Teaching children rising trot...

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mystiandsunny

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This is for a friend who doesn't come on here. She's teaching her nephew rising trot, and isn't sure how long it usually takes to 'get it' with the rhythm. I think they've had a go on 3/4 'lessons' now. He can rise and sit fine and in balance, but struggles to get the rhythm right and to rise and sit with the pony. Any tips/advice on how long it usually takes? He's 5 years old, pony is fairly steady and is on the lead rein. Thanks :).
 
Could your friend get him to count 1, 2, 1, 2 or up, down, up, down while he's doing rising trot. So he knows to rise on 1/up and sit on 2/down?

Apologies if this has already been thought of but it did help me when I was little :)
 
I always used to teach sitting trot before rising. Firstly because it meant the kids didn't panic when they lost the rhythm and ended up in bouncy trot, secondly it taught them the feeling of the trot which in term meant they naturally picked up the rising trot.

MAke sure the stirrups are actually short enough for the child, they don't have the leg strength or the core strength to puch up when the length is too long. However don't go too far the other way with them too short, and they will have nothing to push against. Try a flash strap across the pommel so the child can 'hang on' but have the hands high enough to not prevent being able to rise up.

Sometimes they can take a while - maybe try another pony? Some kids get on better with a quicker trot. You will find that there will be a sudden eureka moment and they won't look back :)
 
Some get it after 2/3 lessons, some take a bit longer, and one child I taught took about 3 months.

If he is sitting comfortably and the pony is smooth, then I wouldn't worry, as sitting trot is harder to do well and if he learns at this age to sit to the trot, he will have a better seat.

But most children find sitting trot a bit bumpy and off-putting, so you could try running along side holding some clothing and gently pushing up and taking some of the weight on the down bit too. Also do some work in walk getting him to stand up out of the saddle (with knees bent and heels level) and then stay there for as long as possible - make it a fun game, in halt if necessary to gain confidence.

They all get it eventually, so don't worry too much!
 
Some children will learn in one or two lessons, others several more.
The tendency is to lean forward on the rise and use the upper body to push up out of the saddle.
Once you have your 1212-up down up down start to work on slight lifts upwards, pushing the pelvis/bottom forward, back straight and chin up looking forward not down. Rising up should be from the leg muscles.
I also teach the children to liken gaits to music. Walk is your 4 time, Trot is 2 time and Canter is 3 time.
I also hold their calf muscle and squeeze when they need to rise.
 
Look at what he does when rising - is he rising to high and therefore too slowly? Or not high enough and therefore to fast? Usually telling them to stand higher/not as high puts them much closer to the rhythm. If he is balanced and pony can then can she put him on the lunge to see this more clearly?

It does vary from child to child in terms of how long it takes to get it. I have taught children who got it from their very first attempt and others who have taken weeks and weeks to get it. At that age, as long as he is having fun, I wouldn't worry for a few weeks yet.

ETA - has she explained to him 'why' we rise? I.E. To make it more comfortable for us and for the pony. Little boys frequently do not share if trot makes them uncomfortable - if he understands that getting it right will mean comfort, he may try harder, wheras it is possible (though not probable) that his 'rise' at the moment is simply a 'trying to make it not hurt' movement.
 
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I always say 'up, down' & get them practicing in walk first to get the idea of timing. And I find shetlands the easiest to teach it on too. Very much depends on the child though, a 5yr old who's spent most their life riding & doing sitting trot will get it faster than a 5yr old who's ridden for 6 months. Really I prefer kids to develop a seat without stirrups or rising (and preferably without a proper saddle) first though. If your friend is not used to teaching it might be best to get someone who is to teach him.
 
I teach kids to do sitting trot first. Then get them to practice rising and sitting in stand and walk. Also explain when they sit it's not really sitting properly they only really touch the saddle I tell em to pretend the saddle is really hot and if they sit for too long it will burn them. I also keep to straight lines and like when teaching or learning anything new lots of repetition. :)
 
my daughter mastered rising trot this morning on her second time of trying.

the way i did it wasnt with any up/down or anything but we had lots of time just riding and her just sitting or bouncing or falling off in trot till she found her own balance and found the rhymn of the pony.
then i stared getting her to rise in halt, walk then trot but i didnt tell her when to rise otherwise they look for your instruction for each move. let them feel the movement and work it out and once they have done a few well stop and do something fun like little jumps or poles for them to steer round.


or maybe my daughter is a natural like her mother lol ;)
 
When I used to teach I found the best way was to teach the child to push up on 1 and sit on 2. I would get them doing this at the halt. Then I would get them doing sitting trot and counting in time to the steps 1,2,1,2 and then when they were happy doing this I would tell them to push up when they said 1 and sit when they said 2. I found that the majority of them would get it 1st time using this method.
 
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