10/11/2024
Hip angles matter!
George Morris, top left, became well known for saying "More hip angle" at his clinics. In his picture he demonstrates a perfect Balanced or Fort Riley Seat jumping position. His feet are on the girth and "home" in the stirrups, just like the right picture of a US Cavalryman.
That right picture was posted in the comments of this page by a woman who sadly, I do not remember her name. She said that this picture is "uncle Eddie". Morris learned his jumping position, that won him international competition acclaim, from Gordon Wright, a former Fort Riley riding instructor.
The top center image is of show jumping Hall of Fame rider Michael Matz. Note that he is on the balls of his feet in order to add the additional flexibility of the ankle joint. Additionally, his feet are somewhat behind the girth or "back on the pegs", as motorcycle riders say, to help absorb the power of large stadium jumps.
These two changes to the original Fort Riley Seat are civilian adaptations for stadium jumping where there are no terrain changes. Note that all the top images riders are not leaning on their horse's necks in a crest release, and thus can follow the movement of their horses' heads and necks over a jump.
The bottom row of images shows riders jumping with their hands on the neck in a crest release, a jumping position that Morris eventually promoted. These riders have far less hip angle. Their feet have slid well behind the girth resulting in a very unathletic position.
When you see a tennis player waiting for a serve, or a linebacker waiting for the play in crouched athletic positions, you see a very agile stance, ready for movement in any direction. This is the basic athletic position for all sports that we also see in the Balanced or Fort Riley position.
Riders stretched out over the horse neck, as in the bottom row, are not athletically ready for movement in any direction. Their jumping positions are vulnerable and unsafe due to their extended hip angles. Quick changes in direction from their horses could put them on the ground. Perhaps this is why Morris constantly can be seen in his clinic videos yelling "More hip angle". Leaning on the neck makes establishing a proper hip angle, and thus a balanced position, more difficult and more dangerous.
