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I had the good fortune to audit a Charles de Kunffy clinic at JJ Tate's summer location in South Carolina. As always, treat my notes as an attempt to fairly paraphrase key points, not as quotes. I am also attempting to order this content by themes (rather than by horse/rider pairs). The first topic is equitation and the rider's seat.

On the Rider's Seat

A real rider has an integrated seat. It is more than sticking to the saddle. Changes in a rider's balance with an integrated seat are an aid to the horse.

This is why the seat can magically connect the horse's hocks to the bridle: the integrated seat has no fidgeting in the body and nothing to get in the way of that connection. Remember, the horse connects to the bridle from the hocks--not from the rein.

You need to be inside the motion of the horse with your seat.

Your torso is like a Buddha in meditation. Imagine you have on a straight-jacket to help you keep your vertical upper arms. No flapping of the elbows out from the sides. No loose upper body as in some working western riding. Make your torso all one piece. You can rotate the pillar of your torso to help you put your horse on your seat. It can be a quick 1-2 action (ex. one should then the other down and back into your seat). Keep your torso integrated as you turn.

Remember that the outside leg is always slightly back--whether or not the horse needs it. The outside leg is there to close the horse--from the outside hind to the inside mouth. It is available if needed. And it puts the rider on the inside sit bone. Keep the outside leg heel low.

The lumbar back tells the horse that there is space under his body to support his weight. If we don't rock the lumbar under enough, the horse is "uninformed" about the request to "please step longer to support me (the rider)".

When you feel more oscillation in your seat (ex. more swing of the horse's lumbar), that is a sign that your horse is engaging.

The rider must have their own frame and the arms are not moveable. You don't jerk at the horse, but you don't reward the horse's restless posture. Remember that any motion in your contact is confusing to the horse and makes him restless.

Equitation matters. Your seat affects your horse's engagement. Without equitation, you'll end up with a 3rd level of engagement while trying to do Grand Prix. Equitation helps you give one message to your horse and avoid confusion.

Study the nature, the theory, the virtue and the academics of equestrianism. Be a rider in your heat, mind and lastly in your buttocks.

All riders should seek to observe riders like those in the Spanish Riding School---so that they see where it (the seat) is a done deal.

The horse needs to learn self-reliant rounding from the rider's seat.

I take it the clinic was focused on equitation and not on the training of the horse?

No. But I do think the point was being made that you cannot train and develop a horse without equitation.

This is extremely timely for me. I had a friend come video today and I am bummed about my crappy equitation and am again super determined to fix some rather critical flaws. Bliss's inconsistency in the connection can be blamed 100% on my inability to hold myself steady. Consequently the contact is floppy.

I'm going to read and re-read this a whole bunch of times. Thanks!!!

I'm glad you are finding this helpful Rosie! For me, there was nothing like watching JJ ride and Charles teach to make me come back and focus on cleaning up my equitation! It really works.

piedmontfields wrote:You need to be inside the motion of the horse with your seat.

Can you elaborate on this? I don't get what you're trying to convey. Thanks!

piedmontfields wrote:All riders should seek to observe riders like those in the Spanish Riding School---so that they see where it (the seat) is a done deal.

There are vast swaths of people who reject riding in position. I can't fathom rejecting that.

goldhorse wrote:

piedmontfields wrote:You need to be inside the motion of the horse with your seat.

Can you elaborate on this? I don't get what you're trying to convey. Thanks!

I interpret that as sitting "in" the horse as C. Dujardin does. Many people think you should not do this but rather sit ON the horse I guess in a less "muscular" fashion. I prefer sitting in the horse.

I think this reduces to how much weight you take in your seat versus thigh/stirrup.

Thanks for the notes, Piedmont. I just printed them out and will leave them on my desk for a while to review in spare moments. Charles is a a special teacher of dressage.

the part where he saysyour torso is like a Buddha in meditation...you can rotate the pillar of your torso to help put your horse on your seat. It can be a quick 1-2 qction (ex. One shoulder then the other down and back into your seat). I remember seeing him teach that last year and I went right home and tried it. It worked like a charm!!

Tsavo wrote:

goldhorse wrote:

piedmontfields wrote:You need to be inside the motion of the horse with your seat.

Can you elaborate on this? I don't get what you're trying to convey. Thanks!

I interpret that as sitting "in" the horse as C. Dujardin does. Many people think you should not do this but rather sit ON the horse I guess in a less "muscular" fashion. I prefer sitting in the horse.

Goldhorse, my understanding is that in order for the seat to have the options to harmonize, hold or energize, you must sit inside the motion--not on top of it or outside of it catching up or ahead of it.

Thank you. That makes sense to me. I equate it to Mary Wanless describing the sitting trot as a wave function and the rider has to match the wave and not get left behind or out of sync. That is go up and come down on the same motion as the horse's back.

Yes, if you want to ride or change the wave of the back, you need to be in the wave!

I am finding the "solid torso" idea very useful in my riding. I didn't think I was that loud or flappy with my arms (ex. elbows out from body), but clearly I can be quieter and Emi likes that.

Thank you so much for posting your notes, so much food for thought! I sincerely appreciate it!!!

You are very welcome! I am still processing and practicing what I learned in this clinic. I also need to write up some notes for the board about "creative exercises" for addressing various issues.

SO timely for me, too, PMF - thank you for posting. Food for thought, and a call to action (in the sense of quietening the torso, and being sympatico with the seat!).

Hey Calvin. I' m glad you found it helpful. I find that I use that idea of the "buddha torso" quite a bit to make sure I am well organized and quiet. BTW, CdeK is teaching again in SC this coming weekend. Due to my busted wrist, I cannot manage the drive, or else and would go again to soak it all in.