Posting the trot is difficult for many young riders, but in some ways sitting the trot is even harder. Teaching students to sit the trot requires an understanding of the best way to sit comfortably through the horse’s bounciest gait.
The term sitting the trot is misleading. Students think they are supposed to simply sit down on their back pockets like sacks of potatoes. They think bouncing up every third stride and sitting down hard on their horses’ backs is normal. These are the misconceptions that riding instructors must correct.
Teach Active Sitting
Explain to your students that the rider is no less engaged in the sitting trot than he is in the rising trot. Make sure they realize that it takes effort and focus to sit the trot correctly.
One of the most effective tools a riding instructor has at her disposal is comparison. If you can compare a riding technique to something your students have experienced in another aspect of life, they will grasp it much more firmly.
Liken the sitting trot to sitting on a sailboat in high seas. The vessel is cresting waves every few seconds and tiling left and right like a roller coaster on steroids. In order to stay in his seat, a passenger must grip the arm rests of his chair and keep his core tight.
The same applies to sitting the trot. Riders must maintain a tight core and a firm grip on the saddle if they want to stay seated.
Assigning Muscle Groups
Riding instructors often talk about the thighs and the calves as though these are the only two muscle groups used in equestrian sports. Not true.
Three main muscle groups are used to sit the trot:
Addutors: These are the muscles on the insides of the thighs, which are connected both to the pelvis and to the femur bones. They are used for gripping the top of the saddle and for rooting the upper body.
Tibialis: The tibialis (anterior and posterior) is a key balancing muscle that is engaged when the foot is in the stirrup with the heel down. This is the muscle you feel when you lift your toes, and it is used to maintain balance in the saddle and to direct cues to the horse’s sides.
Gastrocnemius: Together with the soleus, this muscle forms the posterior calf (the big bulging muscle at the back). This muscle is used for balance, but it is also key to gripping the saddle. The toe should face forward when sitting the trot, engaging this muscle.
Riding instructors don’t need to give the correct names for these muscles, but they do need to explain their function and how they are engaged for the sitting trot. Otherwise, your students will just be floating atop the saddle, vulnerable to a stiff breeze or a spooking horse.
Capturing the Rhythm
We riders would like to think that it is our superior muscle strength that allows us to sit the trot, but this isn’t the case. A pretty sitting trot is more about rhythm and balance than anything else.
During the sitting trot, the rider’s seat becomes a shock absorber. The pelvis tips forward with every up-beat of the horse’s trot, then settles back on the down-beats. This allows the seat to maintain constant contact with the saddle.
With me so far?
When teaching your students to sit the trot, emphasize the necessity of finding the horse’s rhythm. Encourage your students to count the beats like a metronome, and to use their seat muscles to maintain the horse’s rhythm.
This is why I often recommend private lessons to teach students the sitting trot. It helps to count out loud to students and to call out specific instructions so that no miscommunications interfere with the learning process.
For more about teaching students how to trot, see the RIU articles on the posting trot and diagonals.
You might also like:
- Teaching Students to Post the Trot:
Part One - Teaching Students Proper Balance
- Teaching Students to Post on the Correct Diagonal
- Teaching Your Students to Mount and Dismount
- Teaching Your Students to
Mount and Dismount
About the Author: Laura Jane Thompson is the Chief Equestrian Officer of Riding Instructor University and the Feature writer for the horses section at Suite101. She believes that any horse business can succeed provided its owner practices smart strategy.
