Ok, let’s be totally honest! Sitting trot is one of the hardest parts of riding dressage. When you first try it, it can be hard to imagine how you can stop yourself from falling off, never mind finding it in any way easy! Yet, when you watch a really good rider sitting the trot, it looks so smooth and effortless. So in this week’s archive video, I wanted to share two of my favorite bits of advice for getting your sitting trot from jackhammer to joyride!
1. Less is more — it is better to sit for less time and focus on moving right with your horse’s back and keeping your hands soft than to start bouncing in the saddle when you get tired.
2. Stillness means moving! Sitting trot requires you to move a lot!! When you watch someone sit the trot, it looks like they are sitting really still. Actually, you have to move a lot to stay with the horses’ motion. That means your hips, lower back, knees, ankles, and even elbows act as shock absorbers and move with the horse’s motion!
Some other important things to consider:
- Make sure your horse is round, and their back is up before you sit the trot.
- Keep the impulsion when you sit the trot, don’t slow the trot down to make it easier to sit.
- Make sure your horse is in front of the leg so that when you sit the trot, you don’t have to be kicking and squeezing to keep them moving.
Have a look at this video, and let me know if you find it helpful in the comments!
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Thanks for watching, and happy riding!
