Many riders make the mistake of thinking too much about how their knees contact the saddle. In fact, your knees don’t have to be in contact with the saddle at all! While good saddle position dictates that certain parts of your leg should be in contact with the saddle, your knees aren’t one of them.
In fact, most riders would have to contort themselves into a very uncomfortable position for their knees to touch the saddle. So instead of thinking about your knees, think about your inner calves and thighs. Because these are the areas of your leg that should be touching the saddle!
If your inner thighs and inner calves are touching the saddle, your knees are pointing forward, and your toes are under your knees, your knee position—in fact your leg position—is just fine!
For some riders, their knees point so far out to the sides that it’s impossible for the insides of the thighs and calves to touch the saddle. Instead, the backs of the calves touch the saddle. In this case, the knees are too far from the saddle. But trying to force them closer will only cause problems with your position, balance, comfort level, and ability to communicate with your horse. Your knees and hips will feel strained, and eventually your lower back will suffer the consequences as well.
But wait a minute. I’m telling you not to force your knees closer to the saddle at the same time I’m telling you that your knees need to be closer to the saddle.
That’s because the answer to getting your knees closer to the saddle doesn’t really lie in your knees. It lies in your hips. That’s right. Tightness in the hips, and the inability to rotate the hips inward, results in knees that are too far from the saddle? But don’t worry. There’s a relatively quick fix to this rider problem. You need to get your hips loose and limber. Since this is a common problem with both male and female riders, chances are your riding instructor will have some exercises designed to limber you up. That being said, exercises don’t need to be horse specific. A yoga, stretching, or Pilates class attended once a week will do wonders when it comes to loosening you up!
If you think you have loose hips and your knees are still poking out—check the fit of your pants. It sounds silly, but pants that are too tight make good leg position almost impossible. You’ll be surprised at what a little lycra can do for your leg position! You also might want to consider your knee rolls. Some riders like fat ones, others like thin ones—it’s all a matter of preference and body type. If they are adjustable move them around a bit until they are in a position that helps you—or at least doesn’t interfere.
