I can't get my legs right

[MajoritySix]

I don't think I'm doing my legs right when I ride, and it's so frustrating.

I'm learning with a friend. My first two lessons were in a group of six, now it's just the two of us. To start with, I had a tall, quite slender horse, and we got on well. We switched because I couldn't grasp rising trot on her in the second lesson, so now I have a wide, slow horse, which I'm not sure is actually helping - he clicks my hips out lots!

I can't seem to kick him properly so he pays attention, which is probably the first indication that my legs aren't right. We seem to walk fine, but in rising trot, I get told that my legs are now too straight, and that I sit down too hard - I think I'm literally standing up and sitting down, which seems to be wrong?

After four weeks of practising riding trot, we're now on jumping pose, which I'm a bit better at, but I have to have a helper with me until my instructor feels I've got rising trot correct and it means the lesson is much less fun.

I've been watching YouTube videos - is it correct that I should keep the bottom of my leg in the same position in rising trot, and simply move the thigh muscle above the knee? The video said moving my foot inwards and outwards in the stirrups, along with the horses movements, would lift me and that'll be more gentle.

Otherwise does anyone have any tips for me? I'm starting to not enjoy going because I'm slowing everyone else down and I just don't seem to be improving.

Thanks

 

[Roxylola]

Think about keeping the rise and sit controlled.
The objective is not to stand bolt upright each time, stay as close to the saddle as you can, think of the sit as being something where you brush the saddle with your seat rather than sit back down.
Try and think of taking yourself to the horses ears a little as you rise.
Let the knees and hips act as hinges and let the rise happen. When you overdo the rise you are constantly fighting your own momentum and the horses momentum.
Avoid gripping and allow the leg to drop down softly under you
Keep your weight on your feet the whole time

 

[Shay]

You're over thinking it and that makes your body stiff and difficult to move. Don't worry too much about the technicalities until you can get the rhythm.

It can really help if you can get a private lunge lesson. If you practice with your eyes closed you have no distractions and nothing else to think about except how it feels.

Let the horse "bounce" you out of the saddle and go up as little as you can on each stride. If you have to think about anything think about moving your hips toward your hands - the horses ear's might be a bit over ambitious! As you sit think about "squeeze" with your ankles wrapped around the horse - not your knees.

To get rising trot well you need a level of core strength and also quite flexible hips. From your description it sounds like this might be more to do with that than with your legs. Don;t worry about what your legs are supposed to be doing. That's for later. Strength and flexibility will come with time - but you can do exercises at home to make it a bit quicker if you want.

Take heart - rising trot is a bit like riding a bicycle or learning to ice skate. You spend an absolute age trying to work out how it works and then one day it just clicks.

 

[Kylara]

It's very difficult to get right without someone telling you exactly how to do it and spending 10 minutes practicing in halt and walk with the instructor pointing out the bits that are right and the bits that need changing.

This may help http://www.rmequinetraining.co.uk/seat-series-part-2-rising-trot/

 

[Mince Pie]

I think of it as forward-and-back rather than up-and-down, I'm not sure if that's helpful? Also use your bum and thigh muscles to rise with, the only joints moving are your hips and your knees, your ankles and calves shouldn't move. I would try just standing straight up in your stirrups - not in jumping pose but straight - as it will allow your body to understand where it should be at the top of the rise. Mostly riding is muscle memory, which takes time to build it doesn't happen overnight.

ETA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WfEjdk0gKs
Skip to 2.30 for rising.

 

[applecart14]

My right leg moves. In the autumn right through to the spring my horse has a bald spot on the right side where my calf sits and my leg rubs on his site - its not sore, there is no broken skin, its just a bald area about the size of the bottom of a cup. I am not aware of my leg moving, I suspect because I have back problems that I may not be straight through the back. Also my horse has a bit of a weird movement in trot due to a resolved compensatory issues (he has learnt to move in such a way which suits him) so I think this aggravates my lower leg movement somewhat. He is not a comfortable ride as such, but he has always had bouncy hind quarters movement in canter which further aggravates my back! I don't notice my leg moving so much in my dressage saddle, its more in my event saddle which puts my leg in a hunting position. My chaps get worn on the inside of my right leg too. The physio treats him regularly, so it is more likely to be me not straight in my back.

 

[Starzaan]

The biggest thing I find my clients struggle with when first learning rising trot is where to go when they rise. You aren't going straight up - standing up and sitting down isn't correct.

Think about moving your hips forward towards the horses ears as you rise. Thrust darling! So up and forward, not straight up.

As others have said, you don't need to get too far above the saddle, and for the time being, forget about the kicking.

When I teach people the rising trot I always start off on the lunge. I get them to listen to the horses feet for a while - that is your rhythm. You should hear the "one two one two one two" of their hooves and that is your "up down up down up down". I start the rising trot with the client holding the pommel of the saddle, and then when they have cracked their rhythm, they leg go with one hand at a time, and practice practice practice. One hand out like a plane, rising, swap hands, rising, then gradually work up to rising with both arms out like a plane. This whole time my client is on the lunge with me keeping the horse going for them. It's too much to expect someone to learn the rising trot whilst being expected to keep the horse forward as well.

Once they are confident rising with no hands, we work on holding the reins and them getting the horse going themselves.

We offer beginner courses to people who have never ridden. In five private half hour sessions we have 95% of clients who had never sat on a horse before coming to us, confidently rising to the trot off the lunge, on their own doing movements around the school.

I would recommend some private lessons until you have cracked it.

 

[11bluewolf]

I have to admit i haven't fully read the OP or the entire thread (Sorry!) but could you as your instructor for a lunge lesson? That way you can really focus on the trot and your balance? Ive found them to be really really helpful! Sorry if I'm completely off the mark

 

[Julia.Dominika]

Make sure your heels are in line with your hips and not too far forward as this could cause your leg to go straight. With Rising Trot I remember I started off with going straight up, but after I learnt that you use your hips to go up and forward almost as if your rocking with your hips except raising them higher if that makes sense. Make sure your knees aren't tense and clinging on the saddle. Knees should be relaxed with your lower feet and ankle hugging the horses belly!