Disabled novice rider seeks advice about the trot

[ladytinewen]

Hi I am a disabled novice rider and I’m having a few problems, particularly with the trot.

I have general pain and weakness in my legs. I can however move them when I need to, i.e. I can grip the horse quite easily when instructed. I do have good balance and upper strength.

I am having a lot of problems with the trot and any help and advice would be most gladly appreciated!

We tried the sitting trot last week and again today. I felt as though I was close to bouncing out of the saddle and I really struggled to retain my seat. I have difficulty understanding if I should grip with my knees, how to move with the horse and how to keep my balance. I didn’t feel as though I was going to fall off the horse but I felt quite unsteady and unsure nevertheless.

Today we tried a few steps of the rising trot and again I had real difficulty understanding how to move with the horse in order to maintain the correct posture and balance. My instructor told me to try to stand in the stirrups as the horse came down and to sit gently back down as the horse rose again. I really struggled to stand in the stirrups and a lengthy repetition of this would be both uncomfortable and tiring for me. I was also told to try and keep my shoulders still, and this also proved very difficult because as I tried to stand in the stirrups my balance was thrown off. Is there any other way in which I could achieve the upward movement with out trying to stand in the stirrups?

I also didn’t understand how far I am supposed to rise from the saddle, am I supposed to leave it completely? Or am I supposed to pull/rock my hips forward, if so could anyone explain to me how to achieve this and me how far I should go?

I realise that I can’t try to run before I can walk and I really don’t expect to be an expert after only 4 lessons! But I feel as though my confidence was shaken slightly and feel as though I would be surer of my self in future if I knew what was expected of me and how to achieve it. I really do want to learn to become a competent rider, not only for my health but also because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and I really have been enjoying my lessons.

any help anyone can give me really would be most appreciated, thanks once again.

debbie

[BackintheSaddle]

I volunteer at a barn for special needs riders, and a lot of our students have low (or none at all ) mucle tone in the legs and lower trunk.

In rising trot, we try to focus not on the idea of going up and down, but of swinging the hips forward when you feel the horse pushing you up out of the saddle. If you can stand next to you kitchen counter, place you feet shoulder width apart, and then bend your knees until they touch the cabinets. This is approximately your position in the saddle. Now, without moving your knees, swing your pelvis forward towards the counter. You're posting! Not so much an UP-down-Up-down as a swing forward sit back. Upper body stays nice and tall, looking where you're going, legs quiet (remember how your knees stayed against the cabinets!). Just a nice, rhythmic one-two, one-two. I would try for just a few balanced strides, then back to walk.

The kitchen counter exercise seems to keep our students from swinging their legs around and heaving themselves a foot out of the saddle. Also, they can practice at home.

Hope that helps some.

[galadriel]

Rising trot is simply allowing the horse to push you out of the saddle, then seating yourself gently. The practiced rider should be able to do it as well stirrupless as with stirrups (which is to say, you shouldn't be relying on the stirrups to stand up).

There's more discussion here:
http://lorienstable.com/articles/riding/400-trotting/

Heather Moffet has some excellent advice about sitting trot in the "Kinder Way" section here on Newrider:
http://www.newrider.com/Kinder_Way/The_Paces/sitting_trot.html

Good luck.

[Harry Hobbes]

BackintheSaddle's description is exactly the thing to do. With that movement you are not "rising" and "sitting"; rather you are posting forward and back, which when in time with the horse's trot, becomes a very smooth and easy movement. The horse's natural movement sends your hips forward to post. (The sensation is that of "sliding" forward and back along the surface of the saddle towards the pommel.)

In addition, you should be gripping the saddle lightly with the inside of your thighs, rather than knees and lower leg. The "pivot point" for the post is your inner thigh, just an inch or so above your knees (as if you were riding bareback). And rather than putting your heels down, think "toes up" in the stirrups.

After hours or days of practice, and you get good with that forward and back movement, you will notice that when you post and look forward at the horizon, there will be no up and down movement of your head and eyes. In other words, your shoulders and head are steady and not rising and falling while posting (and your lower leg will be steady), and your view of the horizon does not rise and fall; because all of the movement is in your hips going forward and back, rather than up and down.

Best regards,
Harry

[Wally]

Send Monty a PM, she might be able to give you some very interesting first hand experiences.

[horseXgirl_]

Your legs might need to get a little bit stronger, since its only your 4th lesson, and you can do that from continuing to ride. When you rise, you watch the horse's shoulder that is closest to the wall, and kind of stand up in your stirrups while that shoulder goes up. then, you sit back down. :)
Myabe your just finding the sitting trot bumpy because of the horse? One of my horses has the most bumpy, uncomfortable trot,and i feel like i am bouncing every where when I am sitting it. Then the other one's trot just feels so comfy. Thats all i can thinkn of to maybe help you :P

[Silvia]

I'm a disabled rider too and the good news is - rising trot doesn't take that much strength in the legs, it's mostly about balance. Try on a straight line and only for a few strides and maybe hold onto the saddle at first. You need to move your hips forward and lift your bum out of the saddle so that you only just leave it. Backinthesaddle's advice sums it up very well. Don't worry if it takes you a while to get the hang of it. Everybody bounces about at the beginning - although it is usually more painful for us than for the able bodied riders. ;)
I find sitting trot a lot harder than rising because you need to tilt your pelvis in time with the horse's movement and there is no way of escaping the bounce. (I have a dodgy leg and poor balance).Don't grip yith your knees because that will block the movement of your hips and force your lower leg away from the horse.
HorseXgirl is right about some horses having a smoother trot than others - so you might ask your instructor if she has a less bouncy one that is suitable for you to ride until you get more practise.
It sounds like you are doing very well, being able to trot after only four lessons. It took me nearly two years before I could manage to rise the trot!
Enjoy your riding!

[FreedomStar]

well, i'd suggest finding out if someone could lead you round or have your instructor lunge you at the trot so that you don't have to worry about steering the horse straight while you focus on the trot. that's what we do at the program I volunteer for. we just have halters and leads on the horses, and the bridles over that so the kids can hang onto the reins and steer the horses themselves.

[ladytinewen]

You’ve all been really helpful thank you for the kind responses.