Sitting trot tips please!

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Thelwell_Girl

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Does anyone have good tips for NOT bouncing like a loony thing when doing sitting trot with and without stirrups? Todays lunge lesson really helped, but its still a bit all over the place!

Thanks!

T_G xx
 
My best tip is: let it bounce you, as soon as you relax and stop worrying about bouncing, you will sit better:)
Just let it all flow, try to keep your back straight but not stiff, you'll see, your body will adapt to the horse's movement.
 
Remember to breathe, it should help you to relax and should make it smoother. Also another thing to try is to imagine your arms and legs are really floppy as it stops you gripping with your legs and should make it easier to sit :) Hope that might be helpful!
 
You just have to relax its the easiest way! If you think about sitting to the trot too much you will end up bouncing even more.


how did your lesson go today apart from the trotting?
 
i was once told my a trainer i knew that putting your chin on your chest and looking down helped you to sit to the trot (though i don't reccommend this unless you are on the lunge!)

just sit deep, and relax. dont think about not bouncing - the more you think about it the more tense you will become, and you'll end up bouncing even more. it really is all about relaxing and allowing yourself to move with the horse.

:D :D
 
Hehe i remember the days of learning sitting trot!! I used to be really scared and think i was going to fall/bounce off..then i would. Then my instructor put me on the most bounciest horse on the yard...after falling off him about 10 times in half an hour i got messege to relax! Ooops

ill go read your report now =D
 
I was told to imagine weights on the end of my feet to pull my legs down, relax and breathe. Echo what the others say don't think too much about it and it will happen!!
 
jess_ said:
i was once told my a trainer i knew that putting your chin on your chest and looking down helped you to sit to the trot (though i don't reccommend this unless you are on the lunge!)

just sit deep, and relax. dont think about not bouncing - the more you think about it the more tense you will become, and you'll end up bouncing even more. it really is all about relaxing and allowing yourself to move with the horse.

:D :D
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I think thats what made me bounce more, worrying about bouncing! My instructor had a great laugh at my sheer bounceability :D

BobbyMondeo said:
Hehe i remember the days of learning sitting trot!! I used to be really scared and think i was going to fall/bounce off..then i would. Then my instructor put me on the most bounciest horse on the yard...after falling off him about 10 times in half an hour i got messege to relax! Ooops

ill go read your report now =D
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Oh geez... I hope she doesnt put me on the bounciest horse! I've only just started to get used to rising to his EVIL trot!

Hehe, good luck getting through it!
 
DipseyDeb said:
I was told to imagine weights on the end of my feet to pull my legs down, relax and breathe. Echo what the others say don't think too much about it and it will happen!!
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Hehe, it'll come one day :D

SirenaXVI said:
TBH lunge lunge and more lunge.

To do a sitting trot you have to have a decent seat, otherwise you bang the poor horse on his back and in the mouth, One of the keys is to relax.
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I must be so tense! I was doing this sans reins and stirrups, which meant Bonnie's mouth was safe!
 
A good tip that helped me was to put ur legs up like a jockey so your knees are almost touching this should force you to sit properly on ur seatbones with out leaning forward, once you feel your in a good position let ur legs down again and when you start trotting this should set you in a good position, just breath, relax and use your lower back as a shock absorber if that makes sence. and practice alot and ull soon be trotting round without your bum leaving the saddle....that reminds me pretend your sitting on a £20 note that you dont want to lose ;)
 
hamish1 said:
A good tip that helped me was to put ur legs up like a jockey so your knees are almost touching this should force you to sit properly on ur seatbones with out leaning forward, once you feel your in a good position let ur legs down again and when you start trotting this should set you in a good position, just breath, relax and use your lower back as a shock absorber if that makes sence. and practice alot and ull soon be trotting round without your bum leaving the saddle....that reminds me pretend your sitting on a £20 note that you dont want to lose ;)
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Arrgh, my instructor made me do that today, it was SO painful!! No pain, no gain, eh?
 
Bounce, breathe, and do a LOT of it!
Took me ages to get it though, so I'm not the best to advise!
I do find I have to very conciously do a few things regularly at times -
1. deep breaths, out of sync kinda deep, especially when I can feel myself getting a stitch!
2. conciously relax. I have a really bad habit of tensing the muscles in my arse, bad idea, so I have to remind myself now :o I try to run through all the main muscle groups making sure they're not tensing
3. check position. I tend to do random things depending on the day - let my feet move around, lift my heels, drop my shoulders, look down... I always forget SOMETHING.

