Sitting trot

[Horsesaddle]

when you lot startted to ride how were you taught to do it ?

last night we had a diff instructor and she said to do if u were a plateof jelly or a bag of taties*potates*

I used to be good at trotting but now i go up to high when i do troting why?

shall i do jumping instead?? have a a race life proctor now

[Marmite]

In sitting trot, im always told to relax my lower back, and to let your hips move with the horse, but to stay sat up straight. Oh, an to keep my legs relaxed as this helps relax you into the rhythm.

I would keep on with the flat work as this helps with balance in jumping too.

[Horsesaddle]

Thanks how many more flat work lessons should i do before we can get to jump ?

[Sammii]

I can't really reply on the sitting trot because i'm not an expert myself so...

As for the rising trot. There are a number of reasons why you could be rising too high. Have you got your stirrups at the right length? When you're on the ground they should be the length roughly from your fingertips to your armpit. Or if you are mounted, take your feet out of your stirrups and they should come to your ankle bone.

If they are the right length then you should let the movement of your horses' trot and rise out of the saddle when they 'bounce' you out and as they bring theirself together you sit. It's easier to rise properly if you follow the movement of your horse's outside leg.

As it comes forward off the ground you do the same out of the saddle. As it puts it on the floor you sit down, do what it does and you should be fine :)

[Horsesaddle]

stirrups are the right height still trying to get the rieins sorted but i m slowly getting it right

[Marmite]

IMO, so long as you can trot well, canter well, and keep balanced and in rhythm, you're ready to do some jumping. So really it depends on where you're up to on all those things.

[Horsesaddle]

yeah i do trot and canter just i never seem to fullfill my wish of jumping :(

[Marmite]

I don't think popping over a small cross would hurt! Ask on your next lesson.

[Samsky]

I would not consider jumping with anyone who cannot canter competantly without stirrups.

[vimto92]

I would not consider jumping with anyone who cannot canter competantly without stirrups.

Gosh, really? Why? For balance issues?

Ive jumped and Im petrified at the thought of stirrupless work... also saw a nasty accident while stirrupless so.... :o

[Samsky]

Yes mainly for balance issues.Much the same as i wouldnt let anyone canter until they can trot safely without stirrups.I feel it helps you sit deeper in the saddle and feel much more secure.Also should you lose a stirrup whilst cantering,jumping etc,if you've done plenty of work without,its not such a major issue.

[JamesJackson]

Yes mainly for balance issues.Much the same as i wouldnt let anyone canter until they can trot safely without stirrups.

I was talking to an instructor about that (secure trot before canter, not the stirrupless bit), and her point was that the majority of falls when beginners canter (if they fall, that is) are on the downwards transition as if they aren't confident in trot they go from this nice smooth pace that's actually pretty easy to ride to to a bumpy thing that bounces them off if they have rubbish balance.

Stirrupless work can do wonders for your leg position, let alone balance...

[ajhainey]

I was talking to an instructor about that (secure trot before canter, not the stirrupless bit), and her point was that the majority of falls when beginners canter (if they fall, that is) are on the downwards transition as if they aren't confident in trot they go from this nice smooth pace that's actually pretty easy to ride to to a bumpy thing that bounces them off if they have rubbish balance.

Theres always the forward seat downwards transition :D It does depend on the horse too - could sit forever on some, if they made me wait till I could sit to all without stirrups we'd still be doing half school trot! I'm not a fan of holding people till they have each move perfect before moving on, the odd 12" crosspole is useful - stops jumping becoming a big thing! Ask your instructor if you can have a go horsesaddle. Don't ask, don't get is my theory. aj xx

[SupaTania]

I was walking groundpoles my first lesson, and once i could trot decently, I was trotting over them, and over TEEENNY TINNNNYYY crosspoles. It certainly took the fear out of jumping, since it became a normal part of a lesson.

[sheryl]

I would say to Horsesaddle, don't rush yourself. Wait until you feel secure yourself before jumping. My daughter was in a hurry to jump. I felt she wasn't ready but she knows best:rolleyes: . She ended up being catapulted off! Luckily she wasn't hurt, but it really knocked her confidence for a while. Definately try lots of work without stirrups, and establish your seat. If you've got a good seat, it goes a long way.
Its not a good idea for the pony to jump with a rider who's not ready yet either. You could end up jabbing him in the mouth, or crashing back down hard on his back.
Just be careful and not too hasty. Sometimes a fall can put people off for good.
Good luck and have fun!

[raingodz]

I would not consider jumping with anyone who cannot canter competantly without stirrups.
This is an interesting idea, I started jumping a the end of last year, but only managed to canter without stirrups last month (although I had two failed attempts in February - faild due to lack of confidance on my part).

Initialy jumping was just trotting over crosspoles, and I have yet to go over 2ft.

[stormchaser]

I agree with Samsky... I did a lot of canter without stirrups (it's easier than trotting without stirrups--trust me!), so confidance and balance issues are more or less sorted. I started popping over a few cross poles, and it helps a lot if I lost a stirrup (which can be quite often if you're new to jumping).

