page_title: Riding aids
section_title: The seat
hierarchical_section_title: Riding aids / Natural aids / The seat
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Air de dressage&#160;: épaule en dedans Date et lieu&#160;: 24/09/2006 à Niort en France Auteur&#160;: Karlyne
context_page_description: Riding aids are the cues a rider gives to a horse to communicate what they want the animal to do. Riding aids are broken into the natural aids and the artificial aids.
context_section_description: Opinions vary on the definition of "the seat", but most agree that it includes the rider's hip region, including the seat bones and the pelvis, the thighs, all of which must be supple and balanced to correctly absorb movement. The seat is one of the more difficult aids to develop because the rider must first learn to relax and sit on the horse without bouncing or interfering with its movement before being able to learn how to apply the seat as an aid. The human centre of gravity is just above the pelvis. By tilting the pelvis very slightly backward (pulling the stomach in, but remaining a 'long upper body') the centre of gravity will shift and the horse will slow down or halt, depending on the horse and the degree of tilting. By pushing the pelvis half an inch forward, the centre of gravity will encourage the horse to move faster.
  Most of the time, the seat stays in a neutral position in the saddle, neither restraining nor encouraging forward movement, simply following and absorbing the horse's motion. In general, the rider's hips should be placed so that they mimic the position of the horse's hips, and the rider's shoulders mirroring the position of the horse's shoulders. This allows the rider to follow the movement correctly, helps to keep the rider balanced in the saddle, and helps to guide the horse with minimal effort.
  The seat can be used as a restraining aid, by temporarily stopping its following movement with the horse. This is usually used in conjunction with the hands, which is known as a half-halt, with some support from the legs.
  By weighting one seat bone or the other, one can encourage bend in that direction. This should always be used with the inside leg asking for the horse to bend around it, and the outside leg providing impulsion for the bend. The hands also ask the horse to bend, with a slight direct or indirect rein. A more advanced form of this set of aids is seen in the half-pass, where the outside leg asks the horse to step over, the inside opening rein encourages that movement, and the inside seat bone and leg maintain the bend in the direction of travel.
  One seat bone may also actively push forward and sideways into the horse, to encourage the canter depart. This is used in conjunction with the legs and hands in their appropriate places.
  Lastly, the seat may be used as a driving aid, if the rider shifts their hips and slightly backwards and pushes both seat bones into the saddle (as one would if pumping a swing). This technique is generally discouraged, as this is considered uncomfortable for the horse, causes a loss of suppleness through the hips for the rider, and the legs should be the primary driving aids.
caption: A driving seat.
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