Sit Trot

[Maci]

I feel so silly posting this question, as I have helped others with the same question! I use to be able to sit trot, but the last few rides, it has all fallen apart!

Before, I could sit trot perfectly; I could absorb the horse's movement so it's comfortable, and I was doing everything right! But now, I don't know what happened, but I can't do it anymore!! It's like I've lost that part of riding knowledge! Everytime I sit trot, the horse goes down to a walk, or if it's not that, it's so bumpy and uncomfortable!

Any Idea's?
It'll Come Back To Me Someday, But In The Mean Time....
Thanks!
Maci :)

[showjumper13]

When you try too hard, you bounce even more, so just try relaxing and going with the motion. Try to sit back and on your seat bones, so you'll be able to really absorb the motion. Concentrate on relaxing your muscles, keeping your heels comfortably down, and keeping the trot. You don't want a fast trot, because the faster the trot is, the harder it is to sit. You want an average trot with lots of energy. Good luck!

[DavidH]

Hi,
From what you said about the horse going back to walk as you try sitting trot is a good clue to what is going wrong.
Chances are you are tensing the cheeks of your bum and upper thigh in an attempt to hold yourself in the saddle. Tighening your bum cheeks is actually a command to the horse to perform a downward transition ie from trot to walk or canter to trot. This is not a trained reflex, rather a natural one which all horses will respond to (can be sharpened with schooling. Try to go from walk straight in to sitting trot and completely relax your body, taking away your stirrups may help but only if you feel confident about doing so. Have a friend in the school with you and talk constantly about anything other than riding whilst try sitting trot, let your body takeover.
Good luck and don't try too hard!

[Emmaa]

Hi Maci! Sounds like you have the same prob I had. I used to be able to sit trot, then when I rode another horse it was hard. Anywho, heres my idea of what you can do. When you feel the horses movement slow down, squeeze with your legs, to keep him/her going, and/or go into a rise and trot to let the horse know you want to continue trotting. If this doesn't help, then, if neccessary get a crop and hit his/her rear end. Well, hope this helps! good luck with the sit trot!
Emmaa

[intouch]

A simple but valuable exercise for getting your position right at trot - rising trot for seven strides, standing in the stirrups for seven then sitting for seven. Keep it up till it bgins to feel comfortable - it will! Get your balance at standing trot and the lower leg should be in the correct position, keep it there.
Don't try to do sitting trot for more than a few strides at a time. Think about your tummy trying to catch up with the horse's withers. And don't forget the horse moves from side to side as well as up and down - think about the horse's movement, let yourself follow it. Hope this helps!

[Heather]

I think that I have probably said this in the Kinder Way to Ride section on sitting trot, but do lots of transitions from walk to trot, and back to walk. The first few strides of trot are always of better quality, the hoose is more likely to have the back up and rounder under you which will always make it easier to sit to. The longer you go on, the more the quality sunsides, if you start to bounce, the horse boards his back up against you and makes the trot harder than ever to sit to- a vicious circle in other words.


So, do no more than six or eight strides of trot, back to walk, just a couple of walk strides, back to trot. Keep the trot slowish and fairly soft at this stage, don't push on. After a few sessions you will be able to gradually increase the number of steps, perhaps two or so at a time. You will find that in time, you will be able to do sitting trot for as long as you need to with ease. Build up gradually and don't try to do too much at once!


Heather