Men Riding English

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This group is established to offer friendship, support, advice and encouragement to what seems to be a minority - men riding in the English disciplines.

Members: 10
Latest Activity: Jan 28, 2014

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Comment by John Freeman on June 25, 2012 at 9:18am: Great advice as always, Jackie.

I didn't think about the saddle itself being an issue and I should have, having ridden on one too small for me recently, and hating the experience. Luckily I was able to cut the ride very short.

Comment by Jackie Cochran on June 25, 2012 at 9:04am: I'm not a man so I don't know about this personally.

But...are you sure the saddle is big enough for you? Which saddle are you riding in, what size saddle, what style etc.?

When I started riding English saddles were made mostly for men, but now mostly women ride and the saddles have changed. My first saddle, a Stubben Siegfried, was fitted to me by a big saddler and even though I am a short woman (5 ft. 5 in.) he put me in an 18" extra forward and told me that I had the length of thigh of a 6 foot tall man.

I suspect that the saddle you are riding in is too small for you. If this is the only saddle you can ride in try fiddling around with the stirrup length. If the saddle does not fit you it WILL affect "finding your seat". I find it very irritating to try and ride in an English saddle that is too small for me and I do not have any extra equipment down there. If you have decent side-to-side balance ask for a bareback lesson and see if it feels any better to you. Even if the lesson is just at a walk it will give you an idea of how it feels to ride without a too small saddle messing you up.

Then consider going to a tack store and looking for a used saddle or two (different widths for the horse) that will fit you. My Stubben is 42 years old and I still lug it around to ride in for my lessons since so many of the saddles are just too small for me.

Comment by John Freeman on June 25, 2012 at 8:28am: Hi Christopher,

These days its hard to imagine any young lady old enough to be teaching you who wouldn't understand your concerns and not be (very) embarrassed to answer your question.

Maybe I'm less endowed than you, ha ha, but in almost 60 years of riding I've almost never had this issue. All I can suggest is that you treat riding like any other athletic activity and wear a jock strap or at least some fairly tight underwear. I wear boxer briefs which give plenty of support and also protect the upper thigh from chafing. If there is anything more specialized for men, I've never heard of it.

Good luck finding your seat. I'm sure it will come soon. You just have to relax and learn to attune yourself to the rhythm of the horse and become one with that rhythm. I don't know how old you are (not asking), but I count myself lucky that I started to ride when I was very young. When you're 6 years young all this comes so much more easily. Its much more difficult for an adult and the older one gets, the harder it is. We're less flexible and much more aware of our vulnerability - its a long way down!

Comment by Christopher Koth on June 24, 2012 at 8:59pm: OK, 'sensitive' question here guys. Just starting out. Have progressed to learning my post-trot, and very much still working on finding my ideal 'seat'. Um, is there any riding equipment, specifically for men, that protects the unmentionables? Feel free to laugh but it does seem a bit embarrassing to even broach the topic with the young lady who probably has no idea that there are certain things guys have to watch out for when bounding around on a saddle than a lady has to be concerned with. Any info appreciated, and sorry if there is anything 'obvious' that I am just not getting. Peace!

Comment by John Freeman on March 10, 2012 at 11:32am: Thanks, Christopher. Both inspirational topics, especially for we older riders.

Comment by Christopher Hyams on March 10, 2012 at 10:17am: Hi, guys, When you don't have anything better to do you may want to have a look at the recent posts on DressageUnderground.wordpress.com including videos of septuagenarian Olympian Hiroshi Hoketsu, and a bitless dressage test in Helsinki.

Comment by Christopher Hyams on January 10, 2012 at 5:45pm: The weather has been quite mild here, so far. At most clients, I have to ride indoors in the morning. But can work out doors in full sun in the afternoons after the light freeze thaws. We have a few grass courts that we actually only use in winter, and they are the most fun the last few weeks. I was loosening a schoolmaster in long reins on grass one day last week, and he offered a capriole, which I think was actually symmetrical, but was beside him.

I exclaimed WOW, and wondered how I had elicited the movement ( I know no airs beyond levade) When he came back to the same place in the court, he sprung up and kicked straight out, again! I think he was actually just celebrating the oxygen and good footing. Which, may be why they are called "Airs above the ground"

Comment by John Freeman on January 10, 2012 at 11:35am: It might be more a question may I be with the horse.

The weather and footing being as they are, we're limited to riding in the indoor these days, and Zuckie hates it. After about half an hour he gets bored and looks for things to spook at - wind rattling the roof will do, and he practices his own special dressage moves - "corkscrew en l'air" being one of them. I've actually been complimented lately on what a good seat I have, which was nice. A friend of mine commented "are you sure they were talking about your riding?". Women - such one track minds! Lol.