The 7-Point Seat: A Rider’s Guide to Understanding, Feeling, and Using Each Point of the Seat
- Loz
- Sep 3
- 11 min read
Updated: Oct 9
Introduction: What is the 7-Point Seat?
Whether you’re a seasoned equestrian or just getting started, you’ve likely heard the phrase “ride from your seat”. But what does that really mean? Some people just think it is your seat bones. For me, it is larger than this. The answer lies in the concept of, what I call, the 7-point seat—a foundational principle for balanced, effective, and harmonious riding. The 7-point seat goes beyond simply sitting in the saddle; it’s about becoming aware of the seven crucial contact points: both seat bones, the ischium (the "rails" of the pelvis), both lesser trochanters (the boney nodule on the inner most side of the femur), and both inner knee bones. Mastering these points transforms your connection with the horse, allowing you to communicate with subtlety and precision.
For men and women our seats are slightly different. Men have a smaller angle between the points of ischium. This means men will only be able to achieve a 6-point seat, whilst a female rider will achieve a 7-point seat. This is due to the fact that the "rails" of the ischium will make contact with the saddle/horses back due to the wider, more open angle here.
I'll unpack seat differences and how this impacts saddle fit and choices. Watch this space!
Breaking Down the 7-Point Seat
Both Seat Bones: These are the base of your pelvis and provide the foundation for your balance. Feeling even weight on both seat bones helps anchor you in the saddle and keeps your posture upright. They are your primary channels for sending forward and lateral signals to the horse.
Ischium or "Rails": The ischium is only in contact in the seat for females. It is the "rails" of the pelvis that connect up via the pubis symphysis (see the above diagram). When gently in contact with the saddle, it encourages a neutral pelvis and helps you follow the movement of the horse’s back without collapsing or tipping forward.
Looking up towards the pelvis - both female and male - with points of contact on saddle/horse in red; the seat bones and "rails" (only seen on the female) Both Lesser Trochanters: Located on the inside of your thighs, these bony prominences help you achieve a deep, stable seat. When relaxed and positioned correctly, your inner thighs can softly wrap around the saddle and horses' side, aiding both security and subtle communication with the horse.
Both Inner Knee Bones: The inside part of each knee acts as a gentle stabiliser. Proper contact with the saddle keeps your leg aligned, helps maintain straightness, and prevents gripping, which can block the horse’s movement.
How Each Point Influences the Horse
Each of the seven points has a unique role in influencing your horse’s balance, movement, and responsiveness. For example, your seat bones send signals for direction and tempo—think of them as the “steering wheels” of your lower body. The "rails", when correctly positioned, helps absorb the movement of the horse, keeping your seat soft and inviting for your horse’s back to swing underneath you. In combination, the "rails" and the seat bones form a triangular, stabilizing foundation for your seat. When correctly aligned (through ensuring you have a neutral spine), they significantly impact your balance and upper body control and stacking. Interesting to note the differences between female and male pelvis' in the above images in this post.
The lesser trochanters are often overlooked, but they play a big role in achieving a “deep seat”—their ability to be felt, soft and "opened" (as in your thigh is rotated and hanging, without tension, so it can be as close as possible to the saddle/horses' side), helps you sit close to the horse without gripping. If you cannot feel your lesser trochanters, this may be a sign of tension in your hips, glutes or thighs! This deep, relaxed contact allows you to influence the horse’s back and hindquarters more effectively. Meanwhile, the inner knee bones act as subtle “guides” that help stabilise your position and keep the horse straight, especially in transitions and turns.
It is important to note, that none of these 7-points of the seat are "gripping" or engaged, rather can only be felt and used correctly when they are softly able to be felt on the saddle/horse in their respective locations on the rider and horses' body. Any gripping in this area means there is tension which will restrict both the horse and rider respectively, and potentially cause discomfort from rubbing (ouchies!). Some tensions from the 7-point seat may be seen when riding: bouncing in the saddle (tight glutes or gripping/pinching knees), horses back arching away from the rider/saddle, horse taking shorter or choppier steps.
Why the 7-Point Seat Matters in Riding
Your 7-point seat is the bridge between you and your horse. It’s the primary tool for transmitting your intentions, creating stability, and supporting your horse’s movement. When your seat is aligned, balanced and effective, your aids are clear and consistent, making for a more comfortable and responsive ride for both you and your horse. Neglecting the seat often leads to miscommunication, tension, and even discomfort for the horse. Simply put: if you want your riding to feel effortless and effective, understanding your seat is essential.
