Since my fall 6 years ago I have been a Western Dressage Rider, and developed a killer sitting trot…would post sometimes, but default setting was to sit.
January, new knee, new horse, big TB…errrr posting time I think, and I post all the time on him.
Yesterday we were working on speeding and slowing his trot, and was asked to sit, when slow trotting, and post the big trot…and FRIUTBAT…I cNt sit any more! What’s happened? I really felt like a clothes pin, perched just above the saddle, and mainly on my fork…think fat Barbie, that’s what it felt like! I know I need to roll back onto my butt more, check I’m sat up, get coach to yell at me more…but any exercises you can recommend either in or out of the saddle?
I’d look for stretches for your hip flexors and psoas muscle as when those muscles are tight or contracted a proper sitting trot is near impossible.
How is your core strength? Sitting the trot well also takes good core strength. I’d focus on those areas and I’m sure you can find guides online. Or maybe other posters will provide better detail. I don’t want to put anyone through my horrid descriptions of stretches and turn them into a pretzel.
By any chance have you changed up what you ride in? Like new jeans/britches, different footwear, etc.? Or maybe adjusted/changed your stirrups? Even a small change can make something that was once second nature to become difficult or nor feel right.
Google Joe DeFranco’s Agile 8. There are some really helpful stretches and exercises for hip mobility and strength in this set if your prior injury doesn’t contradict the movements. You need a foam roller a tennis ball and about 10 minutes a day. It’s angled towards bodybuilder types but I found the set pretty helpful, even though it was initially less than enjoyable.
Nope, nothing changed, but it feels like everything has, if that makes sense. Just felt like I was in a foreign land, nothing felt the same. The only new things, the horse and the knee.
Agree that if you have gone from a stock/ quarter horse jogging to a tb trotting that is the difference.
Forgive me as I know nothing about western dressage. For traditional dressage you don’t want slower and faster, instead you want the strides to shorten and lengthen.
When you get the hindquarters under and working correctly that is harder to sit to. Smile as they throw you out of the saddle, they are working correctly for you.
I love the forward and back exercise in the trot and canter (lengthen/collect). Instead of sitting the trot, perhaps try posting lower and slower, while keeping the hind legs active. I think this will be an easier transition for both you and the horse.
Another thought is to work on your sitting trot in your TB’s “working gaits”. Build some core, some muscle memory back up before going towards the lengthen/medium trot then collect.
Also consider: medium and collected gaits don’t show up until second level, where you are required to sit the trot regardless. While I have seen first level riders sit most of the trot work and then post through the trot lengthenings, the transition back to sitting trot rarely seems as smooth as those who just sat the entire test or posted the entire test.
Yes, we all should be able to make that transition smoothly, but I think you are tackling it from the most difficult starting point (lengthen trot).
I also think perched in a dressage saddle is about a certain degree of forward tilt. It’s really easy to start tilting forward from the waist in daily life if you are dealing with any health problems, watching where you are putting your feet, or even sitting a lot.
Anything that makes you limp can make you tilt forward in daily life.
Then those muscles get constricted.
I would suggest checking your posture all the time. Stand up against a wall. It will probably feel like you are leaning backwards or doing an obscene chest pop as you walk down the mall.bit in the mirror you will just see you are standing normal straight!
Just thinking that knee surgery would have involved being fairly protective of your body while you healed and that can start forward tilt. I know that recovering from a very slightly broken foot, 6 weeks no weight bearing, then 6 weeks limping, then another 3 months back in the saddle but feeling weak and vulnerable, reactivated my forward tilt problems for sure. Unavoidable when you are panicking about which foot to step out on the down escalator then bolting to the elevator instead.
Do you do much work without your stirrups? I know this can be a little more complicated with a western saddle (you can’t just pull the stirrup up and over in front of the cantle or simply remove them entirely like you can with an English or Dressage saddle). But you might start working some without your stirrups as that will certainly get you in the position to sit the trot. You may find that lengthening your leg helps you remember the feel of the sitting trot you’re looking for.
I agree with @Scribbler on this - I find it much easier to sit when the horse has his hindquarters under and is working correctly.
For exercises try double down posting. Go up, down, down, up, down, down, etc. Yes, you will be changing diagonal constantly but this is an exercise. When double down is good, try triple down, and so on. The idea being to get yourself posting again before you tighten up.
