– Geoff Jowett

Thank you so much for creating this brilliant forward seat instructional site. I have only been riding for 3 years (I am 44) and I was fortunate to start my riding at a show jumping school owned by a gentleman from Hungary who taught the forward seat. When I got my own horse and moved to an agistment facility I was told that style was wrong and told to get a dressage saddle to learn how to sit properly. This is where 12 months of absolute struggle began. NOTE: I was a gym owner bodybuilder in my 20's and am still quite muscular  (and top heavy). I have short legs for my body and my upper body is still quite muscular. I believe it is very hard for top heavy short leg riders to ever get their centre of gravity low and feel balanced in their seat with dressage vs balanced in the stirrups with the forward system. It was so disheartening to be told what I was taught was wrong (which I now  know IT WAS NOT) and it all makes so much sense now THANK YOU. Your site has given me the process and detail to get the clarity I needed to get unstuck and progress. I have found a lot of instructors here unknowingly teach parts of dressage and forward seat together as one but I believe there are marked differences that must be explained to people. Riding dressage long leg you are balanced in your seat vs balanced in the stirrups through heel depth. To me they have different anchors and in dressage the heel is barely below parallel. When learning late in life it is very confusing getting parts of both not being told the different anchors and mechanics. You have given me more clarity and excitement than you will ever know and I am extremely grateful. The subtle differences between the riding disciplines can create a lot of confusion to newcomers if they are mixed and matched and I think a lot of instructors (because they have ridden all their life) perhaps do not even notice or realise these differences? Conscious competence and awareness THANK YOU Your site explained why I found riding fairly easy at the start AND THEN HARD  and now I have a system to practice and refine with the horse I love AND HE  LOVES IT SO MUCH MORE TOO AGAIN Thank you Bernie Sincerely Geoff 🙂