Trouble with sitting the trot??

Question

I've been riding for almost 6 years now but I still can't seem to master the sitting trot! I don't bounce that much but I envy my classmates who can sit perfectly in the trot at total ease. Help? (ps. i ride english)

Answer 1

To absorb the impact of the trot, whilst sitting, you must be able to relax through the length of your leg (including your hip) and allow your back to grow tall but not stiffen. You will only feel confident to relax to the movement of the trot as your balance develops. Click the link for some great exercises to improve your balance when riding:
http://www.meredithmanor.com/features/articles/faith/exercises.asp

Answer 2

A good exercise that my instructor uses a lot is to drop my stirrups, and put my reins into my outside hand and then put my inside hand (just the fingers; not the whole palm) under the pommel of the saddle. Pick up a sitting trot without your stirrups, and pull yourself into your seat. relax your leg, and don't pinch with your knee. Try to keep the same pressure on your hand consistent, especially around the corners. As you get tired, your leg will get relaxed and your heel and entire leg will fall into place. When you feel you have done that for a good time, pick up your stirrups again and keep the sitting trot, with your hand still under the pommel. Your stirrups will feel short, but don't change anything; keep your leg relaxed as if you didn't have stirrups. Sitting trots are hard, so be sure to practice a lot! You'll get it eventually :)

Answer 3

Make sure that your horse is actually in a slow enough trot to be sitting it and not in a rising trot. Have someone video tape you before you try and change what you are already doing. You may in fact be doing everything perfect and changing what you shouldn't could harm you more than help you.
Also- I think every rider goes through what you are. Try not paying attention to the other riders and focus on your riding and breathing. For all you know the other riders in your class may be looking at you and wishing they rode the sitting trot just as well as you.
Good luck and try not to be so hard on yourself.

Answer 4

Ahh the ever dreaded sitting trot. I learned to ride on an old quarter horse, who was the best horse I've ever had (we still have him), but bless his heart he had the bumpiest trot ever. I always envied the other riders and their smooth as glass horses. It's going to take some work on your part and on your horses. You should get with a qualified trainer and work on your horses trot. Also lengthen your stirrups (or if you're brave take them off). This will allow your body to naturally streach down and move more with your horse than off your stirrups. I also recomend, if you have a round pen, have your trainer lunge you with no stirrups, and.... dun dun dun... blindfolded. It will make you rely on your body's feelings and your connection to your horse. I know it's scary at first but it will help you imensly. And if you ever plan to ride at a college level, you'd better learn how. Day one they took away our saddles and bridles, that afternoon they took our eyes too. But it will make you a much better rider. Just always wear your helmet!!!

Answer 5

Ah, the tricky sitting trot. The bane of most english riders existance! Mwahahahahahahaha!!

Okay, seriously. I can relate to your problem, but I've just found the ultimate solution and surprise! It works! I recently bought the book, How Your Horse Wants You To Ride by Gincy Self Bucklin. She explains that when your leg muscles tense up they become hard, instead of soft and they do not absorb the shock from the bouncy trot. That is why the more you try to "hold on" and grip with your legs the more you seem to bounce and lose control of yourself. BUT, if you were to relax your leg muscles enough to allow them to absorb the shock of the trot, then your own weight will keep you in your seat on the saddle and likewise, your own weight will distribute itself down your leg, keeping your heels down.

In addition to keeping your legs relaxed enough to absorb shock, your lower back has to work like a spring with your hip. Don't lock your hip, let it flex with the motion of your horse (once you master letting your hip flex with your horse's motion you can then start controlling the movement to make it appear more controlled and fluid, like you would your posting). Don't lean back too much, but just enough to feel all your weight in your seat bones and make sure your weight is even. If you feel uneven pressure on your seat bones, then you're not sitting even with equal weight in between.

It is very important that you breathe while doing this exercise. If you hold your breath, which you may not even be aware that you're doing it, your leg muscles will immediately start tensing up. It's our own body's natural reaction, but you have to train your body otherwise. I would only concentrate on my breathing while doing this exercise and that would leave my brain unable to focus on my legs and position, but my inner ear would automatically adjust my balance and stay centered. Look up as well to give your brain and inner ear a focal point to balance on.

It sounds so simple doesn't it? Well, the catch is, you have to really work on your balance. If you master your balance, you can master the sitting trot with minimal effort and you will probably end up looking better at the sit trot than those girls you envy, plus you won't have to slow your horse down to a jog to make it easier (which is cheating anyways), so you'll score more points with a judge. Start without stirrups to make it easier on you (you won't have to worry about keeping your stirrups in place).

Good luck!
~Jenn

Answer 6

At the posting trot your horse trots faster, but in the sitting trot your horse trots slower. Almost like a shuffling trot. Tightening your legs around your horse will only make him go faster and make it nearly impossible to sit to the trot. Lean back slightly and don't put a lot of pressure into your stirrups, relax and don't watch the other riders. But mostly you might try to slow down your horse if he is trotting too quickly.

Answer 7

I had the same problem. I solved it by leaning back. I learned to lean back in the saddle and let my lower half feel like jello. Hope this helps!

Answer 8

I ride western but just try to hold your legs tight around the horse and if you need to just ask someone in your class to help you. Im sure one of them will help you!

Answer 9

Natasha is spot on.
Also, try to relax your pelvis and lower back to "flow through" with the movement.
..relax, relax, relax....
and have fun!

Answer 10

You have to be able to control the muscles in your leg and keep them tight.

Good luck, practice makes perfect.