The Role of Core Engagement and Pelvic Position
None of the seat points work effectively without the support of your core. Engaging your abdominal and back muscles creates space for the horse’s back to lift and move. A strong, supple core also helps you absorb motion and maintain alignment, preventing you from collapsing or tipping forward. Think of your pelvis as a fishbowl—when it’s neutral and supported by your core, your seat points distribute evenly, and your aids flow smoothly from your body to your horse.
So, sorry team, but you can't "just sit there" and let the horse do all the work!
Fork Seat / Duck Butt / Arched Back
This is when your fishbowl will spill out the front of you. In riders you will see an arched lower back with the butt out like a duck (hence the term "duck butt"). This puts a lot of sharp weight into the horses back through your "rails" and seat bones (as they will point backwards), and you will notice horses will arch their back away from you. This will also influence the horse to only take shorter steps with its hind legs. Maybe you might feel like you have to "nag" you horse to keep going forward? Or after you ride do you notice some discomfort "down there"? Interesting to notice, as they could be signs your seat might need a tune up.
Tucked Pelvis / Slouched Shoulders
This is when your fishbowl will spill out the back. In riders you will see a "chair seat" and a more rounded lower back. The glutes and butt are tucked right under. This puts a lot more weight on the horses front end and you lose any connections to your seat bones/"rails" to the saddle and the horses back (your seat bones will point forwards, and your tailbone/coccyx takes most of the weight). This will also influence the horse to become heavier in the hand, more on the forehand and less likely to engage from the hind as it is working overtime to keep balanced with extra weight up front. Maybe you feel like you are "holding" your horse in your hands or are told "you are slouching" as the direct consequence of riding with the "tucked under" seat is the upper body slouches to compensate. More interesting things to notice and potentially work on.
Neutral Spine and Pelvis
This is when your fishbowl is balanced and carrying the water. In riders, you will see a shoulder-hip-heel alignment (called stacking) with the horse able to step under themselves in every gait. The rider can balance effectively and stack their body parts to "carry themselves" and influence the horses' movements without tension or bracing in either party. This is the ideal position.
Here's an image to demonstrate how these different seat positions affect the horse's movement. The first row is showing the fork seat and the second is the ideal seat position.
Practical Tips for Feeling and Using Each Seat Point
Wow! Super interesting stuff so far and a lot to un-pack. So how can I better feel or use my various points of the seat?
Seat Bones: At the halt, gently rock side to side to feel both seat bones in contact with the saddle. On the move, pay attention to equal weight distribution to avoid collapsing on one side.
At the walk, your pelvis should move in an equal figure of eight/infinity loop (without dropping unevenly).
Are you in "duck butt" or "tucked under" (feel or look in a mirror) or can you feel both seat bones on the saddle equally?
The "Rails": Imagine a string gently pulling your tailbone down towards the saddle—not pressed hard, just softly resting. This helps you follow the horse’s movement and stay balanced.
Do you feel any tightness in your lower back? This could be a sign that you are not correctly positioned on your "rails". Tip your fishbowl back to neutral and feel your lower back stretch.
Extra deep question to feel through: Is your coccyx sitting more to one side or straight down the middle?
Lesser Trochanters: Allow your inner thighs to make light, even contact with the saddle without squeezing. This “hug” stabilises your seat, especially in sitting trot and canter.
Inner Knee Bones: Keep your knees softly in touch with the saddle, not pinching. This stabilises your lower leg and helps maintain a straight line from shoulder to hip to heel, guiding your horse with subtlety.
Do you have a kneeling feeling in your knees or is there a jump cup there keeping them steady?
Core Engagement: Before asking for any movement, gently activate your abdominal muscles as if you were coughing. This creates space and "suctions" the horse’s back up in a lift and makes your seat lighter and more dynamic.
Can you "suction" your horse up into your 7-point seat?
Riding Aids: Start each aid from your seat—think about initiating transitions, turns, and changes of pace by shifting or weighting your seat points before even contemplating using your legs or reins.
Can you get your horse to turn without the use of any rein aids?
Can you lengthen and shorten the horses' stride with your 7-point seat alone (no leg or rein aids to test this!)?
Elusive Lesser Trochanters
The hardest point of the seat to feel and master the use of properly are the lesser trochanters. Why? As these are hugely dependent on the correct saddle fit for the rider, your anatomical capability and hip joint flexibility. So what can I do to help with this?
I have an excellent off-horse exercise for you! You will need a spikey ball like the image below (for my Aussie peeps, you can purchase one here) - use a tennis ball in lieu of the spikey ball, however, you will get the better effect using the spikey ball:
Find a hard seat or surface you can sit on
Sit here and notice what you can feel
Are there tight muscles?
Is there any twitching or soreness?
Can you feel more of the surface you are sitting on, on one side more than the other?
