Horse with a BIG trot

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ShireMum25

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I rode from the ages of 8-15 then had a break after an incident. I started riding again at 34. I’m 35 now. I always wanted to one day own a shire horse. I purchased one and she is amazing, 19hh, perfect temperament and brilliant to control. VERY responsive and sensitive to the leg. I tried to trot her the other day and OMG! I felt like it was the first time I had ever ridden a horse. So bouncy. My rhythm didn’t align at all and was nothing to what I’m used to. I came off and had a cry because I just felt rubbish and useless and am worried that I’m not going to be able to ride her.. will I get used to it? When doing rising trot do you rise quicker with a big horse? My hands were flailing I felt unsteady it was bad and I never feel like that but I’ve been used to riding 16hh.

Any tips would be appreciated
TIA
 
Welcome to the forum.


Let the horse throw you up and work only on controlling the sit back into the saddle.

A 19 hand shire is a bold choice after a 20 year break, I would also get a good instructor.

Did you try her when you bought her?
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I had similar with the last horse I bought. A 17.3 I old fashioned big boned ID x TB. MY mare who I had retired was only about 16.1. The new boy was quite short backed and had a very extravagant high bouncy trot. Perhaps not the best choice for a 70 year old with two dodgy hips! I hated it for the first 2 or 3 weeks but I soon got used to it, with a bit of schooling in the field (nothing fancy) getting him to extend a bit more helped. That was my fault not his, he knew full well how to extend nicely from his previous owner who was a much better and younger rider than me. We quickly got there though and he was very soon my favourite most comfortable ride.

Like ycbm said, try and let him just sort of bounce you up with no effort from you and just try to control the downwards body movement. And also shorten your stirrups as Amymay said will help. I quite enjoyed it in the end as we couldn't half cover some ground at a nice pace in a comfortable but forward trot. Good luck! :)
 
Many years ago I spent a summer riding a Shire for someone, she was lovely but very green and unbalanced to start with. Like yours she had a big trot and her stride speed was slow to allow her to make the length - I used to laugh and say "up, have a cup of tes, down read the paper!" because there really did feel like there was that much time compared to my pony! I would suggest a neck strap loosely tied to a D ring that you can pop a couple of fingers in to keep your hands steady and then relax and go with her rhythym, you don't need to deliberately rise. If she's calm enough to let you then do a few strides then come back to walk, gradually increasing the number as you feel more secure. If your legs are wobbling around then shorten your stirrups, but not too much or you'll be popped outof the saddle by the hind leg.

Does anyone else ride her? It might be useful to watch so you can see how she moves and the speed of her step.
 
ycbm said:
Welcome to the forum.


Let the horse throw you up and work only on controlling the sit back into the saddle.

A 19 hand shire is a bold choice after a 20 year break, I would also get a good instructor.

Did you try her when you bought her?
.
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I did but we didn’t trot it was windy and raining and I had my horse goggles on and fell in love lol
 
Nari said:
Many years ago I spent a summer riding a Shire for someone, she was lovely but very green and unbalanced to start with. Like yours she had a big trot and her stride speed was slow to allow her to make the length - I used to laugh and say "up, have a cup of tes, down read the paper!" because there really did feel like there was that much time compared to my pony! I would suggest a neck strap loosely tied to a D ring that you can pop a couple of fingers in to keep your hands steady and then relax and go with her rhythym, you don't need to deliberately rise. If she's calm enough to let you then do a few strides then come back to walk, gradually increasing the number as you feel more secure. If your legs are wobbling around then shorten your stirrups, but not too much or you'll be popped outof the saddle by the hind leg.

Does anyone else ride her? It might be useful to watch so you can see how she moves and the speed of her step.
Click to expand...
Yes I’ve watched my instructor ride her and it looks so steady and slow lol and then I got on and it was bumpy and speedy and like I was galloping through a meadow 😅
 
Janique said:
Sorry but how can you try a horse without trotting ?

Did you just walk around ?

Maybe a good instructor can help you, good luck !
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Yes it ws unwise, but done is done. If @ShireMum25 buys again in the future she'll know better, but at least she went to see her and sat on her, so many people don't even do that.

@ShireMum25 carry on with the lessons, I don't know how often you have thembut you might find a group of them close together is worthwhile to help you get a feel for things. Make sure your teacher knows how you feel when you trot as that will give them more insight into what will help you. Good luck!
 
I had it with Bailey, very bouncy. I'd slipped my disc and really struggled.

I'm not entirely certain I could ride something that was too active behind anymore as it really did hurt my back.

I have a seat saver and sprenger stirrup irons which helped.
 
Welcome to the heavy horse club, I warn you they're addictive... I'm afraid now you've mentioned her we need pictures, and how is she bred?
My first "pony" was an 18.1 6yo clydesdale and it took me a while to get used to his trot which was massive compared to the RS types i'd been riding before. I've still got him 15 years later and although he's retired we did so much together. Once we cracked the basics together we were unstoppable
Definitely persevere with the instructor as eyes on the ground will always be better than generic internet advice.
 
I regularly ride a large shire mare and she has a number of trots but the one I simply can't sit to is the extremely happy trot where her energy seems to be aimed upwards instead of forward.

When she is on one of those days I simply go for a standing position and try to cope jockey style. Shorter stirrups make this feasible.
 
Getting your instructor to have a look while you trot her is a good idea.
As Orangeand Lemon suggests, if you're stable in light seat (which I appreciate you might not be after a break from riding) that might be easier than trying to rise or sit a bouncy/big trot at first.
 
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