The Problem With Chasing The Perfect Position

There is a phrase riders hear from the very beginning.

“Get into position.”

And from that moment on, many riders spend years trying to achieve it.

Shoulders back.

Heels down.

Sit tall.

Elbows bent.

Leg long.

Hands still.

And while none of those things are wrong, I sometimes wonder if the riding world has become a little too obsessed with the picture.

Because if we’re not careful, we can spend so much time trying to create a position that we forget to ask a more important question:

What allows that position to exist in the first place?

The Photo Problem

I think most riders know this experience.

You see a photo of yourself riding.

Maybe it’s from a lesson, a competition, or a friend standing at the arena fence.

And immediately your eyes go to what’s wrong.

One shoulder looks higher.

Your leg has drifted forward.

Your hands aren’t where you wanted them.

Your head is tilted.

Your back isn’t as straight as you imagined.

And the natural response is to think:

“I need to fix that.”

So the next ride becomes an attempt to hold yourself differently.

And often it works.

For a few minutes.

Then somehow, despite your best intentions, the body returns to its old habits.

The shoulder lifts again.

The leg moves.

The seat shifts.

The same patterns return.

Not because you’re lazy.

Not because you aren’t trying.

But because the body always returns to what it can currently support.

The Position Is Not The Problem

This is where I think many riders get stuck.

They focus on the symptom instead of the cause.

If the shoulder keeps rounding, perhaps the question isn’t:

“How do I keep my shoulders back?”

Perhaps it’s:

“Why does my body keep bringing them forward?”

If the leg won’t stay still, perhaps the question isn’t:

“How do I stop it moving?”

Perhaps it’s:

“Why does it need to move in the first place?”

Those are very different conversations.

Because the first approach is about control.

The second approach is about understanding.

And understanding usually leads to longer-lasting change.

What Horses Actually Feel

The interesting thing is that horses don’t really experience us the way we experience ourselves.

They don’t see a photograph.

They don’t care whether our heel is exactly three degrees lower.

They don’t analyse whether our elbow angle is perfect.

What they feel is movement.

They feel balance.

They feel tension.

They feel timing.

They feel whether the rider is moving with them or against them.

A rider can look beautiful in a still photograph and feel restrictive to the horse.

And a rider can look slightly unconventional and feel wonderful to ride underneath.

Because horses experience function.

Not perfection.

Why Great Riders Don’t All Look The Same

If you spend enough time watching elite riders, something becomes obvious.

They don’t all ride the same way.

They don’t all have the same build.

The same posture.

The same proportions.

The same position.

Some are taller.

Some are shorter.

Some sit more upright.

Some appear softer through the upper body.

And yet they can all ride beautifully.

Why?

Because what makes them effective isn’t that they’ve all achieved the exact same picture.

It’s that they’ve developed bodies capable of organising themselves around movement.

Their position is not being held together by effort alone.

It’s supported by balance, coordination, strength, mobility, timing, and thousands of hours of practice.

The position is the outcome.

Not the goal.

The Cost Of Trying Too Hard

One of the things I’ve noticed over the years is that riders who care deeply often work incredibly hard.

Sometimes too hard.

They are constantly correcting.

Constantly adjusting.

Constantly trying to improve.

And while that dedication is admirable, it can sometimes create a different problem.

The body becomes busy.

Instead of moving freely, it starts managing itself.

Holding.

Controlling.

Monitoring.

Correcting.

And ironically, the pursuit of the perfect position can sometimes make riders less available to movement.

Because riding was never meant to be static.

It’s a conversation between two moving bodies.

A dance that changes with every stride.

What Creates Beautiful Position?

So if we stop chasing the picture, what should we focus on instead?

I think the answer is surprisingly simple.

Build the qualities that allow good position to emerge naturally.

Better balance.

Better mobility.

Better stability.

Better awareness.

Better coordination.

A body that can absorb movement without gripping.

A body that can stabilise without bracing.

A body that can stay organised without holding everything together.

Because when those things improve, position often improves alongside them.

Not because you’re forcing it.

But because the body finally has the resources to create it.

The Goal Was Never Perfection

Perhaps this is the thing worth remembering.

The goal was never a perfect position.

The goal was always effective communication.

Connection.

Harmony.

Balance.

The position is simply one expression of those things.

And sometimes the biggest breakthroughs happen not when we try harder to look right…

but when we start building a body that can move better.

Because when the body functions well, good position often stops feeling like something you have to hold.

And starts becoming something that simply appears.

Where To Begin

If you’ve spent years trying to create a better position through willpower alone, perhaps it’s time to stop focusing on the position itself.

Because often the things riders are trying to fix in the saddle are simply symptoms of something happening underneath.

A lack of mobility.

A lack of stability.

A lack of support.

Not because the rider is doing anything wrong, but because the body doesn’t yet have the resources to consistently create what the rider is asking for.

That’s exactly why I created Dressage Rider Training.

The Hip Suppleness Program helps riders restore movement where restriction has quietly crept in over time.

The Strength Roadmap helps build the support, balance, and stability that allows good position to emerge naturally rather than being constantly held together through effort.

Because the goal isn’t to force yourself into the perfect position.

The goal is to build a body that can move, balance, and organise itself so well that good position becomes the natural consequence.

And when that happens, riding often starts to feel a whole lot easier.