I need help!!!!!

[Ludmilla]

I've been riding now for about three months and I love it.I was riding Cara and managed to get the sitting trot.Very smooth and so much fun.Now I am riding Barney.He is incredible and such a generous horse ! My problem is that his trot is Very VERY bouncy and I can't sit to it easily at all.I won't be allowed to canter until I can master the sitting trot on him .Any advice will be soooo welcome as I really really want to canter on Barney.He's a dream
Thank you .!

[Georgia]

Ride him as much as you can! Might sem hard but no stirrups or bareback will do your balance and seat the world of good and you will find siting trot alot easier!

[Tootsie4U]

Ask your instructor for a longe line lesson. This way you dont have to worry about steering him or keeping him going. You can solely concentrate on your seat!

Take your feet out of your stirrups (sometimes we subconsciously push on the stirrups and therefore push us out of the saddle) and let them hang. Do this at the walk & trot until you get the idea of how it is supposed to feel.

I had one longe line lesson after about 3 months of riding with the same problem. After the longe lesson, both me and my instructor could see a major change in my seat- try it , I bet it will work!!

[Ludmilla]

I find that I have to push down on the stirrups somewhat because if I don't The trot is sooo bouncy that my feet will come right out of them and I am a little more out of control .My instructor has me sit to trot and stop and then sit to trot and stop .She said this is how I will get it right but I'm not getting the connection here.Thank you so much for the help !

[FreedomStar]

It is much easier to sit the trot with really long stirrups, or no stirrups at all. It helps to find your center of balance. Keep trying. Sit up and don't slouch. Try to relax your lower body, and don't grip with your knees or else you'll come bouncing right back up again.

[Peace]

Have you tried rocking your hips forward with the shock as the horse's feet hit the ground? You'll want to move only your hips - no motion above the waist! And it's a really quick movement. Roll the tops of your hipbones forward with the shock, then quickly back to a straight position, then forward again with the next shock.

I had to learn sitting trot on a "horse with square wheels," and this was the only way I found to absorb the motion.

Longer stirrups might help, too. I was riding western at the time, and stirrups are usually longer riding western than english.