“Suctioning” the Inner Thigh: The Delicate Art of Lifting Your Horse’s Back to Your Seat

One of the most misunderstood — yet quietly powerful — rider aids is the use of the inner thigh. Not gripping. Not clamping. Not squeezing. But suctioning.

This idea can sound strange until you’ve felt it: a gentle, controlled drawing‑in of the upper inner thighs (where your thighs meet your saddle near your groin) that invites your horse’s back to rise and connect with your seat.

Think of it like this: Imagine you are trying to lift your riding glove off your opposite hand using only the soft inner line of your palms. You’re not pulling. You’re not hauling. You’re barely even touching —yet there is a whisper of upward intention. This is the same approach with our inner thighs.

That whisper is enough to change the horse underneath you.

Why “Suctioning” Works (and Why Clamping Doesn’t)

Most riders, when told to “engage the thigh,” immediately believe they must grip. But gripping actually does the opposite of what we want:

• It tightens the hip flexors

• It blocks the seat

• It pins the horse’s back down

• It makes the horse hollow instead of lifting

True inner thigh work is tonal, not forceful. It is supportive, not restrictive. It has the quiet intention of lifting the horse’s ribcage and back up towards your seat bones, not locking it down.

When done correctly, the horse responds by:

• softening the long back muscles

• engaging the abdominal sling

• relaxing the topline

• lifting the thoracic cage

• stepping more under from behind

And all of this creates a stronger, clearer connection with your 7‑Point Seat — the foundation of balance, alignment and influence you’ve already explored on Lagoballo.

The ‘Glove Lift’ Analogy: Your New Best Friend

Picture this clearly: You rest your gloved hand gently on top of the other. Now try to lift that glove without using your fingers to clasp or grip at all… only now you translate this to your inner thighs. (You can even try this on a gym ball at home! You know when you are doing it correctly when you can suction the ball up and there is no light/gap between you and the ball... be careful not to grip/clamp doing this. It is a fine line!)

It’s not a big movement. It’s not visible. Your knees don’t move. Your hips don’t tighten. Your body doesn’t shift or brace. It's almost like suctioning a big beach ball/gym ball up into your groin.

Instead:

✔ the upper inner thigh makes soft contact

✔ it creates a suction‑like tone

✔ the muscles draw up and in

✔ the pelvis widens and softens

✔ the core responds without force

✔ take note not to engage your butt/glutes for this though! (Oh yes, welcome to independent seats peoples!)

That delicate intention is what your horse feels. That is what invites their back to rise.

Not a grip. Not a clamp. A lift.

How It Connects to the 7‑Point Seat

Your 7‑Point Seat acts like an anchor — a stable, elastic baseline of communication. Your thighs act like the side rails that guide, cradle and support that connection.

When all seven points are balanced and your thigh suction activates:

• your seat becomes more stable

• your pelvis stays open

• your core stays elastic, not braced

• your leg aids become more refined

• your hands can soften

• your horse can step up into the seat instead of falling away from it

In other words, the suctioning thigh is what helps close the circuit between your seat and your horse’s back.

Why the Aid Must Be Delicate

The horse’s ability to lift the back is incredibly sensitive. Too much pressure and they brace. Too much grip and they hollow. Too much tension and they tighten their own ribcage.

The inner thigh cue must feel like:

• velvet

• breath

• intention

• not force

This is why “suctioning” captures it perfectly. It’s gentle adhesion, not pressure. It’s influence, not command.

And when combined with your balanced 7‑Point Seat, it becomes one of the most subtle yet transformative aids in riding.

How to Practise the Suction Aid

Here’s a simple exercise:

1. Sit in the saddle (or on a gym ball too in front of a mirror) and let your thighs completely drape.

2. Imagine the inner side of your thigh has a feather between it and the saddle.

3. Without tightening your hips, gently draw the inner thighs upward, like lifting your glove.

4. Notice your seat widen, not narrow.

5. Notice your pelvis soften, not freeze.

6. Notice your horse’s back respond with a slight lift or swing.

If the horse slows, doesn’t respond, or hollows, check yourself: You’re probably gripping instead of suctioning.

The Beauty of Subtlety

The more educated you become as a rider, the more you realise this truth: The horse’s back doesn’t lift from big cues. It lifts from feel. It lifts from softness. It lifts from the aids you whisper, not shout.

And the inner thigh suction is one of those whispering aids — small in appearance, powerful in effect, essential in refinement.

Hope this visual/feeling analogy helps you in some way. Let me know how you go if you try it out!