please help my rising trot

[silkrider]

I've been riding for 3 years now, nearly every day. But can't feel stable doing rising trot. My legs swing a foot out in front of me on the rise. Makes me feel very unstable and really screws up the efforts i'm putting into learning to ride my horse forward and on the bit. I'm in a dressage saddle and the stirrup bars are correctly positioned. I've tried everything. I know you are supposed to let the horse push you out of saddle. I try this but my leg still goes flying even though i don't think i'm putting that much weight in my stirrups. But maybe i am as i have years of bad muscle memory of pushing my self up with the stirrups? I know there is still some extra weight going into my stirrups as i try to just allow the horse to push me forward from my calves stretching down. I don't see how to make it any less though.

I'm wondering if my legs are just too tight because i can't really wrap my lower leg around the horses barrel to help and keep my leg stable. I am 40 years old and am wondering if my legs (IT Bands and hamstrings) are just too tight, because i can't get my lower leg to stay around the horse even at a walk. I can just barely wrap my calf on the horse but it is such a strain to get it there that there is no power left with it to hold on with enough force to really keep it still.

Do your calves need to be wrapped around the horse in order to help keep the leg still even when you are doing everything else correctly? If so, then maybe that is part of my problem.

I can't believe it can be this hard even with the fact i'm starting to ride at 40 and am a man (though i don't see many others attempting that!).

I've tried posting without stirrups, but i can't do that at all. So maybe that is telling. I'm so bad i really can't practice on my horse because he gets mad. Only thing i can think of is to get my wife to lunge me around on him.

I just don't know what to do and its driving me crazy. I try to work on this 40 minutes a day, but i really get no where. I did a lunge lesson and that seemed to help me really work on letting the horse push me up, but my legs never felt that stable. And my teacher can only come every 2 weeks. I feel like i need lunge lessons 3 hours a day for about 10 days in row to get this.

I feel like until i get a stronger position attempting to learn dressage and getting my horse to go nicely will be impossible. And after 3 years of trying with many different instructors i still can't quite get it.

 

[katherine1975]

Where do you live? How about trying to have a lesson on a horse simulator to help improve things. It's difficult to explain how to do rising trot.

 

[Shantara]

I'm not really sure, as I'm certainly no expert. It may help, but feel free to tell me I'm talking rubbish!

Perhaps try just walking in the standing position. Then slowly and under control, sit and rise again, still in walk. It may help you get control of how you're rising. Then try the standing position at a trot.
I don't know if it actually helped me, but I do remember plenty of time stood in the stirrups and very achey legs afterwards

I hope that helps, if not, good luck!!!

 

[Polotash]

You need to get into the habit of rolling forward onto your knee, not lifting youself up from the stirrup... it's probably just weakness inside your thighs (at the top, not at the knee). The machine in the gym where you sit with your legs apart and then squash them together lifting a weight is excellent for this.

No, you don't need your calf wrapped under, if you are trying to do this it is likely to unbalance you. You should be able to ride with your lower leg off the horse completely.

My hubby is 32 and has been riding about a year and he finds the same if it's any consolation. Riding in a treeless saddle has helped him too, you feel what the horse is doing more, so it's like riding bareback but with stirrups as a safety net.

Also, wait for the horse to throw you up, don't be in such a hurry to get your bum out of the saddle. It's unfortunate that people have to learn rising trot so early in their riding careers, it is hard, and really people would be better off learning canter first - a la polo!

Improving your sitting trot will also help, sit while you feel the horse's back move (if you are on the lunge you can keep your eyes closed which helps the feel), then start rolling onto your knee up and down, then if you lose it you go back to sitting without bouncing... means the whole thing is less stressful for everyone - horse included!

Final tip - make sure you are in the right position to start with. The stirrup leather should be perpendicular to the ground, so you can't see your toe when you look down. Then get your knee nice and close to the saddle by grabbing the muscly bit of your thigh and pulling it backwards, so the fleshy bit sits behind the bone. This keeps your knee close and your toes pointing forwards..

Good luck, it's practice makes perfect!

 

[Polotash]

Annielucian, yes that is a good one. I still sometimes hold my rising trot "up" position up a steep hill in trot to really help my balance... it's hard however good you are!

It's also good for balance to stand on a jump pole in riding position.. heels down etc, and then shift into your jumping position and then back again, without wobbling off the pole!

 

[Tinsel Trouble]

I had exactly the same problem, everyone does at one point or another!

1. See an osteopath, I grip with my inner thigh (not my knee which is more common) which is a terrbile habit and makes your lower leg very unstable. I see an osteopath every 6 weeks and this has helped my outside leg muscles become stronger which allows my inner leg muscles to relax which in turn lets the weight hang through your leg, do not push the weight into your ankle, your lower leg will shoot forwards.

2. lots of without stirrups work- I prefer hacking bareback with a neck strap- if you can canter bare back your legs will automatically stretch down and your ankle and your lower back will absorb the movement! keep giving with your hands so you are not hanging on the mouth. Lots of hacking like this made all the difference with me.

3. have more than 1 instructor! I learned this on saturday actually! One person who regularly sees you will become used to your way of going.

4. Do not push your horse forwards right at this point- you almost want a little pathetic trot so you are able to keep your lower leg under control and learn what the muscles feel like when they're working!

As always- have good instruction and take it slowly!!

 

[touchstone]

I'd agree with the other posts, but also check that you aren't getting behind the movement. I'd possibly try your stirrups a hole or two shorter to make sure you aren't reaching. You say that when you rise you stretch your calves down and I think that this may be part of the problem, simply think about keeping the leg back without force and as you rise let the hips move forwards rather than straight up if that makes sense, leaning forwards slightly should also help to prevent you from getting behind the movement. Keep at it, you'll get there!