The bounciest gait to ride has many challenges for riders. A horse’s trot can go from easy-going and flowy to rough and sometimes uncomfortable all within a few strides. While this gait is the next step for beginners to learn after mastering the walk, it can take a long time to fully acquire the skills needed to sit, post and two-point at the trot.
Riding Without Stirrups
Riding without stirrups can help you gain balance, improve your body and leg position, and stay coordinated at the posting trot.
“There are many benefits to riding with no irons that will help you stay organized when trotting,” says Beth Case, a Quarter Horse hunt seat trainer from Pilot Point, Texas. “It’s very important to have your heels down and toes up when doing no-stirrup practice.”
A Straight Line
Dressage coach Colleen Forton from Traverse City, Mich., explains that when you’re riding and viewed from the side, there should be a vertical line from your ear through your shoulder to the hip and down through your heel.
She recommends having someone take a photo of your riding position from the side to show you, since it’s always more effective to see it with your own eyes.
Posting Problem
The most common issue Colleen sees when a rider is struggling with the posting trot is lower legs too far forward.
“If it’s hard for you to get up out of the saddle, or if your post is too tall away from the saddle, and you’re behind the trot motion, these can all result in a double-bounce when landing in the saddle,” she says.
Colleen explains how to correct a lower leg that’s too far forward.
“It’s best done by finding a friend or trainer to longe you while you’re riding your horse,” she says. “Practicing the two-point position is one of the best exercises to learn balance. This is done by standing in the stirrups with a slight bend in your knee and at the waist. Have a grab-strap on the saddle to help you get your lower leg into the correct position and to steady yourself. Start at the halt, then the walk, followed by the trot and canter. Any time you fall backward, try moving your legs back further under your body. If you tip forward, you could be pinching with your knees.”
Change Your Diagonal
Colleen advises practicing switching posting diagonals next.
“Work on changing your posting diagonal in perfect rhythm without losing balance,” she says. “It’s done by either sitting two beats or staying up two beats to change which set of the horse’s legs you’re following. The legs move in diagonal pairs at the trot, and you want to take your weight off the inside hind leg as it comes under the horse’s body, since the inside hind leg has to carry more weight than the outside hind leg. But changing to the wrong diagonal and back again will help you learn balance.”
Feeling Your Diagonal
Beth says that searching for the correct diagonal without looking is something even professionals have trouble with, including her.
“Being patient while you look for your diagonal is key to getting better at feeling your horse’s front legs go back and forth,” she says.
Learning to pick up the correct diagonal can be frustrating, and there is no substitute for practice, according to Colleen.
“Once you pick up the diagonal, look to see if it’s correct [you’re rising with the outside shoulder moving forward] so that you learn the feel of being on the correct diagonal,” she says. “This gives you the instant feedback of knowing how the horse’s stride felt when you started to rise. Feel is something that takes time to develop. If you relax your vision and allow yourself to be aware of when the horse’s outside shoulder is going [forward or] back, you can keep looking straight ahead.”
The Sitting Trot
Beth says that crossing your irons over your horse’s withers in front of the saddle or just taking your feet out of the stirrups will allow you to have a deep seat at the sitting trot.
“This will help you to sit more balanced in the saddle with a tall upper body and your shoulders back,” she says. “When you don’t have your irons for leverage, it gives you a long leg in the proper position and you’ll have to make small adjustments for a smoother trot gait.”
Improve Your Sitting Trot on the Longe
“The best way to practice your sitting trot is also by having someone longe you and your horse,” Colleen says. “Use a grab strap and cross your stirrups over the withers; allow your hips to follow the motion of the horse’s back. Think about sitting on your back pockets and pushing toward the front of the saddle. If your abdominal muscles right below your rib cage hurt the next day, you were using the correct muscles.”
Keep your legs as relaxed as possible.
“You can even allow them to be a bit in front of you while you’re learning to relax your lower back and follow your horse’s back motion,” Colleen continues. “Allow your hips to go up and down, but make sure you are sitting deep during the down beat, when the horse’s back is at its lowest. It may help to say, ‘Down, down, down, down,’ when you feel the trot bringing you back and down in the saddle.”
Cantering Benefits
Beth says that learning an effective sitting trot will also give you smoother trot-to-canter and canter-to-trot transitions.
“Your ease of cueing and sitting the canter with security and riding with your weight slightly back also helps encourage your horse to move off his forehand and drive with his hind end,” she says.
Trot Takeaways
The rising and sitting trot will not only make you a stronger rider, but a quieter and more in-control rider as well.
Once you master the elements of a good balanced trot, everything else comes together as you confidently improve your feel and position.
This article about riding the trot appeared in the September/October 2024 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!
