Sitting trot tips?

[Gumby80]

I used to event as a teen, and my sit trot was maybe adequate, but now I am mid-30s jumper rider who sits at a desk all day! So my sitting trot is pretty awful. I can get it done, but I feel stiff, and like I’m falling behind the movement.

I thought maybe the eventers might have some good advice! Beyond “do more of it”, do you guys have any nifty tips or tricks for improving my sitting trot? Any exercises in the saddle, particular stretches, or things to focus on? Help me stop bouncing around like a sack of spuds on my poor horse!

[OneTwoMany]

Remember to ride on your “seat bones”, not on your butt. Think about keeping your shoulders back while allowing your pelvis to remain flexible and follow the semi-circular motion of the horse. Ride without stirrups as that can help you find your center of gravity very quickly. Sally Swift’s book is worth a read too.

[tbchick84]

Do they still make hula-hoops? Those really help loosen up the muscles needed to sit the trot.

[Toblersmom]

Imagine your behind is a big sand bag and your spine is an al dente noodle.

[weixiao]

Try some stretches for your hip flexors. Sitting (car, office job, etc) always makes my hip flexors tight and I’ve found stretching really helps my sitting trot.

[devvie_continued]

Know that when trotting the horse goes up and down and forward and back, but also moves side to side – so your left and right seat bones will need to rise and fall left and right while at the same time following the horse’s forward and up and down motion. Reminding myself of this is key for me: seat bones do not stay level, hips do not stay level, they rise and fall from right to left to right when following the motion.

[merrygoround]

Riding without stirrups will force you to drop down into the saddle. Do it at the walk first, and feel the rhythm with your hips,

Then when you move to trot, do not fight the movement, make your hips go with it, allowin your hips to sink down.

Have ground-person give you a position check to be sure you are sitting on your seat bones. If you feel you are bouncing too much pull your self into the saddle with one hand on the pommel. This works best on the longe.

[endlessclimb]

@devvie_continued

Know that when trotting the horse goes up and down and forward and back, but also moves side to side – so your left and right seat bones will need to rise and fall left and right while at the same time following the horse’s forward and up and down motion. Reminding myself of this is key for me: seat bones do not stay level, hips do not stay level, they rise and fall from right to left to right when following the motion.

Thinking about the side-to-side motion is my key to sitting. If I feel myself starting to lose it, shifting my focus on the side to side motion pulls me back down.

[cyberbay]

To add to what the other posters have offered: IME, the key to sitting the trot is in the state of the horse’s back. If his back is up and “loose,” the rider can sit all day. When the back is tight, as it often/usually is earlier in the ride or if the horse is not that accomplished in his training, sitting the trot means that jarring, stuttering feeling.

So it’s a bit of a chicken or egg: Sitting well can assist the horse in loosening his back, as an accomplished seat can usually cope with a stiff back. And a “loose” back can show the rider how to really sit the trot.

Maybe one approach could be, if you are working on your own: Do suppling work at the walk, and then see if you can, from there, build contact that will give you a smooth, connected transition into the trot. Sit (and enjoy) those nice first trot steps, then transition down to the walk. Repeat. This might give you enough of a sensation to expose you to that “swinging back” feeling, which in turn will help you sit more effectively. And then build from there.

The one other trick is finding good, consistent dressage instruction that will show you how to build forwardness and building connection. Those are the way in to creating a good back.

[HiJumpGrrl]

I have to remember I have two butt cheeks attached to two hips, and that they move independently, just as the horse’s legs do. If I try to sit on just one “butt” rather than both cheeks, my own back tightens and I bounce. If I remember to move with the horse’s back, it’s better. It is like sitting on two independently bouncing balls. I dunno. That might not help, but it helps me

[SuzieQNutter]

Think, “Keep the bounce.”

[Obsidian_Fire]

Do you have access to a western horse? I found that sitting the western jog - very slow, allows you to really relax and get the feeling of it without struggling with the bigger movement of english horses.

And agree with others, stretch those hips. Those front muscles (psoas) get very tight from too much sitting.

[Lusoluv]

Can your trainer or trusted horseperson who can lunge you on your horse? Then you can just think about the feeling vs steering and keeping your horse going. Using properly set side reins can also help keep the horse round. The rounder he is, the better place you have to sit. If your horse goes with a braced or dropped back, that’s like sitting on a 2 x 4 vs sitting on a soft trampolene. The sitting trot is an active gait…many people just sit heavily and that creates all kinds of problems.

[Finn_Dixie]

One thing that I think of when I’m feeling a little too bouncy is to remember to absorb the movement through my stomach. If you think too much about it, it’s not correct. It’s the idea that helps me straighten out my upper body, remain supple, and loosen up my hips/thighs. For whatever reason, it’s what works for me.