Hopefully I can ask this question correctly. I’ve been participating in no stirrups November. I’m getting good at following the trot motion with my hips by dropping them alternately with each step, but am not clear how much I should actively be doing.
My question is, are you supposed to just allow your hip to drop with each step or actively contribute to the motion?
To throw a kink in your question, I think about lifting not dropping. 
For me, dropping makes me hollow my back and I’m already built like a swaybacked old mare no one would be cruel enough to ask to work. Lifting allows me to keep my back flat and pelvis neutral. It also then allows me to add lift to what the horse naturally does to provide a place for the horse to lift into, rather than driving the horse. My gelding is very springy and all I need to do is allow, whereas my mare is only just starting to develop that spring now and for her I have been adding lift for years. We have finally reached the point she has developed enough impulsion and cadence that I move with her and don’t have to lead her movement upward.
Ahhh, interesting. I had not considered that. I only just recently realized the motion is more hip independent rather than an overall up/down thing. I’m horrible sloucher, so thinking up rather than down might help me null out whatever disconnection I have left. My horse in a TB, so there’s plenty of bounce to absorb. To now, I’ve been getting by on just really good balance, but it would be nice to achieve that nice continuous connection. thanks!
I think focusing too much on trying to follow the trot in a side to side motion, can be counterproductive. Relaxing your hips, and allowing them to follow is more useful,adding lift more from your upper body, allowing you to stretch your upper body up, effectively carrying yourself. The stride can be lengthened or shortened by use of the legs and hips though.
[QUOTE=tbchick84;8920806]
I only just recently realized the motion is more hip independent rather than an overall up/down thing.[/QUOTE]
Up and down and forward.
From personal experience, let me issue a warning that when learning to follow the motion, you should not follow by softening the lower back. Keep the lower back stable/still, and learn to follow from softening the joints in your legs. That said, make sure you keep your legs in the correct position under your body. They will tend to drift forward to a chair seat if the horse isn’t engaging his hind end and bending around your inside leg, so that’s something to watch out for.
[QUOTE=tbchick84;8920768]
Hopefully I can ask this question correctly. I’ve been participating in no stirrups November. I’m getting good at following the trot motion with my hips by dropping them alternately with each step, but am not clear how much I should actively be doing.
My question is, are you supposed to just allow your hip to drop with each step or actively contribute to the motion?[/QUOTE]
That is a very good question. My advice to start with would be to really only follow the horse in the beginning. Don’t try to do anything actively. Once you are really able to feel and follow what the horse is doing, you will be able to contribute to the motion. But if you start to be active before you understand the motion of your horse you will kill the trot…
I have seen many horses lately which just toddle along because the rider obviously keeps the horses from trotting.
Of course it is more challenging to follow the motion of a horse which is more springy, but it is much more fun later on if you can really deal with this 
I have been trying to sit his real trot and not condense him into that constipated cat jog. I’ve noticed it usually starts well, then the up/down bounce starts to come into play, and I null it out by relaxing my hips and allow the side to side component. Then it all goes to crap and I have to run through those steps again. I must be getting better at it. My horse actually kept reaching forward into contact yesterday. In years past, the poor thing would eventually sigh and come down to a walk in the hopes I would give up. Now he seems to actually like that part of our ride. I always finish off with a nice stretchy trot with me up in half seat so I don’t mess up his back.
Ok… personal advice. Don’t overdo the sitting trot in the beginning. Walk, try to sit really relaxed and correct and then start the trot. Try to be really focussed on the first step. As soon as you loose your seat stop the trot back to walk.
Transitions are a very good exercise anyhow and its not good to do longer periods of trot with loosing everything.
And believe me once you are able to sit one step, you will eventually be able to sit 2 steps and later on suddenly you will get the feeling and be able to sit more steps… Its a patience and focussing thing…
[QUOTE=Manni01;8921732]
Ok… personal advice. Don’t overdo the sitting trot in the beginning. Walk, try to sit really relaxed and correct and then start the trot. Try to be really focussed on the first step. As soon as you loose your seat stop the trot back to walk.
.[/QUOTE]
Not a problem. We don’t even attempt it until late in our rides after a very nice relaxed trot is there to work with on a nice warmed up back. I’ve been doing really well this year. Dressage is a bit smoke and mirrors to the eye, so I just wanted to know how much of the motion should be proactive on my part versus absorbing his motion.
That is probably your trainer should tell you as well. But it wouldn’t make sense to be active until you are very comfortable feeling his trot
[QUOTE=Manni01;8921809]
That is probably your trainer should tell you as well. But it wouldn’t make sense to be active until you are very comfortable feeling his trot[/QUOTE]
I’m at a loss where you read anything into this where I was uncomfortable with his trot. I’m doing very well in comparison to my previous November attempts.
