my sitting trot is wayyy off ! ):

[obsessions]

im always get yelled at when my instructor tells me to do sitting trot. i cant bring myself to ' sit gracefully ' ,as what my instructor calls it. i hope you guys can help me by re-comfirming with me where my legs and hands should be. i'll really appreciate it. thanks ! (:

[gingerbreadman]

Hello sorry to hear you having bother with your trot.

I used to be a nightmare at this !! i looked so stiff and used to make my instructor angry !!

Anyway if you imagine an up and down motion as you would with rising trot, and try to do the same when sitting imagine one movement slightly different to the other, otherwise you end up bouncing up on every move !! Say up and down to yourself when doing it. (no dirty comments please!!)

Hope this helps, try to keep your arms relaxed too dont grip on too tight to the reins this only pulls you forward

tina

[obsessions]

hey tina ! (: thanks for your reply. will try to bear your suggestion in mind the next time i ride :D thanks a whooooooole lot ! (:

[gingerbreadman]

No problem anytime, good luck !

[AJB]

dont try to sit to the trot till the horse is loose in its back is a good start, make sure you have worked in catner on both riens and the horse will be more supple. Before you take sitting trot take a deep deep breath and let it out gently as you sit to the trot, helps you to relax as you need to kind of sbsorb the movement of the trot otherwise you bounce about all over the place!!!...can you get a lesson on the lunge or bareback is even better..that will sort your seat out!!!

[obsessions]

hey AJB ! (: thanks for your reply ! :D

[Tangle]

Have you read Heather Moffet's "Kinder Way" section (there's a link on the right to it)? That has a really good description of how you should absorb the trot action using your back, allowing you the "appearance" of sitting "still".

(and if it's any consolation, on a new horse one of my hands can still usually be found welded to the pommel :o - and I've been riding over a year :o :o)

[Wally]

If you read HEather Moffett's book it will help you a huge amount.

It might look as if it goes into a lot of detail for the more advanced rider but ignor that bit untilo you need to do it.

What it says applies to all riders of all levels. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Get a copy and happy reading.

Sitting trot is probably the most difficult thing to do well. relaxing is only a tiny part of it....in fact there is little relaxing in it, to do a good sitting trot takes a HUGE muscular affort on the part of the rider and it can only be done for any length of time if you work up slowly to it. To learn sitting trot you should start with only 5 or 6 steps at a time, not a single circuit of the school until your muscle tone and reactions can cope with it.

Feel your seat bones, how they rock at walk then as the horse goes into trot grow tall, lift your rib cage and chest up and grow tall again, let your bum rock on your seat bones forward then back to upright again. Suck in your belly button but with no tension, light poise is what is required, imagin your self getting lighter and lighter, not heavier and heavier.

[lynz+ollie]

hmmm, this is a hard one to get through and the only way i can think of is loadsa no- stirrup work, arrrgh, i can feel the pain now, at first they do make u ache a bit, but its probs cos you never used them mustles that way before, but it will get easier to do this and sitting trot will to

[Luv 2 Trot]

Hi.

I remember hating the sitting trot. My instructor would have me do it without stirrups. It seemed to help. When i picked them bac up, i only bounced a little, and each time i did it without the stirrups, i get better at it. U should give it a go!


Luv 2 Trot

[MI Horsey]

Yup, I agree , diffinatly try without stirrups . It's really scary at first but the rewards are well worth it !!!!
Dani

[4_white_socks]

As has been said already - try some stirrupless work. Practice sitting trot and rising if you can do it. This will help develop muscles and will be useful for sitting trot with stirrups. With sitting trot without stirrups, try to stay as still as you can, while moving with the horse at the same time. Then try putting your stirrups back and attempt the same thing you did before, only with your legs slightly bent as normal. What Wally said was great advice, give that a go. The more you practice the easier it'll be.

I would also recommend riding bareback. This not only helps with keeping your legs long, but it helps your balance tremendously. If you have more balance, you should find it easier to balance in sitting trot, etc. It's worth it.

[kgj66]

When doing sitting trot you should make sure you dont try and hold on with your knee as that makes you bounce about a lot.

Try, before you start to trot lifting your whole leg of the saddle and moving it back, that will put it in the right postition.

then you will find easier to sit to the trot. if u feel very bouncy try holding onto the mane or saddle to steady yourself,this will make you feel more relaxed and you wont stiffen up as much.

[Walkerlover]

All I can say is sit deep in to the saddle and keep your toes up that way you are balancing better and If that doesn't help just think taht the horse moves its butt left and right so just say to your self left right left right...then you will do better.

Hope I could help
-Walkerlover:)

[Samsky]

Remember the taller you sit,the deeper you'll sit in the saddle.My guess would be that as you are unsure of sitting trot you are tensing up and possibly tipping forwards.This would make it much bouncier and uncomfortable for you and the horse/pony.

[Scarlett 001]

I think everyone has touched on the points I would have said, such as:

- lunge work at sitting trot so you can really focus on it - and lots of it!!!
- sitting trot with no stirrups makes a difference
- sitting upright - there is a real tendency for some people to slump the shoulders/upper body in sitting trot and it throws everything off
- not pinching with the knees - relax the knee area while maintaining contact with the lower leg - this really improved my posting trot too!
- I find I am better if I just relax and don't think too much about it while doing it - if I think too much, then I tense up - I am trying just to go with the flow of the horse a bit more

[imabrit_us]

One thing that really helped me was feeling the horses hips/bottom moving and allowing my hips to move w/ them . . . so it's not just a vertical motion but your hips also rock forward slightly . . . each hip makes a small upward and forward motion as the horse steps under w/ the corresponding hind leg.

Loads of sitting trot w/out stirrups will certainly help (and everyone here is right that you shouldn't hesitate to hold on), but it also helped me alot to have the instructor call out left and right as the horse stepped under with the corresponding legs . . . really helped me learn to "feel" the stride and go w/ the movement.

N

[Nicole5310]

OMG!
This is one of the hardest things to learn because it all comes down to feel. However you will only ever find sitting trot smooth and comfortable if your horse is a) either just jogging along not going anywhere or b) really working through the back in an outline . Obviously you will be aiming for the second one. If the horse is a big moving dressage type then it is unlikely youll be able to sit until it is working. But if its a normal kind horse that you are learning on you can learn to sit it may just take a lot of physical effort. Take note of what the others say because once you get your position you will be able to influence your horse in its way of going so much better. Good luck and happy riding!

[easyhorsecare]

Sitting trot - ouch -. Some horses are easier to do it on than others, depending on their action.
In walk first, take your stirrups away and then keeping your correct leg position lift your legs away from the saddle until your seatbones are the only part in contact with the saddle.
Yes, quite painful, and only try for a couple of seconds at a time, and try one leg at a time if too hard as it is a hard exercise to do.
Not recommended for beginners!!
When you have mastered it in the walk now try the trot, but keep your reins in one hand and the other on the pommel.
A great way to really stretch your inner thighs and pull you deeper into the saddle.
Happy riding
From Tracy