a problem, definitely for tge horses, anyway...) both are jump saddles, it is a hunter barn- i don't ride hunters, i just do general purpose right now as i learn my foundation skills, but i really struggle to sit back on my seat in the canter, and this makes me wonder if the saddle is part of it! One saddle is too small and confining and it rubs me RAW, and the other one is a pancake with stirrups attached and it sends my lower legs forward and i have to do the hunter "perch" to even get my leg in the right place, i can't post effectively, so I usually choose the crotch destroyer, because i can at least get my position where it needs to be, i just have to grit my teeth and deal with the pain, haha... The first trip to the bathroom after a ride in that thing is a killer, haha, if you know you know...😅 I have ridden a boarder's horse in her saddle, and fhe difference was astonishing, i felt so comfortable and secure and in the right place without working at it, it makes all the difference! If i didn't ride a different horse every few weeks (it's a SALES hunter barn😢) i would buy my own, but i never know what will come my way, so it's hard to buy something that would fit all the horses, i just have to suffer through it for now! I really do wonder if that's why i can't sit back in the canter, at my first barn I usually used a GP or dressage saddle, and i know i definitely preferred the latter... Maybe my barn manager will spring for some "new" saddles, it really sucks for the horses, my instructor used to manage this barn and she just skakes her head about the saddles, she says they certainly aren't doing me any favors, haha... I feel better about my sitting trot and canter now, thanks for this!
I have a Welsh D and we want to focus on Dressage, I personally don’t really like jumping but I’m a uni student and don’t have the funds for a dressage saddle, I ride in a GP and I find sitting trot quite difficult do you have any advice? I’m new to your content and I’m really interested in improving my training with my horse!
You can definitely do Dressage in your GP saddle! Here is a video on the sitting trot that will help you: amelianewcombdressage.com/dressage-training/how-to-sit-the-trot/
hey Amelia! i ride in a GP saddle atm and my instructor claims that it IS possible to maintain classic dressage leg position (hip heel head alignment). no matter how hard i try i cant do it in trot and canter. it throws my leg forward as the stirrup bars are there. probably also doesn't help that i ride high stepping gaited horses like Friesians and Dutch harness horses. do you have any tips on maintaining this or should I just make peace with the difference in my position vs dressage saddle? i did try pilates and it didn't make much difference.
Hey Julia, Yes, the position of your stirrup bars/design of your saddle can definitely affect your position. Ideally, your saddle will fit you and your horse and help you find the correct position. However, it is possible to improve your position even in a saddle that doesn't fit you perfectly. Pilates is great and I think if you give it time you will see a difference. This Rider Position mini-course may also help you as well: amelianewcombdressage.com/free-rider-position-mini-course/
hi! love your channel❤❤ question. do you have a video for how to get "lazy" or slower horses to canter in a dressage test? coming from someone who's only getting into dressage competitions after competing in show jumping (:
I have two resources for you: check out this video for waking up a lazy horse: th-cam.com/video/eUfNFbCXO2s/w-d-xo.html and this is my free guide to canter: amelianewcombdressage.com/canter-with-confidence-o/
Check out this free mini-course to help you with your Rider Position: amelianewcombdressage.com/free-rider-position-mini-course/
?.. Dr JJ Dr Float i طط كو
Event rider here. Because my horses are OTTBs, its nice to be in a jump saddle at the beginning of the canter work to get off their backs into relaxation, although it is possible to do that in a dressage saddle if necessary. I ride in my dressage saddle on each horse at least once a week, feel this is where I can really get my position organized and they are so much easier to get balanced, forward and in front of my leg. Love dressage and thank you Amelia for all of your incredible tutorials ❤
That is awesome!
I am an h/j rider but take a lesson once a week with a dressage trainer. the dressage lessons have helped my position so much. I love riding in different saddles. thank you!
