18/09/2026
As someone who learned to ride later in life (as an adult) and then both taught and watched my daughter learn, I believe that one of the most neglected aspects of riding in Australia, is proper equitation. Sure, some of the basics are taught but not much else.
Personally, my riding career started by simply staying on. My first teacher was a former jokey who taught me not to fall off. I then spent many years trail riding out in the bush hooning around. I then extended my love of riding fast out in the bush to doing endurance riding. I spent many hours in the saddle travelling at trot or canter over a wide variety of terrain.
Christina did this with me from a young age. It certainly taught me a measure of balance and ability to stay in the saddle. I had very few falls over these years despite riding some fairly hot and spooky Arabs.
Fast forward to Christina entering the equestrian program at High School and she decided to take up showjumping. Never to be left behind in anything, I decided to join her in the new adventure and began jumping as well.
Together, we jumped for some years, went to competitions, retrained OTTBs and taught some really green horses to jump.
And then we noticed more and more, both in ourselves and by watching others, that in Australia, proper, good, high quality equitation is not taught, at least not in the jumping world. In the dressage scene, equitation is obviously the whole point.
Sure, coaches tell you a little about roughly how you should hold your body and how to navigate a jump course, but precious little time is spent on actual equitation. In the US, riders attend actual equitation classes. In Europe (I can speak specifically about Germany) riders do not get to compete until they have passed assessment and earned rider badges. In Australia it’s basically if you have a horse, you can go to any competition and jump, regardless of how unbalanced you are and how hard you are on the horse.
I’ve been to many showjumping events and there are times when I cringe about what I see but lest anyone thinks I am arrogant and judgemental, I also cringe when I watch video of myself.
So what does this mean? Does this mean some of us are not allowed to jump and have fun with our horses?
No, it doesn’t. But it means the following:
1. The Australian rider culture has to improve.
2. Every rider had the responsibility to make themselves better by attending to their proper equitation.
Christina and I are passionate about doing this in regards to ourselves but also our students. We watch ourselves with a critical eye. We play back every video of all jump training we do to perfect ourselves. We have coaches because we believe that even coaches should have coaches. Some of the top riders in the world are coaches and critically appraised by coaches. In that spirit:
- We have a flat work coach.
- We have been coached by a variety of jumping coaches and continue to get guidance.
- We attend sessions with an exercise physiologist who specialises in building up the body to improve equitation.
Likewise, we want to impart that knowledge to our students.
Many of our riders, esp some of the older ones, want to go fast or jump. One of the most commonly uttered line is “When can I canter”? “When can I jump?” And Christina and Andy spoil the fun and say “Not until you’ve passed your dressage test”.
Christina esp spends a good deal of her coaching on perfecting the rider in the saddle. This is not always appreciated by some very impatient teens who just want to go fast and who don’t yet have the maturity to understand the importance of riding well before riding fast. Bad habits somehow become ingrained much faster and much more persistently than good ones.
Below is a short explanation from Chat GBT summarising what good equitation is. Please have a read so that you can understand what we try to impart in our students (in an age appropriate fashion) as best we can on a small group of very safe and good natured ponies.
EQUITATION
Good equitation is essentially riding in a way that makes you balanced, effective, quiet and clear to the horse. It isn’t just about looking pretty in the saddle.
The main elements of good equitation
1. Balance
Your body should be centred over the horse’s centre of gravity rather than tipping forward or sitting behind the movement.
At all paces, ideally:
* Ear → shoulder → hip → heel are roughly aligned.
* Your weight is distributed through your seat rather than hanging on the reins.
* Your upper body stays relatively stable while the horse moves underneath you.
2. Independent hands
Good hands are quiet but not rigid. Your hands follow the horse’s movement and give the horse a consistent contact.
The important distinction is:
Quiet hands ≠ hands that don’t move.
They should move appropriately with the horse’s head and neck while remaining independent of your body.
3. Correct leg position
Your leg should hang naturally from the hip, with the heel generally lower than the toe.
The leg should be:
* close to the horse without gripping constantly
* stable through the thigh and knee
* capable of giving a precise aid without your whole body moving
A good rider doesn’t need to squeeze continuously. The leg can be quiet until an aid is needed.
4. An effective seat
Your pelvis should move with the horse rather than fighting the movement.
A good seat allows you to:
* absorb the horse’s movement
* influence rhythm and balance
* remain secure without gripping
* follow the horse over fences
This becomes particularly important for jumping. You want to be able to move into a two-point/forward seat while maintaining your balance and allowing the horse freedom through its neck.
5. Straightness and symmetry
You want your body aligned with the horse’s body.
For example, your:
* shoulders
* hips
* knees
* feet
shouldn’t be unintentionally twisted or collapsed to one side.
And your horse should ideally travel straight underneath you rather than you constantly correcting an imbalance caused by your own position.