Another thing to try is sitting shoulder in. The SI helps you keep the horse working correctly with his bum underneath and pushing forward which makes it easier to sit. Try doing trot, walk, trot transitions within the SI down the long side. The transition to trot in the SI can help glue your bum down.
Finally just suck it up and sit the trot. Hold the horn, roll your seat, stretch your legs, whatever you need to do to correct your position and sit. Get a little fatigued and find the relaxed balance again. Practice with posting breaks for your horse.
I feel your pain sister! I’m recovering from sciatica and didn’t ride for about 1 month. When I first got back on it was literally, WTF!!! I could not SIT on the horse my hips were so tight, hell I couldn’t swing my right leg over in one movement my left hip was so tight. I’m still not quite back where I was but 2 things that have really helped me are pilates and inversion.
I found a pilates instructor that listened to my tale of woe, then helped me work on my new and unimproved asymmetry. Seriously, just 3 sessions have made a big difference. Each session costs about the same as a riding lesson.
The biggest thing that helped though was getting an inversion table. Even at just 20 degrees, I could feel my hip joints open and my “bad” leg stretch. It’s a significant investment, but it’s made a world of difference for me.
You may have spoiled yourself a bit. Nice comfy western saddle and I’m guessing comfy horse along with it. Many TBs are bouncy. Mine is very hard to sit even when he is traveling properly. I have to constantly remind myself that sitting the trot is not a purely up/down thing. One hip dips and then the other. Think independent rear suspension, not single axle if that makes sense. Just trot a few steps at a time, go back to walk and reset yourself before trotting again. From the waist up, think grow tall and really open those shoulders to keep your spine straight for better shock absorption. Those hips, let those suckers dance.
Had you been riding only one horse prior to getting the new one? I found that I could sit a trot on one horse but when asked to ride a different one it was like being a beginning rider and bouncing all over the place. Maybe it’s just the new horse and needing to get used to a different trot, relearn to sit it’s trot. Did you get a new saddle for the new horse or riding your old saddle? Depending on how the new horse’s trot is compared to your old horse, your old while it might fit maybe isn’t balanced right for you on the new horse. When I got my OTTB I couldn’t sit his big trot, got a forward balance saddle and it made all the difference for me.
Also, if you had knee replacement, your leg muscles could be out of shape a bit and need to be built back up to where they were prior to surgery. Do the suggested stretching exercises and some that will strength your leg muscles.
Oh yes, a HUGE difference, love the big movement, but it’s like learning to ride again. WD is the same looking for lengthening and shortening, the speeding and slowing was for me to start to feel more in control. We had a bit of a communication break down, so are in reset mode.
All good thoughts, must work on checking posture, and spending less resting time on couch, more on gym ball! Laughing to much at escalator thoughts, story of my life…
I have not done much, OK have done no no stirrup work with him…it’s a good idea, need to factor in some, maybe on the lunge to start with.
SI, good idea, need to start working in those, and figure maybe thinking about the exercise will make me forget about over thinking the trot, and just do it.
Inverson table is fascinating, would like to find one and play, just t9 see what happens. Pilates might be a great idea, will have to have a search around.
I have been kind of spoiled, well really spoiled, my previous mare was MorganxQH/Belgian and it was like riding a big floofy cloud. I only ever posted our pathetic attempts at lengthening, or free jogs.
Been riding one at a time since I was reinvented after a bad fall 6 years ago, awesome slow ranch gelding, sit all day.
Leased a huge TBxClyde for a season, first time I trotted him he nearly threw me out the saddle. Funny I was looking at pics of me and him last night, and in all the show ones I’m sitting back, lol, behind the vertical. I remember the shock of all that power, then embracing it and learning to love it.
Then a few years with the floofy cloud mare, most comfort horse I’ve ever ridden by far, also most opinionated, scary at times, spooky, taught me so much…
So yes a big change to the new guy, struggling with saddle fit, without going custom, doing the best we can with shims, and certainly could be a factor.
The leg muscles are coming back, but I think that I do need to pick up the exercises again, to help it along.
The lunge line is an excellent way to start no stirrup work with a new partner. Once you gain confidence on the lunge line, add it to your normal repertoire when riding. You don’t have to ride with no stirrups every time, or for the entire ride for it to be an effective tool. I promise it will help your seat, balance and posture when riding. :yes:
whereas a dive on the forehand running trot is not.
You may find that lengthening your leg helps you remember the feel of the sitting trot you’re looking for.