Advise needed on how to get my son to do rise and trot?

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molehill

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My son has been riding for several years now,but still cant/wont do rise and trot.
He can do sitting trot,and he can canter,even does a full days hunting on lead rein,but just cant seem to master rise and trot.
I am at my wits end in trying to get him to achive this.Has anyone got any suggestions on how i should be encouraging,teaching him?Exersises etc?
Some days he seems like he can do it,other days not.Im not sure if he is beiong lazy about the whole thing,or really cant do it.
Im really not wanting to take him to have riding lessons as he has his own horse(who he really does enjoy,and loves to pieces) due to finances being spent else where.
Any help please?!
 
Will he stand up and sit down in halt and walk? I used to do this with my disabled and very young riders and then just ask the pony to trot [ usually on the lunge] then when they lose it , I asked for walk and repeated the exercise.
Don't worry about it though he can probably do a better sitting trot than most of us and that is all the Spanish Riding School do!
 
incentives... 'rise to the tot for 30 counts and you can have a happy meal!' or to that effect.

Also, get him to sing silly songs to the beat and rise on certain words.
EG Humpty dumpty.. making him rise every time he hears HUMPTY.

Make it fun, gymkanah games, rising to reach for stuff in walk is still a help.

Do not force it.. youll knock it more..

If all else fails.. Nothing says he has to rise to trot..

Lou x
 
Don't know if it helps but I used to make a kind of game with it, saying up down as I ran around with daughter on pony. At one stage she thought ponies were called up downs!!
 
when i worked at a riding school, i led the horse round the arena. Depending on how established the rider was i would hold their leg so they didnt fall.
I would ask them to stand up and sit down, then make the horse trot. i would then keep saying stand. sit, stand, sit all the way round till they got it right.
Nickie
 
what part does he struggle with? Balance? I used to teach kids to ride, only the basics really. They start off holding on to the saddle with both hands, with whoever is teaching saying 'up down up down' in time with the horse. Then progress to one hand holding on, concentrating on keeping other hand with rein in right position. This takes a bit longer for them to pick up. They then take other hand off for short times, gradually increasing. If they struggle to keep in a rhythm, it helps if they themselves say 'up, down, up down' in a regular rhythm.

As far as exercises go, from the first few lessons we got them standing in their stirrups for a min or so. Start off holding on with one hand, then let go and stay balanced for as long as they can- arms out to the sides.

They can then progress to doing this in walk on the lunge on a quiet pony.

These should help build up leg strength and balance and rhythm. I dont know what else to suggest - ive never had a problem with a child getting this. One was doing no holding on rising trot at 3 hehe. Maybe he just doesn't see the reason? have you asked him if he cant do it or just doesn't want to?

If we had kids that didnt see the point we told them if they didn't it hurt the ponies backs, as bouncing all over the place would!

Hope you sort it, i'm sure lots more people on here have better advice than me, but that regime worked for dozens of kids i taught the basics to.
 
You say your son has been riding for several years now How old is he?
confused.gif
 
We had someone like your son at the RS where I work, she was brilliant inc canter, had the best sitting trot of anyone else her age but just couldn't master rising trot. So we put her on a pony known to be incredibly bouncy! this natural bounce meant she quickly learnt and when put back on other pony could do rising trot!
 
He is 11,and he has been riding on and off since he was 3.Unbelievable i know!
He has a couple of really nasty falls,that have knocked his confidence badly,and im wondering if he finds sitting tightly to a horse gives him more confidence.His pony was really awful,and used to buck for england,so didnt do much off the lead rein.I now have an absolute saint of a horse for him,and his confidence is growing,to the point were he hacks out with me off lead rein around the local woods.
Its just so frustrating that i cant get him to rise to the trot,as he seems to be improving other wise.
 
simple balence exercizes in walk on the lunge, eg heads shoulders knees and toes, airoplanes arms etc them try get him to get more balence in a trot doing these excercizes. to help him get his balence a bit more. then try counting him 1 and 2 for up and down.
it worked for mee!!!! hoope it help you!
 
