# Should you stand in the trot?



## Horsef (May 1, 2014)

No, you were not hurting your horse.

I'm not sure about western, but some of my first lessons in English riding included standing in the stirrups to improve balance and get a feel of how horses move. As far as I know, you usually don't stand in stirrups when riding western, someone more knowledgeable will correct me. Do feel free to ask your instructor about anything you don't understand.


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

Standing is used typically as a learning tool. Helps with balancing over your feet and getting used to the gaits of the horse without risking bouncing all over their backs.


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## indianpony (Jan 6, 2017)

I was told to do that every time.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

To stand in the stirrups every time you trot? Can you give a little more description of what you were doing so we can try to figure out what the instructor meant?


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## indianpony (Jan 6, 2017)

Sure! First of all it was more of a free for all (basically we could do whatever we wanted but my instructor was there to tell us to change something or another). Also, I had been riding English before and was switching to Western. I did some walking around the arena and asked her, "how do you trot in Western? Is it the same as English?" She said just give him the cue and stand in the stirrups. I did and trotted randomly around until I was tired (maybe a couple minutes). Then, I did some barrels and pole bending whilst trotting. I also cantered the barrels a couple times. That's pretty much it.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Everyone I know posts when trotting except for short distances when merely jogging. That is rare.

Although I disagree with the instructor, and the "lesson" sounds odd, there are things one can learn even from bad examples!


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

Sometimes when doing long distance rides on my rough trotting horse, because of back pain, I would stand in my stirrups for a while to give my back a rest but I wouldn't do it regularly and not in an arena or lesson.
Maybe your instructor thinks it's a good thing for you to learn???


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

I'm a having a little trouble distinguishing what you mean. When you say "stand in the stirrups" when do you come back down?
Do you subtly rise and fall in rhythm with the horse's strides? That's called posting, and is definitely acceptable. Some people like it, some people don't--though I feel as though it's more common in the English world rather than Western.

Do you stand to cue and then resume sitting and sit for the remainder of the trot? Or do you stand straight up for the duration of the trot? Does your trainer encourage any bend at the hips?
If it's the latter two, I have never heard of. 
Maybe ask your trainer to elaborate on why she's suggesting you do this?


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## jgnmoose (May 27, 2015)

This could be a regional thing. Standing for the trot is more for what some people call a long trot. It is what it sounds like, a long stride trot for covering a lot of ground without making the horse tired. More something you would see working horses being ridden that way going from one place to another. I don't know much more about it than that, and what I've seen. 

Whether or not that is what you were being taught I have no idea.


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## indianpony (Jan 6, 2017)

No, I don't come down until I go back to a walk.


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## danicelia24 (Jul 16, 2013)

My mentor would explain it like this. When trotting western you want to "act" like you were standing in your stirrups. What she was trying to get across was you want to shift your weight into the balls of your feet so you didn't bounce as much. Maybe this is what your instructor meant?


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## Hackamore (Mar 28, 2014)

This may have just been an exercise to teach you balance.


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