I would be interested in a video about riding without a saddle. I realize that's impractical in some ways (e.g. big, springy trot work), but I can feel things without a saddle and it seems easier for me to communicate with the horse. A video breaking down what a rider can gain and learn and practice without any saddle would be fabulous. 😊
Great suggestion! Stay tuned for some no stirrup November content - might be what you are looking for!
this is a great suggestion - the only thing is some people take bareback a bit far... seemingly for the attention. Nearly any rider who's been in the saddle over a year can do almost everything bareback - but saddles protect horse's backs. The channel takes the weight off their spine. A little of everything (I jumped, in addition to walk, trot, canter) can give you excellent feel - you can feel all the same muscles through the saddle - and that's useful - but it's a dabble lightly thing, is all. No stirrup work has more benefits, beyond that little bit of "feel" a day or so of bareback can give you. You can regularly trail ride, at a walk, bareback. For everything else - going no stirrups is much better.
I'm taking lessons for the first time in my sixties. I'm learning on a jump saddle and now I can definitely see the benefits of a dressage saddle. I'm grateful for your videos even though sometimes the terminology is lost on me. It really is another language!
It's all a learning journey for sure!
Current dressage saddles are so big, heavy and there's a lot of mass over the shoulders, big panels. Why do folks need hard blocks jutting out to hold the legs on place? Dressage saddles were much more practical in the 50s-90s. Less bulk. We need that back! For me, I've found dressage saddles dont let me get close to the horse, lots of thick bulk in the seat.
I HATE the big bulky thigh/knee blocks, they seem counterintuitive!
I had no idea that this amazing channel existed until I watched “let’s Judge Horse Trainers: Amelia Newcomb Dressage” by Raleigh Link. I’m super grateful that I watched it because now I’m subscribed to this amazing channel that is about a actual good trainer! ❤❤❤
Glad you are here!
I am a trail rider. However, in the arena, I practice dressage with my horse because it helps her stay fit. My main goal is for my horse to have a strong back because she is 23 and I believe a strong back will keep her rideable as she gets older. We ride in a Tucker equitation saddle. To me it feels like a cross between a western and dressage saddle.
Would love to see you try dressage in a western saddle as well! and explain the differences/struggles that you may need to overcome when in a western saddle
Stay tuned! I have that exact video coming up very soon, so stay tuned!
Great video! I am new to Dressage and I am really enjoying it! I feel so confident and secure in comparison to a jumping saddle. It takes me a couple of minutes to get organized when I switch between the two. Enjoy both disciplines and feel that the combo makes me a better rider!!
Great to hear! So happy you are here!
I’m a reining rider mainly and so is my horse but we do so much western horsemanship, western pleasure, speed events, English equitation, English pleasure, we’re just getting into jumping but I don’t think he can jump very high as his withers are naturally lower than his hind end (I think that’s because it helps him with reining and he was bred for reining) now I figured I should get into some simple dressage lol, I wouldn’t do much dressage though because there’s absolutely no simple dressage shows around me in Canada it’s all western stuff with some English stuff thrown in, but I have an all purpose saddle so I’m sure that would work for some dressage, his gaits are very smooth too though and I have no problem riding him bareback so bouncing around shouldn’t be a problem
I used to be an Eventer but now do hunters. I still love dressage and your videos. Keep up the great work.
My discipline is flat work. Have hip tension which eased after nearly 3 years but the big difference which took the pain away was changing to a close contact jump saddle. Agree with dressage being the basis for all disciplines and that includes hacking. Would love to be able to ride in a dressage saddle but my pelvis would feel like it is being ripped open when sitting stationary and leg pain in walk and trot. Canter was different, I never had pain when doing canter.
I would like to see you try Working Equitation as it’s dressage based and accepts riders in all disciplines.
Beginners can start in any saddle, because the basics are the same. I did eventing though, so rode in both like most people own more than one pair of shoes. I loved both of my saddles, but I didn't think of them as interchangeable. I agree, for beginners. However, if someone finds they're passionate about dressage - they're going to want a dressage saddle.
