Trotting on ponies!

[Drummers mum]

I have put a thread on training of the rider about keeping your leg still when trotting and Galadriel suggested I ask you lot!! So heres the link!
http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?p=550923#post550923

[alwaysfallingof]

Ha! Yes, when pony power trots, my legs swing backwards and forwards as though I'm running.
I've been told to spend lots of time trying to stand to trot, so then obviously they can't swing about so much. Also try and *really* focus on dropping your weight through into your heels. Couldn't tell you why that helps, but it seems to! :)
Sorry if I've just stated the obvious :o

[Drummers mum]

Mine move as I rise and sit (as well as the power troting problem!! :o )

I think I may need to try to keep my lower leg back and underneath me more but I am trying soooooooo hard!!

Standing works but I can't trot like that forever! :rolleyes:

Eeeeeeek! :p

[shoniedaspony]

try keep your legs closer to the ponys body, yes difficult is you have a pony because it means your legs may disappear around the barrel somewhat, but then it makes you think about your leg position more as you can feel motion against them when they move. As for stopping them swinging, standing in stirrups is good as it will build up your leg muscles (forgotten what its called when the muscles are used not to move anywhere...static something) to stay still, which will hopefully help them maintain that when you are rising too.

Also make sure you are not tipping forwards when you rise as this would cause your lower leg to swing in response to upper body movement.

Power trots are a devil, the pony i ride has a driving power trot which means bareback trotting is hysterical, and i can barely breathe from having to rise so quickly. Slow the trot down using your seat, you need impulsion but if you have a slower trot you have more time to think about keeping legs still than constantly up-down-up-down?

good luck, trotting is still a spectacle as i get bombed off with round the arena, although we are getting much better at control!

[cvb]

Hah - freshly armed from Mark Rashid clinic and video...

When the horse/pony moves, the barrel of his body swings to and fro to allow the hind leg to step forward and under. Your body should and will follow that swing.

But then you might have other movement as well - and I'm not sure from your description whether you have the purely natural movement - which just shows up more with an adult on a pony ?

or e.g. if you "brace" against the stirrup to get the rise, (or to absorb the movement when you sit), then your legs will move in and out as you rise ?

If you are rising crooked, your legs may swing ? e.g. if one hip advances more than the other ? (there is a twist to the rise).

and so on and so forth....

[Drummers mum]

:confused: I didn't understand a word of that cvb, can you explain some more?

I've just read it again and I kind of see. Can I email you my vid so you can look? Its only 23 seconds!

And anyone else who wants to help or is there somewhere I can put it so you can all see?

[cvb]

Aw shucks - you mean you haven't read and memorised the various notes from the clinics ? ;)

From my own notes Each step the horse takes, their barrel swings, to the side, allowing the hind foot room to step through. As the horse’s barrel and hips moves, the rider’s hips will be moved as well.

In trot, we have a two time pace with diagonal pairs of legs (unless they are pacing ;) ). So - as the near fore and off hind come forward, the horse's barrel is going to swing to the left - which makes space for the off-hind to move in to.

Now - you're sitting on top of this "swing". So its going to move your hips.

If you read the Heather Moffett pages, I believe she talks about the hips drawing a figure 8 shape in the air. Like you are cycling backwards :cool:

As the off/right hind comes forward and the rib cage swings away, your right hip is going to drop and move forward. As it hits the ground and the left hind lifts off and start to come forward, your right hip will lift and start to circle back, and your left hip will drop and start to cycle/circle foward...

Now - back to the start again with right hind coming through... barrel has swung to left - whats gonna happen to your right leg ? It will follow the horse's ribs in, and your left leg will get "pushed" out by the barrel moving out on that side..

so far so good ?

Now - on a pony, an adult rider often has the lower leg away from the horse's side. So its likely that the upper leg will follow this swing and sway, but the lower leg will not move quite as much...

is that the kind of swing and movement you get ?

[Mehitabel]

rising trot with no stirrups is a good one - then you make sure you're not pushing off the stirrups and pushing your leg away from the side of the pony. also standing in your stirrups to make sure that you are balanced and in control of where your body is.

[Drummers mum]

CVB: I'm not sure! I'm trying to upload my vid to show you!

[cvb]

am at a course tomorrow am, so don't panic too much about getting the vid up ;)

Also, a lot is about your own awareness of whats going on - what we can see is not always what you are feeling :p

[notpoodle]

half my calves are hanging in thin air (longish stirrups because i always feel like im on a catapult if theyre any shorter, ahem) and have a habit of shooting forward when the trot gets erratic, resulting in me doing an armchair-impression :rolleyes:

will try out all these tips!!

julia
x

[NoviceNic]

DrummersMum - I too have been having problems with my legs. Anyway started my lessons up again and my instructor shortened my stirrups. Apparently I was riding too long. It made a lot of difference. This may be of some use to you. Of course it may not but I thought it would be worth mentioning. :)

[Drummers mum]

Actually, its funny you should say that. After reading an artical in Your Horse, I took my stirrups up a hole and it really helped my position! Wouldn't want to go any shorter though, I would feel perched!

[notpoodle]

hm last time i had a lesson instructor said stirrups were fine :rolleyes: might try it up a hole though, just to see what happens :)

julia
x

[Drummers mum]

Lol, don't fall off!!! :p

I'm going to ask my instructor about my legs, I've got a lesson coming up!

[notpoodle]

hehe i can really see myself just bouncing upwards and shooting right over the horse like on an ejector seat :D

julia
x

[Drummers mum]

CVB, I couldn't upload the vid, I tried!

I have re read what Mark says but I'm still not sure, I think it might be right for my sitting trot but in rising, I think its something I'm doing!

[*Rachel_George*]

I also have the same problem but its only occured when I ride smaller ponies.

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