How to Develop “Feel” in the Saddle — Horse Riding Tips
This is a topic many riders struggle with. How to know if what’s happening underneath you is balanced and correct. How can you feel if your approaching a jump at the right distance. How can you feel if your horse is going around the turn or corner correctly. How can you feel if your position is correct, or your leg is where it should be. How can you feel if you’re helping your horse’s movements or hindering them?
There are so many factors involved when it comes to feeling that I wanted to take a little bit of time today to share with you some of the highlights from a recent discussion I had with one of the speakers for a virtual clinic I am hosting.
So, how do you develop “feel?”
Part of developing your feeling comes, through repetition, practice and time. You need to spend hours in the saddle, practicing the same good habits again and again and again. I say good habits because doing something incorrectly again and again will only develop bad habits in your muscle memory.
Having a coach working beside you is also a great tool for developing feeling quickly. A good coach can spot when something is “correct” and tell you, “there! Did you feel that?” It’s ok if you didn’t feel it the first time (or the first 100 times!) Eventually, the more you acknowledge to yourself, “did I feel that? What did I feel? Was what I felt right or wrong? Too Slow or too quick? Too much leg or not enough?” you will slowly begin to actually feel what your coach sees.
And most importantly, we need to listen to what our horses are telling us. Horses are our greatest teachers. The great thing about horses is that they never lie to us. Riding a horse that knows how to go around a corner in a balanced way can show you how it feels to go around a turn balanced. So you can “feel” what it’s like when it’s correct. But if you’re on a young horse that doesn’t know how to go around a turn in a balanced way, it will be more difficult for you to feel when it’s correct because you might not know what it is you are “looking for.” That is why having eyes on the ground can be a big help. Or at least make a video of yourself doing that task and watch it later.
Developing your eye goes a long way when it comes to feel. At some point, your brain will have seen it done correctly over and over again to the point that when you experience it being done correctly in real life, a light bulb might go off where everything just clicks. There is no time frame for how long this light bulb can take. It can be weeks, months or even years.
Watching videos online or shadowing other riders who are at a higher level than you or attending horse shows just to sit in the audience and observe can all go a long way to developing your eye (and eventually your feel!)
How many hours a week can you spend observing and developing your eye? Try to plan it into your routine.
And another tip is to not just practice on one horse. Ride many horses (as many as you can!) In a variety of breeds, disciplines and personality types. The more horses you ride, the more you will begin to feel patterns, weight shifts, rhythms, and more. This is a great way of developing your feel!
For the full discussion on how to develop rider “feel” take a look at the International Equestrian Virtual Clinic with over 20+ speakers sharing their expertise!
More info here: https://www.theinternationalequestrian.com/summit-register
Resources for equestrians: https://catalog.equestrianadventuresses.com/resources
