Sitting the Trot

[UnfilteredCowgirl]

Hi y'all!
Do you guys have any tips on how to sit the trot? I can finally post the trot, but I'm not really getting lessons right now, so I'm kind of teaching myself just by feel. I can confidently ride the walk, post the trot, and lope, and I don't feel inscure when I sit the trot, I am just super bouncy and I feel bad for the horse Do y'all have any tips? I was told by one lady that sitting the trot, is like posting the trot, just not rising out of the saddle. And that made a lot of sense to me, but I feel like it's gonna take a little while until I can actually do it properly. Also, is it normal to be able to post before being able to sit it? I feel like lunge work would be really beneficial, because then I could just focus on my riding, and not have to focus on the horse and where we're going as well. We only ever really ride out on trails, and around the edge of a field, so I can't even just let them follow the rail. Any ideas? Thank you in advance!

 

[Skib]

In UK it is normal to rise to trot (post) first. But riding Western in USA, one sits first. My OH sat to trot before he learned rising.

Sitting trot is not up and down. More side to side. Try to feel that side to side movement in walk first. Sit with your weight on your seat bones and feel the horse move. First one of your seat bones will dip down a little and then the other.

Let your seat dip with the horse as it walks, first one side and then the other. The good news is that the movement of the hind legs in trot is just the same as in walk. So once you have the feel in walk (which is easier), try to feel it in a slow trot.

Hope this is useful.

 

[AUB]

Also, try not to grip with your knees and lower leg. Let yourself flap a little bit. In the beginning maybe sit for half a circle before you post again, then a whole and so on.

 

[IrishMilo]

I think if you've only just mastered the rising trot you'll need a while before you master sitting trot. A lot of it is core strength and being able to have an independent seat (i.e. not relying on your hands or legs to keep you stable).

A tip that I find helps is to imagine you're lifting the horse up through your core with each beat.