I could be mistaken, but it looks like your stirrups are set to dressage length? If so - that's when I found my CC grated my every last nerve. The twistin these saddles is very, very different. So, when the CC's stirrups are the length you would jump in, the leg stays in line, as it should (but that's a much shorter stirrup) - all angles are more acute, and everything is more forward. Once past 18" jumps nearly all jumping is from the canter and in two-point, which is what the CC is perfectly designed for. The twist is a key difference: jumpers don't have to work harder to keep their alignment - it's just the opposite - the CC sets up the alignment in the forward positions you need for jumping. They both have the same overall goals: connection and communication between horse and rider, balance, shoulder over hip, over ankle - but you can't do that jumping the way you do that in dressage, so like farriers have different hammers, riders have different saddles.
Very helpful. Thank You!! 😊
iYep I ride on the flat/dressage in a jump saddle.... or it might be an all-purpose. I have ridden id dressage saddles but I've come to like the all-purpose/jump saddle more now .
Me too. Love the simple small jump saddle!
My biggest issue is my legs come forward in my jump saddle 😢
Try focusing on lengthening and stretching your legs down and back. Start by imagining your hips softening and melting down and around your horse’s ribs. Feel your thighs lengthen down from your long and soft hips. While your knee begins to drop down around the horses ribs, flex your ankle and allow your heavy heels to gently pull your knees back. You should feel your hips opening (like you’re tucking your tail between your legs), and you may even feel your spine grow taller in the saddle - that’s great! Those are bonuses 😊 Be sure you’re keeping your thigh soft and flat against the saddle so you don’t block this chain of events. As your knees begin to drop down, you’ll feel more flexion in your ankles while simultaneously feeling less weight on your irons. That’s also great! Use that extra flexion/weight in your heel to your advantage, and focus on now lengthening and stretching down from your knees to your heels. As your lower leg softens and stretches down, try pointing your heels down and back, as though you’re making an invisible line from your heel to the bottom of your horse’s tail. Be sure you are keeping your weight and pressure in your heels - down and back to your horse’s tail - while simultaneously keeping your foot light on the stirrup, akin to how a ballerina holds the barre (that is; lightly, not for support, but only to use if she loses her balance). So, stretch from hip to knee, down and around the ribs, then stretch down from the knee and back through the back of your leg to your heel, while just lightly holding the iron with your toe, which is flexed up towards the sky. Point your heels to the base of your horse’s tail. Down and back. Literally. Point at his tail. Be sure you have the actual inside of your leg against the saddle or this technique will not work. Your weight will get stuck in the knee, your heels will come up, and as your toes curl in search of stability, your foot will begin bouncing in the stirrup and then your knee and thigh will pinch and lift up and then - argh! You’ll be frustrated and cursing that “idiot TH-camr for suggesting such tripe!’😂 Good luck, and TAKE YOUR TIME! This takes at least two weeks to learn with a good trainer - longer if you’re on your own. Be patient and kind to yourself. If you have questions just reply here, we’ll see if I respond in a timely manner.😅
Check this video out: amelianewcombdressage.com/dressage-training/dressage-rider-leg-position-keep-your-heels-down-and-toes-forward/
make sue your stirrups aren’t too long
I took a lesson on a school horse in a jump saddle a few weeks ago. Halfway through I had to ask if we could swap out for a dressage saddle. For some reason I could not get my legs down and around him the way I really needed to. I don't know if I could have tried lengthening my stirrups first, but as soon as we swapped to the dressage saddle things went so much smoother. I think I was just getting too far forward and it was throwing my entire position off.
I used to ride in a dressage saddle. For 2 years I've done dressage in a GP saddle. It's a bit easier than a jumping saddle but still had its issues, especially for 3 point position.
Perfect video! Thank you!😀
Glad you liked it!
Thank you, sent it to a student of mine.😀
After 50 years in a Hunt seat equitation/ Jump saddle, tried a dressage saddle. While my seat and form looked the same in both saddles to an observer, I never felt as secure in the Dressage saddle. So it’s dressage in a “Jump” saddle. 😉
Love it! Whatever works best foor you is perfect
hey , love your videos. A question from a new rider here, any good recommendations for a decent riding gear? something in mid range of pricing.
