Without an independent seat, a rider is merely “hanging on” with legs or reins, becoming a burden and desensitizing the horse to the aids. An independent seat allows the rider to move fluidly, give clear, concise aids, and is the key to success with riding! Here's how to develop one!
Since the various available lateral movements all work to supple the horse's body in a slightly different way, it is a good idea to use bits of all of them in your training. Don't just do your favorites.
The rider who keeps their weight too far forward at the gallop will cause their horse to gallop on the forehand. When the rider's weight (center of gravity) is correctly above the center of the saddle at the gallop, the horse will be able to more easily gallop
When you have an anxious horse that wants to rush, it can be helpful to very deliberately work in a tempo that is much slower than they are naturally offering you. Only when they have settled into a quiet, even rhythm, and are truly waiting for you, should you push
You will spend much more time galloping than you will actually jumping when out on cross country. Learning how to gallop well on uneven terrain will help to keep your horse sound, as well as make for successful jumping.