Flossy is well known to many on the British Dressage Forum as a teller of interesting stories and perhaps the odd joke or two. We have selected a few tales for your pleasure.

Good seat and good teaching

Good riders has few distinctive characteristics.
Not in a particular order they are talent, knowledge, experience and a good seat. (in some cases the lack of some or all of these characteristics can be compensated by having a wealthy dad or husband).
The roll of a good trainer is to establish and further develop these characteristics in his students.
A senior trainer, over a glass of wine, once offered me some insight into the length that trainers take in developing these elements in dressage riders, according to him talent you are born with, by the time the juveniles students come to him they already have all the knowledge and experience required to be a top riders so the only thing left for the trainer to focus on is the SEAT.
If the training location happened to be in some European country the job is pretty straight forward, the foundation is there and all what is needed is few pointers in the right direction. For the unfortunate trainer having to work in an Anglo Saxon environment there are some natural obstacles that makes the job of developing a dressage seat in ones student as hard as climbing mount Everest on a rainy day.
The Anglo Saxons has been genetically modified to have two kinds of riding postures, the classically forward position of egg laying seat or the old fashion Jerok's hunting posture , the in the middle compromise of upright position with a supple slightly tilting forward pelvis with relax thighs and legs is as objectionable to the Anglo Saxons as cold Haggis to the French.
In the old days this could and was easily dealt with , a good trainer will demonstrate the correct posture by displaying his pelvis skills to be copied on or off the horse, with couple of louds shouts that will shake even the most resisting of students into the right position and if necessary few physical probes in the right places will clarify to the student where and how to sit themselves in the saddle.
Modern times brought changes to the accepted teaching styles and with it the job of developing a correct dressage seat so much harder. Raising ones voice is no longer an option , look how I do it is considered un dignified or humiliating to the student and as to physical prodding or pushing only those that want an extended holiday courtesy of her Majesty prison service will go down that route.
All what is left is an imaginative clever use of words to deliver information and effect an improvement, where is that mount Everest ?.
This Senior Trainer relayed to me how he was confronted with the frustrating job of creating a connection between one dressage Divas nether parts and her 3k Amigo saddle, her interpretation of the deep supple seat was a gap as wide as the channel tunnel between herself and the saddle with stiff gripping knees as straight as a show jumping pole.
After 45 minutes of repeatedly requesting this Diva to lower her posterior into the deepest part of the saddle with the result of her assuming a tucked under bottom as if on a deck chair or the perfect two point contact position with the reins as a balancing water skiing rope.
Out of frustration this Senior Trainer resorted to an emotional and descriptive words that will leave the student no doubt what is a classically correct dressage seat “IT IS THE HAIRY AND FAIRY PART OF YOUR ANATOMY THAT SHOULD BE IN CONTACT WITH THE SADDLE” he shouted as loud as he could, the dressage Diva looked a little taken back and then replied “you want me to wrap my ARM PITS around the saddle”