Exercise Page

Seat bone awareness work (hard surface / simulator)

Nicky Caden Rider Exercise Library | Empowering Riders Through Technology

Video

VIDEO QR CODE PLACEHOLDER

Scan for the full exercise and video.

Exercise Overview

Useful For

Difficulty locating or distinguishing the two seat bones
Unable to establish a stable seat base
Consistently sitting heavier on one side
Appearing crooked despite repeated correction
Depth achieved through effort, gripping, or pushing down
A pelvis held in a tucked, hollowed, or fixed position
Restricted pelvic movement and adaptation
Reliance on stirrups or reins for stability
Difficulty keeping the ribcage organised above the pelvis
Organisation deteriorating as movement demand increases

Purpose

Seat bone awareness work helps the rider locate and distinguish the two bony points at the base of the pelvis. A firm chair or bench makes contact easier to recognise before recreating the same awareness on the simulator and horse.

The purpose is not to create weight by leaning, collapsing, or pushing down. The rider learns to find one seat bone through a small forwards-and-backwards glide of the hip and knee on that side while the ribcage stays organised above the pelvis.

This gives coach and rider a practical way to explore graded seat-bone application, release accurately, and connect the result to circles, transitions, and lateral work.

Key Coaching Principle

The seat bones provide information and support. They should remain available to follow movement rather than being driven into the saddle or fixed in one position.

What the Exercise Can Encourage

A Clearer Seat Base

The rider identifies left and right seat bones separately and compares how clearly each one can be felt.

Awareness of Left and Right Organisation

The rider notices how foot and knee position influences the pelvis without forcing artificial symmetry.

Independent Seat-Bone Movement Without Leaning

The rider uses small hip-and-knee glides to locate each seat bone while keeping the trunk quiet and centred.

Ribcage Organisation Over the Pelvis

Ribcage-over-pelvis organisation helps distinguish genuine seat-bone use from upper-body compensation.

More Purposeful Use of the Seat

Seat-bone use becomes graded and deliberate rather than all-or-nothing, supporting clearer lateral and directional influence.

What This May Change

Clearer seat-bone identification, more accurate awareness of foot and knee organisation, improved ability to move one side of the pelvis without leaning, and more precise graded seat aids.

What the Rider May Feel

Two clearer points of support, one hip and knee gliding forwards or backwards, and a clearer difference between light and stronger seat-bone application.

Choosing the Equipment

Hard Surface Reference

Use a firm chair or bench first to create a clear tactile reference before adding simulator movement.

Floor Progression

Use seated floor progression to increase demand and reveal compensations hidden by foot support.

Simulator Progression

Use simulator baseline and left-right display to confirm graded control once movement is established through feel.

Equipment Choice

Use equipment only to improve awareness and control. Choose the least demanding setup that preserves breathing, balance, and movement quality.

Set Up

Choose a firm chair or bench height that allows both feet fully on the floor.
Sit toward the front half of the surface without leaning against a backrest.
Observe natural foot, knee, and thigh organisation before changing anything.
Ask the rider what they feel through both seat bones in the natural starting position.
Where comfortable, bring feet into a matched position beneath knees and reassess seat-bone clarity.
Maintain ribcage over pelvis and keep gluteals and thighs responsive rather than clenched.

Transfer Safety

In ridden transfer, begin at halt in a safe enclosed area, progress gradually, and stop if rider security, horse relaxation, or movement quality decreases.

Method

Key Movement Principle

Isolate each seat bone through a small hip-and-knee glide while staying upright and allowing movement through the pelvis rather than leaning or driving.

Stage 1. Hard-Surface Reference

Observe starting organisation, compare seat-bone feel with hands under seat bones, then match feet and reassess.

Notice one foot or knee forward patterns
Identify seat-bone clarity differences without forcing correction
Keep upper body quiet and ribs organised above pelvis

Stage 2. Hard-Surface Seat-Bone Isolation

Walk one seat bone forwards then backwards, then repeat with small hip-and-knee glides on each side.

No tipping or shoulder displacement
Use light-medium-clearer levels with clean release to centre
Do not push through feet to create the effect

Stage 3. Floor Progression

Repeat seat-bone walking on the floor with legs outstretched to increase demand and reveal hidden compensation.

Keep movement small and controlled
Prevent rocking or pulling through shoulders

Stage 4. Simulator Application

Recreate hard-surface reference at halt, then calibrate left and right seat-bone application with display confirmation.

Use display to confirm control, not chase bigger numbers
Return to centre after each attempt
Maintain independent leg availability

Stage 5. Movement and Transfer

Add walk, then controlled demand and lateral intent while preserving seat-bone clarity, then transfer to horse work.

Avoid driving pelvis as demand rises
Progress to suitable lateral tasks only when control remains
Reassess against baseline before finishing

Stage 6. Peanut-Ball Progression

As an advanced progression, repeat the same hip-and-knee glide while seated on an air-filled or water-filled peanut ball.

Keep movement small and upper body quiet
Use extra sensory input to clarify each seat bone, not increase effort
Stop if rider starts leaning, gripping, or driving

Coaching Cues

Notice where your feet and knees are before you change them.
Feel the two bony points through your hands.
Bring the feet level and notice what changes above.
Keep your ribs organised above your pelvis.
Walk one seat bone forwards, then the other.
Think of the hip and knee on that side gliding forwards together.
Now glide the hip and knee back. How does the seat bone change?
Do not lean towards the side you are trying to find.
Use the seat bone lightly, then release it.
Show small, medium, and clearer application without bigger shoulder movement.
Return to centre without fixing yourself there.

What the Coach Should Observe

Starting Position

One foot or knee further forward, higher, or more rotated
Changes in pelvic organisation after foot matching
Whether rider can distinguish both seat bones clearly

Seat-Bone Isolation

Ability to move each seat bone without tipping
Upper body staying stacked above pelvis
Compensation through shoulders, leg push, or trunk lean

Simulator Organisation

Display response proportional to requested seat-bone level
Clear return to central reference after each aid
Organisation maintained as movement demand increases

Questions for the Rider

What did you notice about your original foot and knee position?
Did matching the feet change how the seat bones felt?
Can you feel each seat bone moving separately?
Which side is easier to move or apply?
Can you feel a difference between light and clearer seat aid?
Can you keep the seat bone while using the leg without gripping?
Does the same organisation remain available in lateral movement?

Before and After Reassessment

Record baseline at halt and walk before intervention, then compare after hard-surface and simulator stages.

Use rider feel, coach observation, and display feedback together to confirm whether seat-bone control improved without compensation.

Success Markers

Rider identifies and distinguishes both seat bones on hard surface.
Rider can isolate seat-bone action with small hip-and-knee glides.
Light, medium, and clearer application can be produced and released.
Display response changes in proportion without whole-body lean.
Rider returns to central reference after each aid.
Ribcage remains organised above pelvis as demand increases.
Seat-bone organisation remains available in turns and lateral intent.

Important Coaching Considerations

Keep hard-surface work brief and stop if discomfort, numbness, or coccyx pressure appears.
Do not confuse equal numbers with quality movement; use movement quality and control as the main measure.
Use hands-on guidance only with clear permission and within scope of practice.
Avoid framing equal left-right loading as a permanent goal in all tasks; riding is dynamic.