[vimto92]

when you lot startted to ride how were you taught to do it ?
First of all, in my lessons we dont do that much sitting trot, just for transitions.... but like I haven't actually been taught if you know what I mean, I just go with the flow!:p


I used to be good at trotting but now i go up to high when i do troting why?
You must be thinking about it too much!;) Remember to keep it controlled. Your stirrups should be at around your ankle bone length when your foot is out of the stirrup and leg stretched down.:)


shall i do jumping instead?? have a a race life proctor now
Jumping really is great... but no good without basic flatwork.... and thats what rising trot is.... as is sitting trot.

[Kacey_Baby]

You need to make sure your stirrups are the right length as everyone else has said:) When i was taught to trot my RI would tell me 2 count 1, 2. You rise on the 1 and sit on the 2;) It actually really helped me alot and kind of relaxed me:p You only have to rise a little bit out of the saddle and try not to think about it to much, eventually it will come naturally to you:) and as for jumping i wouldnt say that's the best thing to do until you actually feel ready! As for sitting trot its just a case of relaxing and going with the horses rhythm;)

Love Heather x x x

[Bay Mare]

when you lot startted to ride how were you taught to do it ?

last night we had a diff instructor and she said to do if u were a plateof jelly or a bag of taties*potates*

Get a different instructor! You need to be taught how to absorb the movement through your back rather than sit like a plate of jelly/bag of potatoes :eek: All that will do is to throw you around and make you bounce which can make the horse hollow away from you which goes on to make the whole thing even worse.

Read the 'Kinder Way' section of this website. If you find that helpful then have a look at the library articles on EE (http://www.enlightenedequitation.com). The Enlightened Equitation book is also very good for explaining how to absorb the movement in all paces.


shall i do jumping instead??

I'm not going to get into the whole "when should I start jumping" thing. I think that you should have a balanced seat and control of your body before you start jumping if not for your sake then for your horse's sake.

Personally I would persevere with learning to sit correctly. A good basic position, a good seat and good balance will make jumping easier for your and you'll be less likely to take a tumble. I'd rather take time to learn the basics than go onto the more exciting things before I'm ready. You only have to go back and relearn things later if you don't do them properly to start with AND if you have good basics then the more difficult stuff is so much easier when you come to do it.

[Purple Hugs]

Yes mainly for balance issues.Much the same as i wouldnt let anyone canter until they can trot safely without stirrups.I feel it helps you sit deeper in the saddle and feel much more secure.Also should you lose a stirrup whilst cantering,jumping etc,if you've done plenty of work without,its not such a major issue.
I'm glad to read you say this! ;)
I'm a year into lessons now and as i can't sit to trot well - despite working on this... I am not allowed to canter yet...

I have 'jumped' a fun day height, but nothing more. it was more like trotting over poles really. I'm happy trotting over poles it has to be said, and do this well.

More sitting trot is the order of my next few months! :rolleyes: :p

[entreat]

I tried jumping before I could trot properly... you fall off A LOT!

I can't really sit-trot properly as I haven't really had many lessons. What I do know is that you should take it a few strides at a time... so sit for 4 strides, rise four, sit four, rise four, and then build it up more. I had a HORRID woman for my first ARC lesson - she threatened to take my stirrups away for putting in a couple of rises even though neither myself, now my pony had done ST before. I could feel his back harden against me & it made me smack harder into teh saddle. She never told us how, "Just do it!!"

[alpha1]

It's all in the knees - think about it. If you are without stirrups you can't lock your kness, so you use your hips to flex with the horse and so you have to lean back (cos you cant flex when you are leant forward in a semi-foetal crouch)

So with stirrups lean back and let your knees ( and I guess your ankles alittle bit) flex with the horse.

It's knees that are really the answer in all balance sports (+ confidence)

[Bay Mare]

You shouldn't lean back either as it locks your back so that you can't absorb the movement correctly. You do see quite a few dressage riders doing it on the big moving warmbloods but it isn't correct. You should still try to maintain the correct riding position.

It's knees that are really the answer in all balance sports

I don't understand how knees are the answer in sitting trot? Can you explain as I don't get what you mean :)

[nelle]

I've been riding for 18 months, walk, trot and canter - not really jumping though, but I wasn't happy with my basic position so am having a series of lessons on a lunge to sort my lower leg position and balance out.

I think people get too caught up in the "what should I be able to do after this many months of riding" thing. If you need to go back a stage to work through problems I don't see the harm in that especially if it makes you a better rider in the long run.

It is frustrating, believe me I know, but take your time and enjoy each tiny achievement.:)

[Bay Mare]

I think people get too caught up in the "what should I be able to do after this many months of riding" thing. If you need to go back a stage to work through problems I don't see the harm in that especially if it makes you a better rider in the long run.

Well said, that is the attitude that I wish everyone would have :) Much better for the rider and the horse :D Good luck with your riding x

[stick2000]

I'm still trying to get the knack of sitting trot (have been riding for 3 mths). I can canter ok but haven't tried without stirrups yet.

I attempted a jump for the first time the other week and did fine. I went over a few times then highered it a bit to 2 foot and all went well.

I fell off twice in succession when learning to canter and was hobbling for a week but it hasn't put me off.