| If you have trouble sitting the trot you aren't alone. | | | | the other is dropped. If for some reason you can't do |
| Many riders who are learning the sitting trot have | | | | this, you may have weak muscles in that area, or your |
| trouble getting an independent seat, and some riders | | | | hips and back might be tight. Strengthening, stretching, |
| find that their seat bones aren't anywhere near the | | | | and yoga or pilates will all do wonders to making this |
| saddle when they should be! Well, with a few simple | | | | area stronger and more supple. |
| tricks you'll be able to sit the trot in no time. | | | | Once you've mastered the chair, time to move on to |
| First of all, because the sitting trot uses the word "sit," | | | | your horse! Sit up nice and straight so that your back is |
| many riders make the mistake of thinking that the | | | | directly over your hips and seat, and alternate one sit |
| action is passive. Hardly! You don't just sit there during | | | | bone at a time, following your horse's movement. Don't |
| the sitting trot. If you think of the sitting trot as an | | | | round your back, and be sure to keep your hips flexible |
| active process, you'll be well on your way to improving | | | | and soft so that you can follow the movement of the |
| it! | | | | horse. If your body is in correct alignment, your legs will |
| A bad sitting trot is something that builds on itself and | | | | be relaxed and your knees will be down and back. |
| gets progressively worse. In most cases, it starts | | | | Your spine will absorb the bounce. |
| during the down motion. As the saddle drops down, | | | | Okay, so let's say you've mastered the sitting trot but |
| the rider doesn't move with it. Instead, the rider drops | | | | for some reason, it still isn't working. And let's say |
| down just as the saddle is beginning to move back up. | | | | you've determined that the reason is that your horse is |
| The result? The rider's seat slaps the horse's back. A | | | | still dropping his back and stiffening up. If your horse |
| horse who is having his back slapped will stiffen up | | | | isn't ready-if he isn't relaxed and engaged, with his |
| and drop his back, and once he does this, the trot is | | | | back lifted and swinging-don't sit the trot. It could be |
| just about impossible to sit. | | | | that his back isn't strong enough yet. You can help him |
| In order to correctly sit the trot, you must be able to | | | | develop the right muscles for the sitting trot by |
| follow the saddle as it moves down. And to make this | | | | alternating sitting and posting. Sit until you feel him drop |
| even more challenging, you need to do it quietly one | | | | his back, and then post until he is relaxed and ready |
| seat bone at a time. | | | | again. Pay attention, and be sure to post when your |
| The good news is, you don't need to make your horse | | | | horse shows signs of discomfort. This is a good way |
| suffer while you master the sitting trot. You can make | | | | to build his strength without souring him on the sitting |
| a hard wooden chair suffer instead. Straddle the chair | | | | trot. |
| with the back in front of you, making sure that both of | | | | For more great horse training tips, just click one of our |
| your seat bones are in contact with the chair. Tighten | | | | links in the resource box below . We hope you will |
| and relax each seat bone, one at a time. Keep | | | | stop on by and say hello. |
| alternating sides so that when one seat bone is lifted, | | | | |