Sitting Trot on a Bouncy Arabian!!!

porte101 · Yearling

Sitting Trot on a Bouncy Arabian!!!

Fizziologie · Yearling

Those 'springy' Arabians! Arabs are known for their suspension, which is what puts that spring in their step. It takes some lessons from a very articulate, experienced instructor to teach one how to swing with a trot...open hips and good core :) Good luck!

-- Edited by Fizziologie on Sunday 23rd of October 2011 10:29:21 PM

Barbara F · Grand Prix

This is always a challenging question!

Three things come to mind for this:

1. Make sure the horse is not stiff in her back, or your friend will have a real time of it. A nice soft fluid trot is a million times easier to site, even if the horse is quite bouncy.

2. Assuming the horse's back is not stiff and the horse just has a really bouncy trot, my best idea would be to do rising trot and then try sitting trot for a few strides only, so your friend doesn't have time to stiffen up and try to grip her way into sitting. Gradually have her do more sitting and less rising over a period of time.

3. Another thought would be for your friend to drop her stirrups and try a few strides of sitting trot. I always sit better without stirrups.

I hope these ideas are helpful!

-- Edited by Barbara F on Monday 24th of October 2011 04:05:31 PM

Jackie Cochran · Advanced

The only way I've been able to sit the springy Arab trot is by moving my pelvis (and all of this happens at the same time):
1) From side to side
2) One hip goes forward and the other one goes back
3) The hip that goes forward also goes up, and the hip that goes back also goes down
So I swing my pelvis from side to side, one side forward and up, the otherside back and down
This is the way that I keep my seat-bones "glued" to the saddle. My riding teacher likes my sitting trot a lot.
I do this both sitting forward and sitting back, though when I sit back my spine also does some shock absorption in the lumbar region.

Figarocubed · Advanced

Excellent explanation, Jackie!

My lovely Arab gelding was super hard to sit. Shortening my stirrups a hole or two helped. "Guter Sitz" also helped.

when Guy was really connected back to front and on the bit, he got easier to sit.

They can be a challenge!

Queenrider · Advanced

Mary Wanless has a good way to describe how to do this. Most instuctors will tell you to push down into the saddle. But the reality is that you have to pull down using your big thigh muscles and you must have a mobile pelvis. Eckart Meyners has some excellent exercises to achieve this. So when sitting the big trot you lead with your inside hip then outside hip all the while pulling down. Repeat!

Figarocubed · Advanced

Yeah. I've always felt when I'm really sitting with the horse, it's more of a back & forth, side to side feeling. Last night I tried the forward & up/backward & down that Jackie described and I have to say it didn't work for me too well -- BUT that's why instructors have learned to use different descriptions or word-pictures to help students visualize and execute tasks.

Jackie's method obviously works for her. When I try "thinking" too much about swinging my seat via her description, though, I can't ride! When I stop thinking about it, the swing comes naturally.

Queenrider, your description explains how to achieve an adhesive seat!

Jackie Cochran · Advanced

Well I don't think about it in words. I have neurological damage (MS) and I was trying to take every bump out of the sitting trot that I could to avoid further damage to my spinal cord. Its mostly a feel of keeping my seat bones glued to the saddle. A Barnmicer had asked me earlier how to stay seated at a sitting trot and that is when I analyzed it.

There is a difference between sitting the trot in the Forward Position for Slow Equitation and sitting the trot with an erect spine. In the forward position the weight is on the FRONT of the seat bones, in the dressage position the seat weight is on the back part of the seat bones, and the spine is more vertical. I find the dressage position sitting trot is slightly more side to side than forward and back. I also have to absorb more shock with my lower back.

When I ride a horse for the first time I often find that they have a stiff back, and they do not "swing" their backs at a sitting trot, and my back suffers. By slightly, oh so slightly, making the above described motions I have been able to gradually seduce the horse into relaxing its back, which ends up with the back "swinging". I start out in the forward position, and sometimes it takes awhile before the horse's back gets strong enough to comfortably carry a sitting rider's weight further back.

Right now I am riding two Arabs and an Arab-Welsh. I am incredibly fortunate. Before these two I rode another Arabian for 18 months.

Trouble Horse · Well Schooled

Is it cheating to use full-seat (sticky) breeches?!

Jackie Cochran · Advanced

I would not consider it cheating if you use them to help learn the feel, but you still will have to move your pelvis or your butt may get friction burns from the breeches. I don't really know though, I've never tried full seat breeches or roughout leather seated saddles.
Maybe riding bareback at a slow jog may help. I had LOTS of hours bareback before my MS got too bad, and bareback most of my trots were sitting. I found that if the inside of my legs were bare (I used a wrap around Indian skirt to do this or find some super short shorts or American Indian leggings) I got super "frictional" grip with my legs, and it was with that super grip that I stopped sliding around enough so I could concentrate on keeping my seat bones in one place. Of course then I had to translate that movement to wearing cloth breeches on a slippery leather saddle. I did this on my Anglo-Arab gelding with a super smooth sitting trot, really more like a Western jog, and when I got the jog right I increased the speed some to learn to ride the bumpier trot.

Barbara F · Grand Prix

Trouble Horse wrote:
Is it cheating to use full-seat (sticky) breeches?!

LOL, no, not at aLL!

Use what you need, including a bit of saddle soap on the saddle! ;)

Marlene · Advanced

I have a bouncy arabian, and he is bouncier than others I've ridden, plus I'm not quite as supple as I used to be. Barbara had some excellent pointers. I would also suggest doing a lot of walking, until the horse is very relaxed, then just a very light signal to trot. If the walk is already bouncy and non-relaxed, the trot isn't going to be any better (in fact worse), and if the horse is trying to get away with stuff you will feel it in the walk, and must establish whose in charge right there, so start there. Very light signal, these guys are pretty sensitive, just thinking about a trot can rev them a little. Get them used to your legs swaying a bit so they don't react to every brush of your foot or leg on their "sensitive" ribs. Pay attention to the hands, very soft hands, don't tighten or tense or hold them in too much. It won't slow them, it will tense them up and cause more bounce. Again very slight increase/decrease (as in a baby finger) in tension in reigns is enough. Practice in an area where there are not other distractions that might get horse's energy level up, then later practice in areas of slightly more distraction. If they go nicely even for a few steps, praise, neck rub, let them relax back to a walk. Rinse and repeat. If the bounciness is just high energy from having been confined, and the ride is their first release, it is pretty difficult to teach a relaxed gentle trot. Sometimes a training session towards the end of a long ride works better because they have dissipated some of that unstoppable energy. On the other hand some like my guy gets occassionally bouncier on the way home, so choose your best time to work on the exercise. Some people find a little lunging before the ride calms the horse and takes some of that bounciness out, I didn't personally find that with my guy, but it might be worth trying. It takes a lot of patience, and firm handling,and any sign of impatience will often rev that tension level. Hope some of these thoughts help. for stirrups, I prefer longish, dressage length is best for me, but whatever length makes you feel the most secure in the saddle is best for a particular rider.

As far as the best britches to wear, I have envisioned some with velcro strips and matching strips on the top of the saddle, with a seat belt strap attached to the D rings. Still in development :)

-- Edited by Marlene on Thursday 27th of October 2011 03:49:58 PM

-- Edited by Marlene on Thursday 27th of October 2011 03:54:11 PM