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His horse now is very bouncy in the trot,so maybe its just time,and me not pushing?

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lunging him, maybe with a bit of time with no stirrups??? just to get the rhythm. We do head shoulders knees toes, duck under the imaginary tree! touch your toes.
 
Can you not get a freelance instructor in to give him a few lessons? They may be able to get him to do as they'll have loads of ideas and they won't be related. I think it's very difficult to teach or be taught by people close to you. An AI will not cost the earth.
 
Maybe time to get an instructor who he may well listen to more than he will you. Sorry no offence but children will listen and try for a stranger who they think know better. A bit like they think their teachers know everything and we know nothing just because the teacher says so. Invest in just a few lessons.
 
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Im really not wanting to take him to have riding lessons as he has his own horse(who he really does enjoy,and loves to pieces) due to finances being spent else where.

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Is he in the pony club? Our PC have group lessons (usually 4 or 5 in a group) and it only costs £5 for an hour.
 
I couldnt let him take his horse in a group lesson,as although he is a good horse for Jake to learn on,he does kick other horses.TBH Jake doesnt want to be in pony club.
No offence taken Flowerlady,i know exactly were you are coming from!
 
Get a good freelance instructor in, you go right away during the lesson and let him work through it with someone totally independent. It's almost certainly just a mental block and he's probably a bit embarressed to get it wron in front of you/people he knows
 
He,he,he,he Applechaff!!!
So you are suggesting that just give it time,and it will happen as it will be that much more pain free!!!
 
I have had this problem a few times. I have taught lots of beginners over the years (riding school & RDA) and had one lass who just wouldn't try and a few nervous riders who couldn't for various reasons. I could suggest two things:

Run along side with your hand on his hip/coat or even under his bottom - this isn't recommended for other people's children obviously - and gently push him up but also keep hold and cushion the sitting down so he doesn't feel shoved up and left to drop down. This way he gets the rythym and feeling.

Alternately, if your horse is well-behaved, ride alongside and hold his elbow and gently lift him in time to his horse (not yours!). Harder to do perhaps, but could do it just for a few strides.

Or, as Nailed said, don't worry about it. He is a boy, he is cantering and enjoying ridng, I would be happy at that! I think that you are right - his initial loss of confidence has meant he is happier wrapping his legs round the horse, so don't make an issue of it, try the above now and again and wait and see for the next few months.
 
I remember learning to do riding trot and we used to have our reins taken away and then put our arms out to the side or hold onto the pommel and learn to rise and sit, otherwise you just lose balance. We also used to listen for the ponies feet on the road and rise for 'clip' and sit for 'clop'. Good luck anyway hope he gets there!
 
I'd be amazed if it didn't! J has got to the stage in eventing where he will have to do his test in sitting trot and is not looking forward to it
tongue.gif
 
my daugfhter is learning rising trot too and i get her to stand up and sit down in halt to help her get the right position. not thrwing legs forward or back or falling forward. then do it in walk. then trot. up! down! up! down! up! down! up! down! up! down! up! down!
 
I think his leg is in a correct position from what i can remember.I dont think his lower leg is flying forward.
If it is what do you think about using those straps that go from the stirrups to the girth(sorry cant remeber what thay are called)
 
Hi,

I used to to help out at a riding school when I was younger and thus taught a few small children on the lead rein. I have not read all the posts, so please ignore me if I am repeating myself or have got the wrond idea on your post.... but I have found the best way to teach a small child to rise to the trot is to just get them to stand up in their stirrups! So rather then saying or encouraging them to stand up and down, just get them to stand up (they will of course fall down quite shortly) but you could make it fun and say try and stand up for a whole 3 seconds or something. Once they can stand up, they can sit down and so on and so forth...! This really does work quite well and quickly, so to reiterate, just try and get your son to stand up - that's it. When he has mastered this and can stand for a few beats get him to sit and then stand for a further couple of beats etc.
Goodluck.x
 
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