I train my horses to be responsive to seat commands. Horses aren't just born knowing this, it is something that you have to train them to understand. When I was younger I had people tell me to use my seat to control the horses speed or to ask them to stop etc and I would try but my horse wouldn't listen. I used to get so upset as I thought that my horse (Toby) was just ignoring me and being rude. However no one ever told me that it was something that had to be trained and if they didn't have that taught to them already then I actually needed to teach him that.
Once I discovered how to teach them these commands my life became a whole lot easier!
I will give you an example of using your seat to stop the horse. I deepen my seat by rolling my pelvis more than usual so it is a distinct aid for them. Then I will immediately follow that with the rein commands for stop. I remain consistent every single time I ask the horse to stop. Eventually through repetition your horse will know that the drop in the seat means that we are going to stop. That is a super brief explanation of the process. If you are wanting more information don't hesitate to reach out or you can sign up to our Dream Team that is opening up soon which will have so much help and training for you!
Happy Riding!