I’m not currently working with a trainer. I’m not sure where that has any relevance to my question. All I asked was how much I should be actively following versus passive.
I have always found trot my hardest gait, but it is getting better! This is how I seem to do it. As the horse is pushing from behind I allow my pelvis forward with the energy and circle it back down, repeat. It is a very soft movement and the work comes from my thighs. Less is more: the more relaxed you can be the better the sit becomes.
[QUOTE=tbchick84;8921820]
I’m at a loss where you read anything into this where I was uncomfortable with his trot. I’m doing very well in comparison to my previous November attempts.
I’m not currently working with a trainer. I’m not sure where that has any relevance to my question. All I asked was how much I should be actively following versus passive.[/QUOTE]
I apologize if I read something wrong. I am sure you are doing very well.
I’m not sure I will get this out in writing like it is in my head, but I’ll give it a go!
The “difficult” part of the trot to sit is when the horse is suspended, or lifting, in the trot. Try to ride with the lift and not brace against it. So imagine the upward, slightly forward motion, and rather than brace or sit hard into the saddle, relax your lower back and hips and try to go with the motion. Almost rolling your hips the saddle. This might go without saying, but stay strong and tight in your core, but relaxed and supple in your low back and hips. It’s obviously much easier with stirrups as your ankle can take some of the concussion.
I also had an amazing trainer remind me that it takes about 200 times of repeating an exercise to really start to even get it! So just keep practicing and tweak little things along the way and you will get there!
Hope this made some sense! Good luck!
[QUOTE=tbchick84;8921820]
I’m at a loss where you read anything into this where I was uncomfortable with his trot. I’m doing very well in comparison to my previous November attempts.
I’m not currently working with a trainer. I’m not sure where that has any relevance to my question. All I asked was how much I should be actively following versus passive.[/QUOTE]
I think you are being a little sensitive to what M is trying to say. If I am following her train of thought- she was saying: get used to his trot-in this case sitting- before trying to be active in raising/lowering/dropping hips etc while you are working the sitting trot. And (not putting words in her mouth) was theorizing that perhaps this is something your trainer would have discussed. Obviously since you are not working with a trainer - null and void but a legitimate pondering, IMO.
The “comfortable” part, is more likely - get used to practicing it. Not that you are “uncomfortable” with it, but making it more of a habit (?) and really used to it in practice so you have a good feel of how to work on it. Are you bouncing out of the saddle? Sliding? Just not “with the motion” type of comfortable, as in- can you identify WHAT exactly you are struggling with so you know how to work on it. I didn’t take it as trying to be offensive in any way.
I commend you on NSNovember. It is a month the kids dread
I strongly recommend one of Susanne VonDietze’s books. Especially if you are not currently working with a trainer. She does a fantastic job outlining specific things you can do to achieve a good seat.
There are lots of ways to “not bounce” that are not right…you don’t want to become expert at one of them
[QUOTE=tbchick84;8920768]
Hopefully I can ask this question correctly. I’ve been participating in no stirrups November. I’m getting good at following the trot motion with my hips by dropping them alternately with each step, but am not clear how much I should actively be doing.
My question is, are you supposed to just allow your hip to drop with each step or actively contribute to the motion?[/QUOTE]
Try thinking “bicycle” instead of just dropping and/or lifting.
[QUOTE=netg;8920782]
To throw a kink in your question, I think about lifting not dropping.
For me, dropping makes me hollow my back and I’m already built like a swaybacked old mare no one would be cruel enough to ask to work. Lifting allows me to keep my back flat and pelvis neutral. It also then allows me to add lift to what the horse naturally does to provide a place for the horse to lift into, rather than driving the horse. My gelding is very springy and all I need to do is allow, whereas my mare is only just starting to develop that spring now and for her I have been adding lift for years. We have finally reached the point she has developed enough impulsion and cadence that I move with her and don’t have to lead her movement upward.[/QUOTE]
I thought about your input when I did my sitting trot yesterday. It really did help to think of it as an “up” thing rather than a “down”. I sat taller and let my hips come up with each step instead of think abut following them down. I think I nulled out a good 10% extra of unwanted movement. I have to get video of it and see if it looks as good as it feels these days.
At a clinic this summer, the clinician got me to sit just a few strides on my very green (and large!) horse just so he could get the feel of me sitting. As I have very tight hips already, I found I was getting tighter and tighter trying to force myself down in the saddle.
The clinician suggested ‘wiggling’ my hips when I felt myself getting stiff. Literally moving one hip forward then the other and trying to wiggle my bum in the saddle. Sounds totally ridiculous (and I felt realllll silly doing it) but it does work. Obviously not something you want to do all the way around the ring but for a few strides when you need to relax, it does work!
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