Please explain "unbalanced" rider

[PinkPheebs99]

Learnt to ride as a teenager and never heard the phrase "unbalanced" rider.

Now everyone is using it, eg "so and so is too unbalanced to ride horse X", "horse Y doesn't care if rider is unbalanced"

What exactly is meant by this? And how can I tell whether I am a balanced or unbalanced rider?

If you can move with your horse then you are balanced, if you can't then you are unbalanced, that is the easiest way of looking at it.

You are aiming to be able to go with the horse no matter what they do, spook, shake, buck, jump sideways etc or even just ride along normal without needing to use reins, mane etc to stay on. Your seat, leg position and core strength is what should give you balance, not your hands.

There are always times when you will need to grab something, anything young or silly wears a neck strap here so that there is something to grab during one of those holy shit moments, hence it's name of holy shit handle! Hanging onto the mouth is the biggest issue I think when you are unbalanced, I do think any horse doesn't mind it tho, I guess some are just more tolerant than others.

A childhood of riding bareback, without stirrups, in headcollars etc gave me my balance!

Thanks. Pretty sure I am semi-balanced. I don't rely on reins for balance but not sure I could sit a buck or major spook.

Any exercises anyone can recommend to improve balance?

To improve balance you need to ride without stirrups. What unbalanced really means is lacking a seat. To get a seat you need to be able to ride all gaits without stirrups comfortably.

Ask your instructor if you can have lunge lessons on your own horse, or if not suitable, on someone else's horse that is used to it. Doing this means you can concentrate on your own balance as someone else is controlling the horse. There's nothing better.

It's all seat, balance, dressage and 100's of new accessories in pink. 30 years ago when I rode lots, there was simply good and bad riders, basic tack and a lot less stress. Now there's too much stuff, too much information from the internet, and too many novices bouncing around concentrating on all of the above and forgetting to have fun.

I think the basics of a good seat (or balance) have always been there, it's just people are looking for short cuts to becoming a good rider/controlling there horse (maybe because they have over-horsed themselves?) so it has muddied the water.

'Seat' is definitely a term I remember from learning to ride, nothing new. I rather suspect that having a fundamentally good seat is the reasoning stayed on and DD didn't last week (both horses spooked) even though she rides once a week and I rode about once a decade. MMeanwhile, the girl in the other half of the school, cantering with no stirrups and arms outstretched - she REALLY had it!

Oh I am so jealous of that girl..

She was amazing! DD and I were agog, as was our instructor