Wonderful
Hello Amelia. I just started taking dressage lessons with my horse this past summer and was so impressed with the way the dressage saddle feels compared to my all-purpose saddle, which I used for hunt seat! I trained my horse to both, direct rein and neck rein so, I use her for both Western and English, hunt seat (Now very basic dressage which I'm totally enjoying!). When I was a kid (many years ago), I was taught to ride more on my pelvis in hunt seat. Was that wrong, or like dressage should have I been taught to try to ride deeper in the seat despite the shallower seat of the hunter/jumper saddle? Thanks for another helpful video.
Hunters and jumpers do ride with a slightly different seat than in Dressage. :)
@@AmeliaNewcombDressage Thank you for verifying. I feel a bit more justified as to why I have a habit (which I now have to break) of sitting more on the pelvis vs. deeper in the seat.
I have very few saddle options at my barn (it's kind of a problem, definitely for tge horses, anyway...) both are jump saddles, it is a hunter barn- i don't ride hunters, i just do general purpose right now as i learn my foundation skills, but i really struggle to sit back on my seat in the canter, and this makes me wonder if the saddle is part of it!
One saddle is too small and confining and it rubs me RAW, and the other one is a pancake with stirrups attached and it sends my lower legs forward and i have to do the hunter "perch" to even get my leg in the right place, i can't post effectively, so I usually choose the crotch destroyer, because i can at least get my position where it needs to be, i just have to grit my teeth and deal with the pain, haha...
The first trip to the bathroom after a ride in that thing is a killer, haha, if you know you know...😅
I have ridden a boarder's horse in her saddle, and fhe difference was astonishing, i felt so comfortable and secure and in the right place without working at it, it makes all the difference!
If i didn't ride a different horse every few weeks (it's a SALES hunter barn😢) i would buy my own, but i never know what will come my way, so it's hard to buy something that would fit all the horses, i just have to suffer through it for now!
I really do wonder if that's why i can't sit back in the canter, at my first barn I usually used a GP or dressage saddle, and i know i definitely preferred the latter...
Maybe my barn manager will spring for some "new" saddles, it really sucks for the horses, my instructor used to manage this barn and she just skakes her head about the saddles, she says they certainly aren't doing me any favors, haha...
I feel better about my sitting trot and canter now, thanks for this!
Jumper. But dressage definitely helps your jumping
I have a Welsh D and we want to focus on Dressage, I personally don’t really like jumping but I’m a uni student and don’t have the funds for a dressage saddle, I ride in a GP and I find sitting trot quite difficult do you have any advice? I’m new to your content and I’m really interested in improving my training with my horse!
You can definitely do Dressage in your GP saddle! Here is a video on the sitting trot that will help you: amelianewcombdressage.com/dressage-training/how-to-sit-the-trot/
hey Amelia! i ride in a GP saddle atm and my instructor claims that it IS possible to maintain classic dressage leg position (hip heel head alignment). no matter how hard i try i cant do it in trot and canter. it throws my leg forward as the stirrup bars are there. probably also doesn't help that i ride high stepping gaited horses like Friesians and Dutch harness horses. do you have any tips on maintaining this or should I just make peace with the difference in my position vs dressage saddle? i did try pilates and it didn't make much difference.
Hey Julia,
Yes, the position of your stirrup bars/design of your saddle can definitely affect your position. Ideally, your saddle will fit you and your horse and help you find the correct position. However, it is possible to improve your position even in a saddle that doesn't fit you perfectly. Pilates is great and I think if you give it time you will see a difference. This Rider Position mini-course may also help you as well: amelianewcombdressage.com/free-rider-position-mini-course/
hi! love your channel❤❤ question. do you have a video for how to get "lazy" or slower horses to canter in a dressage test? coming from someone who's only getting into dressage competitions after competing in show jumping (:
I have two resources for you: check out this video for waking up a lazy horse: th-cam.com/video/eUfNFbCXO2s/w-d-xo.html and this is my free guide to canter: amelianewcombdressage.com/canter-with-confidence-o/
thank you!
@@AmeliaNewcombDressage
That's all I rode in due to the fact I evented and only had $$ for the jumper😂
Definitely a great reason!
Western is my discipline mean discipline