After you have taken a moment to assess, place the ball under your right-hand seat bone
Sit here, breathe deeply and slowly (allowing your glutes and muscles to relax around the spikey ball)
When you are comfortable, gently roll the ball under you around the right-hand seat bone and muscles (you may feel some tighter areas)
Keep massaging and breathing deeply and slowly (for at least 30-60 seconds)
Repeat steps 3 to 5 on your left-hand seat bone
Once you have done both, place the ball in between the two seat bones (as if you are trying to make the ball disappear)
Just sit and breathe through this part (try to last between 30 and 60 seconds here)
Remove the ball and now ask yourself the same questions from step 2
If there is unevenness return to steps 3 and 5 but only on the tighter side
This exercise can be done any time. My tips for doing it include:
Right before bed (so your muscle memory can work overnight when it has been relaxed)
Just before you go to ride your horse (trust me, you will find this the most beneficial)
I just have my spikey ball in my boot bag, so it is with my all the time for riding
When you get on the horse after completing this little exercise with the spikey ball:
Stay halted, and notice where your seat bones are
Rotate your hip and thigh away from the horse like here (I call this the "move your chunk out of the way" movement)
Internally rotating your thigh to get your lesser trochanters in close contact Now you should be able to start to feel your lesser trochanter on the saddle of the horse
NB: if your saddle is correctly fitted to you and the horse, you won't need to do this! (This is another sign you may need to review your saddle.)
After say one month of doing this exercise and you still cannot feel the lesser trochanter on your saddle/horse, you may need to review your saddle fit or speak with an equine-specialist physiotherapist (in the Canberra region Louise Steinman from Ascent Physiotherapy is my go-to for this) as this may be contributing
Mirroring
Did you know that what your body does, the horse will mirror in its movements? What does this mean?
Each part of your seat is directly connected to the horse:
Human Structure | Horse Structure |
Seat Bones & "Rails" | Pelvis & sacral vertebrae |
Coccyx | Tail (coccygeal vertebrae) |
Lesser Trochanters | Ribcage & thoracic |
Inner Knee Bones | Ribcage & shoulders (scapula) |
This means that your seat can influence how the horse functionally moves by how you can functionally use your seat at the right time and without tension/bracing!
An example, at the walk, you feel that your horse is not moving their ribcage evenly left and right. You identify that the left side in more restricted than the right. This is the side where the horse needs to be "helped" to move the rib cage. So as a rider, how do I influence the "fix" here?
As the horse swings the right hindquarter, you are going to gently apply (think "massage" or even how you might pull a chair to the side) your whole right inner knee bone and thigh and allow your left inner knee bone and thigh to come away slightly (to create space)
This allows the horse room to move the ribcage over on the left side
Tip: if you struggle to identify when the hind leg is in the swing phase at the walk, glance down with your eyes at your horses' shoulders, as the shoulder moves back towards you that is when the opposite hind leg is about to swing forward
You will do this for one or two strides and then go back to neutral to see if your horse can now maintain this at the walk and test for "evenness" in the rib cage swing
You may need to exaggerate your movements at first but as you and the horse get better, this becomes less and less obvious/noticeable
Take care not to engage your glutes or over-tone muscles here (this is a sign you might be doing way too much - again think "massage")!
Depending on the horse this should work, however, like us, they are complex beings with structures that may have compensatory patterns you may need to "unblock" to fully get the ribcage even here (such as movements like shoulder-in etc.). However, this is the first exercise I use to help the horse begin to be even in their functionality and fluidity using your seat. You can even get creative doing this in a 4-loop serpentine:
This is just one example of how you can use parts of your 7-point seat to influence the horses' motions. There are many more ways to use your seat. I will start unpacking this in future posts so keep an eye out.
Why Not the 9-Point Seat?
Some people may ask "your calf may be considered part of the seat, so why not a 9-point seat"? The reason I don't include the calf in the seat is it is not in constant contact with the horse/saddle. The calf should only be applied when you ask for certain movements - in an on-off mechanism such as forward. Therefore, I chose the 7-point seat with the parts of the human body that are in constant contact with the horse/saddle.
Using the analogy of a car, your seat is like the gears (and clutch if manual), and the calf is the accelerator.
Conclusion: Mastering the Seat for Better Riding
The 7-point seat is more than just a checklist of anatomy—it’s the heart of effective, feel-based riding. By tuning into each of these contact points, engaging your core, and learning to use your seat as the primary source of aids, you’ll discover a new level of partnership with your horse. Remember, the best riders aren’t those who rely on force or gadgets—they’re the ones who communicate clearly through their seat (which is relaxed but toned when needing to move with the horse or influence the horse). So, next time you saddle up, take a moment to feel each of your seven points and let your riding flow from the seat up. Happy riding!
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