Where do you put your Weight when over Bending – Flexing and Counter Bending to the inside and outside of the circle? Weight in Seat Bones

Original Question

Hi Angie,

Ok, so riding around yesterday… was it weight on the inside in flexing circle or on the outside seat bone?

I always had a bit of dyslexia with my rights and lefts.

Angie’s Answer

Hi Michele,

A really GREAT question, people are always asking me that exact question at clinics (and also about where to put their weight in lots of different exercises).

So to answer your question, when doing small circles and asking for a lot of flexion and bend through the inside of your horse’s body you want to put your weight a little more on the OUTSIDE SEAT BONE, this will then allow your horse to bend more easily as you won’t have all your weight on that side of their body.

A good tip to help people remember where to put their weight when doing different ridden exercise.   Think about what part of your horse’s body you are asking to move, bend or yield. Then think about taking your weight off that part of their body and putting it in your opposite seat bone so your horse can then bend, flex or even step their inside hind leg deeper under them because your weight is off that side of their body.

Hope that helps!