However, thinking about all that does mean one thing - you stop thinking about bouncing!! :D
 
Sol said:
Bounce, breathe, and do a LOT of it!
Took me ages to get it though, so I'm not the best to advise!
I do find I have to very conciously do a few things regularly at times -
1. deep breaths, out of sync kinda deep, especially when I can feel myself getting a stitch!
2. conciously relax. I have a really bad habit of tensing the muscles in my arse, bad idea, so I have to remind myself now :o I try to run through all the main muscle groups making sure they're not tensing
3. check position. I tend to do random things depending on the day - let my feet move around, lift my heels, drop my shoulders, look down... I always forget SOMETHING.

However, thinking about all that does mean one thing - you stop thinking about bouncing!! :D
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I'll have to try that! Maybe even a little no-stirrup jumping..... If I dare :D

I need to relaaaaaax a lot more in my riding in general :o
 
haha, don't we all!?
I must sound awful when I ride - in fact, I DO - because to relax, I vent verbally (lots of swearing and generally being horrid to horse, 'bullet' and 'your head' probably get repeated lots quite often in his direction! :o) because it saves me from actually getting angry. Honestly, it works! xD Not sure it's the best way though.... :p

No stirrup jumping sounds fun! Just see how you feel :) It's not much different to canter really!
 
I kinda wish I could ride on my own sometimes, just so I could sing and talk and do whatever with no-one around!

Have you ever tried swearing/moaning/grumbling to your poneh but in a really sweet voice? Then the horse still thinks you're praising him :D

Hehe, I just have a horribly grumpy face when I ride! Obv I'm enjoying myself, but I'm concentrating! I was grinning ear to ear last weeks jump lesson and todays lesson too :D:D
 
Oh, I can't smile and concentrate.... smiling is so rare for me, that it takes all my concentration to remember how to move those muscles! XD (it's a shame it isn't a lie!)

I've tried it, but over all the whole grumpy growly voice reminds him I mean business I think, otherwise he forgets to take me seriously ;) Quite funny on the roads though, we often have lorry drivers sat giving us odd looks while I sit there threatening 'if you don't bloody well get past it you daft idiot you're going in a can of bloody dog food now f*cking get a move on!' as it is the ONLY way to get him to go forward.... then moments later 'good pony, seeeee, it didn't eat you did it you daft twit, what the ***** was that all about?!' in a nice voice....
everyone round here knows I'm loopy :D
 
Hehe, I have to plaster on this huge fake smile to try and remedy m grumpy face (Honestly, Mum, I AM enjoying myself! Yes, I a- Yes I am- MUM!)

0.o

If I see a girl with long red hair and a big ginger poneh, muttering, swearing and the like on the roads of cheshire I'll know its you :D
 
xD I usually complain even when I'm enjoying myself, I ENJOY complaining! *sigh* people never learn...

hehe, you will :D I ought to find a way of recording my showjumping running commentary - THAT is hilarious!
 
I try to keep my lower leg still as some people seem to absorb the movement with their legs and it just looks weird lol. Try to look up even though its not your main concern with sitting trot it does help over all and you will find it easier and will look better. Try to absorb the movement with your middle and allow your pelvis to move diagonally upwards and forwards and let your belly button fold a tiny bit as the horses movement moves your pelvis forwards. also don't tense you legs as it will have the opposite effect.
 
My advice would be try it a few steps at a time, when you feel too bouncy go into a rising trot so ypou can relax again then try a few more steps and repeat the exercise. Try not to force it, you'll end up all over the place.

I could never do sitting trot untill I bought an Andalusian and now I can sitting trot all day!:D
 
"I could never do sitting trot untill I bought an Andalusian and now I can sitting trot all day!"

Yep Malaga's a dream to sit to
MalagaatJames016-2.jpg

I never want to do a rising trot with him....just sit and enjoy,possibly drink a cup of tea at the same time :D!!!
 
