Using legs while @ rising trot

[DorsetMartin]

Happy New Year fellow riders!
I'm wondering if any of you have any tips for me. The horses I'm getting for my lessons are great but have minds of their own & have trouble staying on the track. I can manage to keep them on track @ a walk but have problems when doing rising trot. It's too much to handle & I'm scared I'm going to come off. When I try to use my leg I stop rising & go into sitting trot & my teacher tells me to keep rising. Her next lesson is always waiting so I never really get a chance to ask her what I can do.

[HoRsE ChIcK]

Happy New Year!!!!!

This sounds like more of a confidence issue then anything. Before you start your rising trot, take a deep breath, and think to yourself, or even say out loud " I can do this, this horse IS GOING to stay on the track!" Then just be confident, and every time you sit down in the saddle, say squeeze, and with your inside leg give the horse a little squeeze. Then while your posting, you should be going sit and squeeze, post and release, sit and squeeze, post and release. When ever you sit, squeeze, and when you post, take your leg off slightly, just enough that it is still on the horses side firmly, but isnt actually IN their side.

I hope this helps, and good luck!

[nutkin]

remember to look to where you are going. I presume that as you are struggling to keep the horse moving forward in a trot you may be unwittingly looking down as you are concentrating on when you need to squeeze. Also remember to keep your reins at an even length or again the horse will go off track in the direction that he thinks you are asking him to go in.You do not need to squeeze with every sit. It depends on how forward going the horse you are riding is. Maybe the horse you are riding is a little to forward going for you as you are afraid that you may fall off. If that is the case then dont squeeze every time you sit. Ask the horse for trot and squeeze with each sit untill the horse is going at the speed you want then just rise for a few strides without squeezing and only squeeze again if the horse starts to slow down a little. I hope i havent confused you with my answer too much.

[Laetitia]

Try to relax and go with the rythm of the horse, he'll put you up as he goes along, and squeeze if you need to keep the impulsion.
I fancy some school horses might tend to cut corners so its not that easy to keep to where you want to go. Don't worry it will come, and you certainly will not fall off. L