Need some help for rising trot...!?

Question

I have been volentairing at a horse trekking business in NZ for three years now, i have been learning how to trot, but i cant master the rising part in the trot. I have GREAT teachers and have had a few interesting experiences, but when the horse decides to trot on its own accord, i just sit and grip, so i was wondering what is the best tecneques for doin a good rising trot? We ride with pereli (rope) halters and dont use bits. So the way we ride is all natural. It would be a great help, thanks

Answer 1

sounds like you're in a western saddle.

with that in mind, make sure your stirrups aren't too long. you should be able to stand in the stirrups with atleast a few inces of air between your seat and the saddle's seat.

you really shouldn't rely on your stirrups to 'push' out of the saddle in the rising trot, though, when first learning and getting the hang of things, this is fine. really you should be able to post without stirrups just as well as with them. you should be using your hips and upper thighs to rise from the saddle, aso keep that in mind.

just move up and down with the up down motion of the horse. up when on leg goes out, down when the other goes out. it should be more of a thrusting motion than just 'standing up'.

just hink abou tnot bumping the horse on the back and what you would have to do to achieve that.

Answer 2

My number one point-RELAX!

If your stiff, you'll never master it!

Next, just feel the horses movement. It will TELL you when to rise!

Answer 3

One of the main problems that comes when people are trying to master the trot is they rise too far out of the saddle, so that one moment they are literally standing in their stirrups, then they banging down heavily on the horses back.

First make sure it is not the horse you are having difficulty with, some horses do have a very bouncy movement at the trot which can throw people too high out of the saddle.

Another main problem is horses-being naturally one sided which can make trotting on diagonals more uncomfortable than trotting on the other.

If it is you that needs help here is the advice;

count one-two, one-two in rhythm with the horse's feet and above all try to relax, the more stiffer you are, the more harder it will get. The more relaxed you are the more closer and quieter your legs lie against the horse's side the easier it will be for you to get into the rhythm of the movement. Note: make sure your stirrups are the right length.

When you are riding to the rising trot, it should feel as if it is the movement of the horse which is raising your seat not you hauling yourself up. Incline your body forwards slightly without tipping forward and try to go wtih the movement. Avoid rounding your back and keep your head up and look ahead or this will keep you off balanced

Goodluck hope this is informative =D

Answer 4

Rise and fall with the leg on the wall!

Keep your heels down ||

                                       V

Ride deep into the saddle and give a little nudge when you sit. A posting trot can be hard to master correctly. I'm guessing you're riding in an Austrailian western saddle but I'm not sure. Grip with your nees and stand with out using you feet but keeping your heels down. Kind of confusing...

Answer 5

the one word that helped me at rising at the trot was "roll"

you have to roll your hips forward and back. it sounds weird but when your actually riding, it makes some sense.

Answer 6

The first thing to do is to see if you can feel the beat of the trot.

When you're sitting, do you feel the up-down motion? It's almost a little jerky, smooth for a second, and then you feel a little bit of a drop. It should have a one-two, one-two, one-two beat. Make sure you're not gripping with your knees, it'll make the beat harder to feel. Say it out loud to yourself, or have someone call out the one-two beat for you.

Now, once you've managed to recognize the one-two beat, see if you can rise up in the stirrups for the "one". For now, don't worry about the direction of your hips, the key is to try and stand in the stirrups for the "one", and sit for the "two". Soon, it'll be second nature.

Make sure you get the above down before trying this. Once you really have that part down, try looking down at the horse's outside shoulder. It helps if you're on the track of a ring, that way you don't have to worry about steering so much. Watch for a bit-- do you see how the shoulder goes forewards, then comes back? It corresponds with the one-two beat. You want to rise up in the stirrups when the outside shoulder goes foreward. This is called being on the outside diagonal.

Answer 7

The key to posting is to relax. Don't think about rising just allow the momentum of the horse (the "bounce") to slightly raise you, use that momentum to rock forward on the inside of your thighs then relax back into the saddle.

Just relax at first, sit the trot and feel the horses rhythm, when you have it's rhythm start allowing the momentum to raise you instead of resisting it, just keep the rhythm 1-2, 1-2 in your mind. You should rise as one shoulder goes forward and sit as that shoulder moves back.

If your going in a circle rise when the outside shoulder goes forward. In a straight line it doesn't matter. To change diagonals, (like when you change directions on a circle) stay sitting for two beats instead of one beat then rise with the opposite shoulder.

If you try to actually move up and down you'll wear yourself out and probably annoy the horse as well. :-) It's actually easier to learn posting on a bouncier, faster trotting horse.

Answer 8

A rising trot is to the beat of the trot.  It's not an up/down motion it's more of pushing your hips forward and back down.  You would never push off of your stirrups.  The beat of the horse is what makes you rise.  You should never grip when riding a trot or canter or gallop.  You should have balance and put all your weight down into your heel.  Gripping can put pressure on your horse and make him go faster.  Good Luck.