Riding lessons for life #10

Sitting the Trot:
The sitting trot- dreaded by all riding students around the globe! Why? The trot is the most animated and jarring of all the horse’s gaits, and riders usually “post” or purposely rise and fall in and out of the saddle with the horse’s rhythm so as not to get bounced around.  But the sitting trot is an important, advanced skill and important to develop as a rider.  It is challenging because most riders tend to want to stiffen up in order to try to hold themselves still and upright in the saddle.  This is actually counter-productive and will make you bounce more because you are stiffening up against the horse.  What a rider must learn to do is relax into the saddle, go with the horse’s motion, and allow the horse to carry you along, bumps and all.

It’s always amazing to teach rider’s to do the sitting trot. At first, many are tense, as I mentioned above, and are self conscious about getting bounced, so they don’t breathe, they tense their entire bodies and therefore they do get bounced!  I tell them that they must trust me on this one, they must breathe, relax their muscles from head to toe, sink deep into the saddle, and then I see a smile spread across their face! It really works! Read more