Have you ever struggled with:

keeping your leg(s) in the correct position
not pulling back with the inside hand
keeping a correct contact
sitting straight
collapsing in the saddle
toes turning out too much
heels (or just one) up
gripping with calves
feeling insecure in the saddle
back ache and feeling stiff
can’t use leg aids for lateral movements

Or does your horse have trouble with any of the following:

forwardness and impulsion
submission to bit
working over the back
transitions
straightness and bending
lateral work
resistance
flat paces
unsteady head carriage
acceptance of the bit

I have ridden and trained (and been trained by!) dressage and Western horses, judged dressage and taught and spent many years trying to learn how to improve my horses by improving myself. I had some top trainers throughout the years but I still knew they were not really helping me to actually ride better - just perform the movements and ride dressage tests! I realised I had to do my own research and find out how the rider’s body works related to the horse’s body.  Using body mechanics from great teachers like Mary Wanless, visualisation and NLP (neuro linguistic programming) and testing techniques and theories on myself and riders when I was teaching I slowly understood more and more of the riddle. Its an ongoing process and I would like to help anyone else struggling to improve themselves and their horses by pooling all the useful information I have found over the years.

I would also like to help readers of my blog with specific problems they may be having with themselves or their horses. If you have a question you can email me in confidence on jane@theperfectseat.com and, if you are agreeable, I will use the question and answer (without identifying any rider) on the blog for the benefit of other riders. 

If you would like to send a photo or short video clip please include these in a link in your email. Again, these would only be used on the blog with your full agreement. They are not a condition of receiving any advice.