Kick up the bum needed please!

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Jo C

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Had a wonderful lesson last night (1st one since about September) but I cannot cannot cannot master sitting to his medium trot and its really starting to get me down. I feel like I'm bouncing around like a sack of potatoes on top, my instructor says its not as bad as I think but its really getting to me now and I feel like giving up trying.
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I just can't seem to get that lightbulb moment if you know what I mean. Please could you all give me a kick and tell me to get on with it and sort myself out.
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Any tips to help would be good too...
 
Why don't you get someone to video you, then you can see for yourself whether you really are a "sack of potaotes" or not so bad as your instructor thinks. If not to bad you can smile
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If sack of potatoes that will give you the kick up the bum!!!
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umm, have you tried doing half-rising, half-sitting, i.e. either a floaty seat, with your bum an inch or so out of the saddle, or, my favourite, rising every third or fifth beat, so that just before you're about to bounce, you rise a time or two, then sit again. stops you from tensing up and gripping, which makes it worse, i've found.
umm, hope that helps!
other thing to try is Alexander Technique, e.g. a 1-on-1 lesson with Sally Tottle. for e.g. she'll target particular leg muscles which are tight (and stay so despite all your efforts to let your legs go long and loose) and loosen them. had this years ago, very very good.
is your back 100%? if not, McTimoney. if mine's wrong, i just CAN'T sit to the trot. i feel like a road drill up there. but when it's right, i find it easier and nicer than rising.
running out of ideas now! best of luck.
 
Booooooooot

I am sure its not as bad as it feels. I agree the video is a great idea and will hopefully show you that you should not give up.

Are you trying to hold yourself too still? I have this habit and tense as soon as I sit which makes me bounce more. As soon as I relax in my lower back I nestle into the movement and bounce around a lot less. Try saying a rhyme that fits in the with pace of the trot and visualise your bottom moving softly from side to side a little with each step.
 
I reckon it never looks as bad as it feels.

Don't beat yourself up as the others say, and of course medium is a nightmare to sit to. Also, one horse is way different from another.

Sadly you have to do lots of work with no stirrups, so when you have someone around and you're schooling, if you can trust him, even when you're not doing med, kick em out intermittently. It always helps but nobody likes to do it.

Obvious question, is the horse offering you his back happily enough and not bothered about you bouncing? If he is bothered it'll be loads worse. If you want him to relax you need to introduce sitting gradually, exactly as kerilli says.
 
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umm, have you tried doing half-rising, half-sitting, i.e. either a floaty seat, with your bum an inch or so out of the saddle, or, my favourite, rising every third or fifth beat, so that just before you're about to bounce, you rise a time or two, then sit again. stops you from tensing up and gripping, which makes it worse, i've found.
umm, hope that helps!
other thing to try is Alexander Technique, e.g. a 1-on-1 lesson with Sally Tottle. for e.g. she'll target particular leg muscles which are tight (and stay so despite all your efforts to let your legs go long and loose) and loosen them. had this years ago, very very good.
is your back 100%? if not, McTimoney. if mine's wrong, i just CAN'T sit to the trot. i feel like a road drill up there. but when it's right, i find it easier and nicer than rising.
running out of ideas now! best of luck.

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Now those are definitely ideas to try.
My back unfortunately as the result of 2 car accidents will never be entirely right but it is as good as it gets at the moment. Where is Sally Tottle based as I would like to look into that?
Thanks for the suggestions
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Ouch Safina that hurt!
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I like the rhyme idea as well, I already say rhymes when I am in canter so that will make me seem even more eccentric pmsl
Thank you
 
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I reckon it never looks as bad as it feels.

Don't beat yourself up as the others say, and of course medium is a nightmare to sit to. Also, one horse is way different from another.

Sadly you have to do lots of work with no stirrups, so when you have someone around and you're schooling, if you can trust him, even when you're not doing med, kick em out intermittently. It always helps but nobody likes to do it.

Obvious question, is the horse offering you his back happily enough and not bothered about you bouncing? If he is bothered it'll be loads worse. If you want him to relax you need to introduce sitting gradually, exactly as kerilli says.

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Bless him he doesn't bat an eyelid at me bouncing at all. He was very soft over his back in my lesson last night I can generally tell when he isn't soft after about 3 strides and usually stop trying until we have loosened off again.
There are some great tips here and it looks like I have lots of hard work to do.
Thank you
 
LOL....I say "Hippo-pot-amus " really slowly over every jump to stop me throwing myself back in the saddle too quickly.....normally I say it in my head but I've been known to shout it out at comps as well.

I find twinkle twinkle is a good one for sitting trot.
 
Ok so now I'll be singing twinkle twinkle and nelly the elephant in dressage tests. If I get locked up I'm going to blame you, you know!
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Sally's over near Hartpury, Glos. she had a horrendous accident years ago and was told she'd never ride again (and possibly never walk, iirc), and discovered Alexander technique. it made such a diff to her, she trained and now applies it especially to riders. she's got a new DVD out called Bodysense, which i'd like to see actually - it's years since i had some sessions with her.
agree with the comment about the horse offering his back too - if he's tensing against you, you can't help being bounced by it, whatever you do, and however good you are. stay in rising, have the odd couple of strides feeling whether he's ready to let you into/onto his back yet... if it isn't easy, soft and comfy, go back to rising, try again in a minute. the worst thing to do is to keep TRYING to sit to it no matter what, you can't help tensing, it usually goes through your shoulders and hands, the horse then does the same, and it just gets worse. there's a reason we all say "TRY HARD", and it's the "hard" bit that makes it worse!
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I do try to open my hips but just get bounced off again! We were doing lots of work on slowing by using your body and seat and opening to get medium again and it really works, I had a lightbulb moment with that last night I just can't get it with the sitting.
 
I know your pain! I had a very big moving horse in trot. Couldn't sit to his trot at all. And nor could anyone else. It's all very well people saying to open your hips and the like but it is so much more difficult than it sounds!

Work without stirrups helped me a lot. (Last thing you wanted to hear probably!) and if it doesn't help then your position will have improved anyway!

Good luck!
 
Thank you - I have the opposite, a Connemara, so you are bouncing twice as fast as everyone else! My instructor CAN sit to his trot so I know it is not impossible although it is still hard work for my instructor which makes me feel slightly better. My legs are now aching after last nights lesson so will try and do a little more tonight to keep myself moving if our school hasn't turned into a swimming pool by then.
 
If your instructor is who I think he is then I'm not surprised he can sit to the trot - he can probably wrap his legs around Patrick and then tie his feet up underneath his belly
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Working without stirrups and also what Kerilli said about rising for a couple of strides and then sitting again is how I practise!
 
Spacehopper!!!!!Cheap and cheerful!! Honest indian.
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To keep the horses back up and to get it up more you "spring" with him ease up the grip with the legs as this can shorten your legs and increase the distance between your seat and the saddle. I think of just using the very tops of my thighs although my thighs are "there" if you know what I mean!! Also if the horse is not offering you his back this will not be easy for you to sit to....good core stability helps too, which goes deep down through your illiapsoas muscles etc.....blah blah!!!!!! Dont worry we all go through the bumpty bump stage
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but keep at it!!!!!!!!
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