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Perfect the Two-Point with Shane George

Balance over your horse’s center of gravity in the two-point position.

By AQHA Professional Horseman Shane George with Christine Hamilton for The American Quarter Horse Journal

The red shaded areas in this photo show common problems riders have with the half seat: hands and arms too far back, poorly positioned or swinging lower leg, and rounded shoulders and back. Journal illustration.

There are two basic seats for a hunter rider: full seat and half seat. For the hunters and jumpers, it’s important to have the ability to use both.

In a “full seat,” you have contact with your seat in the saddle. You sit on the horse’s back, riding each stride in a collected manner. It’s the seat you use in rail work.

In a “half seat,” you get up off your seat, out of the saddle and find a balance that’s a little more forward. It allows you to get your balance up and over your lower leg and over the horse’s center of gravity in his shoulder and wither. It’s a dynamic position, giving the rider more flexibility in how he moves with the horse.

How much your seat is out of the saddle depends on what you’re doing at the moment. If you’re in between jumps in a course, you might ride with your seat up but closer to the saddle, almost hovering over it. But if you’re going over a jump, your seat will be clearly up out of the saddle.

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