Come and have some sitting trot lessons on my big lad --- once you can sit to his mammoth trot, you can sit to anything!
If I've been schooling him and then go and ride something else I find it almost impossible to rise to the trot - he just catapults (sp?!) you out of the saddle!
As everyone above has said - relax... the more you try and hang on, the further up and back your legs will creep, the faster the horse will go, and the more you'll fall off!
 
air78 said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WfEjdk0gKs

This really works :)
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Thanks for the video, it was really helpful! Maybe I'll have to go and be taught by HM herself for a bit :D

ilovecobs said:
I try to keep my lower leg still as some people seem to absorb the movement with their legs and it just looks weird lol. Try to look up even though its not your main concern with sitting trot it does help over all and you will find it easier and will look better. Try to absorb the movement with your middle and allow your pelvis to move diagonally upwards and forwards and let your belly button fold a tiny bit as the horses movement moves your pelvis forwards. also don't tense you legs as it will have the opposite effect.
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Thats a good tip, I needed to use my core more to keep me stable, and my leg was not very still! :o

SirenaXVI said:
That is really interesting, it does make you feel very sorry for riding school ponies though, their backs must take a hammering poor things.

In an ideal world, everyone should learn to ride on a simulator until they have full control over their seat, legs and hands.
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I would if I could! If they had one in London I'd be there at least once a month, I tried a Racewood simulator in Lincolnshire, and with the exception of a VERY bouncy trot, it was a good experience!

Andalusianlover said:
My advice would be try it a few steps at a time, when you feel too bouncy go into a rising trot so ypou can relax again then try a few more steps and repeat the exercise. Try not to force it, you'll end up all over the place.

I could never do sitting trot untill I bought an Andalusian and now I can sitting trot all day!:D
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I might very well do that, I was getting quite tense! My instructor got me to tie my reins up, hold my arms out and stand up in the stirrups while trotting and looking at her. To say it was difficult is an understatement :D I just ended up rising :o

jinglejoys said:
"I could never do sitting trot untill I bought an Andalusian and now I can sitting trot all day!"

Yep Malaga's a dream to sit to
MalagaatJames016-2.jpg

I never want to do a rising trot with him....just sit and enjoy,possibly drink a cup of tea at the same time :D!!!
Click to expand...

Aw, he's gorgeous! What breed is he?

Starzaan said:
Come and have some sitting trot lessons on my big lad --- once you can sit to his mammoth trot, you can sit to anything!
If I've been schooling him and then go and ride something else I find it almost impossible to rise to the trot - he just catapults (sp?!) you out of the saddle!
As everyone above has said - relax... the more you try and hang on, the further up and back your legs will creep, the faster the horse will go, and the more you'll fall off!
Click to expand...

I could definitely feel I was tensing up and trying to hang on, further bouncing myself out of the saddle! It was quite annoying, but funny at the same time :D

Aw, your boy sounds lovely :) There's a horse here at the yard that had THE biggest trot. Its terrible to sit to, but ok to rise to once you get the hang of it (a schooling whip helps to ;))

Thanks for all these tips, please do keep them coming! xx
 
I feel your pain!!! :p

Been riding for donkeys years and always had a mental block when it comes to sitting trot - work it up in my mind that I can't do it, you know the thing.

My latest instructor is just amazing and I truly believe she could teach anyone to ride.

Took me back to basics and gave me a few lessons on the lunge with no stirrups. Taught me to feel the horses stride through my seat and to imagine my hips were rising and falling with his stride (think trotting diagonals). I got a bit carried away with this and did a hula dancing impression at one stage which had us all in fits (don't think the horse was overly amused he just stopped poor boy).

Once you've mastered it without stirrups then re-introduce them, long at first and then just gradually take them up to a normal riding postition.

Worked for me.
 
when i was a kid, my instructor used to work us very hard in our lessons which was great, so we did loads of work without stirrups, jumping without stirrups, sitting trot with stirrups etc to get a really good seat.
She used to get us to recite the alphabet as we went round with no stirrups so that we had to think about something else and not concentrate too much on trying to sit deeply.
I have to admit it worked really well. By not overconcentrating, it meant that your body naturally moved with the horses movement and you went with the flow.
Worth a go maybe.

Or the trick of both hands on the pommel and then just one hand, and then just 2 fingers, and then one finger and then one finger just resting on the top (no help at all but psychologically seems to make it easier lol!) and doing it that way!

If you are having lunge lessons.....keep going with them, they are fab for that sort of thing!
 
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