viola
Well-Known Member
Ditto dylan66. Sitting to the trot has nothing to do with relaxing your back as such. Every person have certain amount of pelvic flexibility and that is why some prefer big moving horses and find them easy and some are happier on smoother moving horses.
Try to watch your horse's back first when you are lunging him/her. Look what happens to the muscles on each side of the spine. You will notice that they go up and down as one then the other hind leg travels forward and back.
Once you really 'see' this in your head, pop on your horse bareback. Sit up, don't slouch and feel what is happening underneath you. Feel your seat bones moving (try on the horse that you find the easiest).
Once you know what is going on within your body try to influence it. Sitting to the trot equals controlling the swing in your pelvis. Your pelvis is a big, fused bone. If one side goes down the other goes up. On a smooth horse this happens somewhat automatically as there is not much swing needed. On a horse that bounces more you need not only allow for this swing but also actively help it.
You do this by using your abdominal muscles on left and right side of your waist (as they attach to your left and right hip bone and can lift it - try while sitting on a chair).
Once you are on a big moving horse you need to pull your, let's say, right seat bone up while the muscle on the right side of the horse's spine goes up. In the same time stretch your left leg down to help the already happening lowering of the left seat bone. In this way you are facilitating the movement instead of hindering it.
It's a long process and some people never learn to sit to big movers. I am personally much happier on a horse with a medium sort of bounce. Too smooth a horse is quite difficult to improve as you need a very good feeling of when which leg is doing what. Big boys are for long legged, lucky people
Lots of lunge lessons and good trainer, perseverance and willingness to learn what is happening with your body and you will get there!
(sorry for the lecture
)
Try to watch your horse's back first when you are lunging him/her. Look what happens to the muscles on each side of the spine. You will notice that they go up and down as one then the other hind leg travels forward and back.
Once you really 'see' this in your head, pop on your horse bareback. Sit up, don't slouch and feel what is happening underneath you. Feel your seat bones moving (try on the horse that you find the easiest).
Once you know what is going on within your body try to influence it. Sitting to the trot equals controlling the swing in your pelvis. Your pelvis is a big, fused bone. If one side goes down the other goes up. On a smooth horse this happens somewhat automatically as there is not much swing needed. On a horse that bounces more you need not only allow for this swing but also actively help it.
You do this by using your abdominal muscles on left and right side of your waist (as they attach to your left and right hip bone and can lift it - try while sitting on a chair).
Once you are on a big moving horse you need to pull your, let's say, right seat bone up while the muscle on the right side of the horse's spine goes up. In the same time stretch your left leg down to help the already happening lowering of the left seat bone. In this way you are facilitating the movement instead of hindering it.
It's a long process and some people never learn to sit to big movers. I am personally much happier on a horse with a medium sort of bounce. Too smooth a horse is quite difficult to improve as you need a very good feeling of when which leg is doing what. Big boys are for long legged, lucky people
Lots of lunge lessons and good trainer, perseverance and willingness to learn what is happening with your body and you will get there!
(sorry for the lecture
