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to help slow him down? And is there anyposition you can move into that will helpkeep you in the saddle until you are able toget things back under control?The answers to these questions is YES!This may be the first time in your life thatsomeone has actually found a good use forthose extra pounds we are all carryingaround! This is where the defensive seatcomes in. For the sake of explanation Iwill divide the rider in half, at the waistline.riding on the vertiCAl lineIn a normal riding position, you coulddraw a vertical line from the rider%u2019s ear,through his shoulder, through the point ofhip and through the back of the heel. Thisis considered a normal riding position formost styles of riding.the uPPer bodyRemembering that I have divided therider in half at the waist, by moving theupper body %u201cahead of the vertical line%u201dthe rider%u2019s weight is shifted forward, offthe horse%u2019s back, and this changes thehorse%u2019s center of gravity. This is the position that you see jockeys ride during arace, jumping riders assume when goingover a fence and it is also used whenclimbing hills. In this position, you aremaking it easier for the horse to speed upand engage his hindquarters.Although this is a great technique forhelping your horse speed up or get over afence, assuming the %u201cahead of the vertical%u201dposition with your upper body will spell disaster if you are trying to stop a runaway. Bygetting ahead of the vertical, your entireupper body is now in the way of your reins(brakes). In addition, you will be bouncingaround like a jack hammer, which will forceyou to focus on nothing more than stayingon, leaving no room for effective debugging.Additionally, by moving your upper body%u201cahead of the vertical,%u201d you have taken thatweight off the horse%u2019s back and actuallymade it easier for him to move forward.So, how do we use our body to slowdown the runaway? By moving yourupper body %u201cbehind the vertical line.%u201d Inthis case, you maximize the amount ofyour body weight over the driving end ofthe horse%u2019s body and in the process, createa wind break with your upper body whichincreases the work load on the horse, making it harder for him to continue running.As with a rear wheel drive car, if I put 150pounds of weight in the trunk, not only isit harder for the car to speed up, it also increases traction, because I am pushing theback end down onto the surface of theroad. This is the same principal with thehorse, and this is the first step in developing your defensive seat.In addition to helping slow down thehorse, getting %u201cbehind the vertical line%u201dalso positions your seat into the deepestpart of the saddle, making you more secure. In this position, the rider can stopworrying about falling off and insteadfocus on stopping the horse.Many of the skills in your bag of debugging tools will be helpful in a variety of situations. For example, the behind thevertical position is not only good for slowing down your horse, it is also very helpful if you are going downhill. Not onlywill it help you feel more secure on theway down the hill, it will also help yourhorse keep his footing.the loWer bodyNow that I have discussed the variouspositions for the upper body, let%u2019s focus onthe lower body. Again, the normal ridingposition will allow you to draw a verticalline from the ear, through the shoulder, hipand heel. An easy exercise that will helpyou better understand the lower body position can be done in the saddle at a halt.Have someone at your horse%u2019s head tokeep him from walking off with you.Now, stand straight up in your stirrups,bringing your seat out of the saddle. Ifyou are on the vertical, this should be assimple as standing up from a chair. Moveyour foot and lower leg ahead of the vertical and watch what happens. Immediately, your body plops down into thesaddle and your upper body assumed the%u201cbehind the vertical%u201d position.42 Arizona Horse Connection July, 2026 $('&%$#\#ffl'%u0003 fl