Position pointers with George Morris

      Hands above the withers, heels down and lower leg on

“You have three points of contact with your horse – seat, legs and hand. Your horse has to accept all three” says George Morris as he starts his clinic.

But before work starts on the flat and in jumping exercises, the riders need to understand the basics of the position to be adopted on their horse and George continues to reinforce the message throughout the lesson

“I didn’t invent these principles” says George “They have developed because they work”

Take a look at the elements outlined by George Morris for the ideal rider position and how it affects the horse

• Foot
  •  ¼ of the foot should be in the stirrup iron, not just the toes.
  • Turn the toes out , not in

• Knees
  • Your knees should be relaxed and off the saddle – if your knees are tight in the saddle your lower leg and foot position is probably incorrect

• Legs
  • The leg contact with the horse should be through the lower leg on his side, not through your knees or heels. If your toes are turned out and your knees are relaxed, your lower leg will sit comfortably on the horse’s side
  •  The inside leg invites the horse to the outside rein
  • Even with a hot horse, you must keep your lower leg on. You must take the time to teach your horse not to be tense to the leg and not to run away from the leg

• Seat
  • Sit over the strong part of your horse’s back
  • Riding with your stirrups too long is worse than riding with them too short
  • You jump in 2-point and 3-point seat so practise and develop your stability in both positions. Each require your upper body to be forward at a 30 degree angle; in 2-point your seat is slightly out of the saddle, in 3-point your seat is slightly in the saddle. Use the 3-point position for short turns and half halts but remain light in the saddle. Make sure you are careful and light when you come back into the saddle at any time after 2-point or 3-point

      Your eyes facilitate the aid

• Back
  • The French call it the ‘stretch of the spine’ and the Germans the ‘brace of the back’ where your back should be straight and perpendicular, not too far in front or behind the vertical on the flat - do not ride with a roach or slumped back.
  • A strong position comes from a straight back combined with good hands and legs

• Hands
  •  Keep the hands over the wither
  • Low hands prevent a good contact with horse’s mouth
  • Your hands should be in a straight line to the horse’s mouth and you should be able to feel the corners of his mouth, not the bar in his mouth
  • Don’t let a horse pull your hands down and your heels up
  • If your horse raises his head up against you, go with it and raise your hands up with him
  • After every action of the hand, give. It doesn’t matter how strong the aid is if you give immediately afterwards

• Eyes
  • Your eyes give the horse a sense of balance and direction
  • Your eyes facilitate the aid – your aids won’t work unless your eyes are working