# How to ask for trot with my seat?



## Kkmitch (Mar 5, 2013)

Long story short, I need someone to help explain how I ask for the trot (from a walk) with my seat? I'm just not entirely sure what to do with my hips, I guess. Am I "pushing" or just starting a post?? 

I'm training my four year old Shire/Percheron (who is very responsive) as well as riding a very sensitive/light new horse. Both pick trot nicely verbally or with a little nudge but I would like to keep the cues as light as possible. Thanks.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Well think of it this way, the rear is the engine, so you have to make your seat deeper or heavier if you will to put pressure on that engine to get it going. You need to use thigh pressure as well.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

make the seat deeper? I hear that a lot for stopping the horse, too. that is one of those statements that can mean a different thing to each one who hears it. it's so subjective, what "deeper" means. and deeper to get the hrose to transition upward from walk to trot?

do you mean , "get the horse in front of your leg?" (another of those very vague statements that are very meaningful once you get it but are just odd words to beginners )

I have trouble knowing exactly how to describe making the horse understand to trot off from the seat. my instructor says to put more "life" into my seat, but I tend to interpret that as wiggle around, or lean forward.

I think you might be saying something like, to think of kind of squeezing the hind end ahead of you, as if you want toothpaste to squeeze up from the bottom of the tube and out. if you apply pressure too far forward, the toothpaste goes backward. you have to think of almost "scooping" it from the horse's hind to go forward. 

Now, what exactly you do with your seat? it's hard to put into words, isn't it?


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## equitate (Dec 14, 2012)

Stretch lightly into the heels/touch with the inside of the calf. No pinching with leg/thigh. And make sure that you do not fall back as the horse does a transition. Up transitions (with greener horses) are even a little more light seated.


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## Kkmitch (Mar 5, 2013)

Tinyliny - It IS really hard to describe. Every time I've tried to sit deeper, it's interpreted the same as "Whoa" and, to me, sounds counterproductive for an upwards transition. I need a different motion or at least different description of what to do. I agree about more "life" too - I end up flopping around. The closest I've come is it so far is to totally loosen my hips at the walk, but I've also heard my hips are supposed to be that loose and rolling all the time (or at least when asking for extended gait vs. the collected). I'll try Equitate's suggestion in the mean time.


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

I'll try to explain what I do. For me, I trot with my body. My legs don't move - no pressure, no release. If you get in the habit of releasing your hips in sync with the horse's back legs, the transition to trot with the seat is much easier. 

So, for example, as we're walking I lift my left hip (and only my left hip moves) with his back left leg. Then, I lift my right hip with his back right leg. When I first started this, I did only the left hip with the rise of the back left leg for a bit. Once I had the feel of that, I switched to the right side. Then, I did both hips. The great thing about doing this is that it works with the horse's own muscles. You're working with the horse and helping his muscles do what you want them to do. As you lift each hip, you clear the corresponding leg to move more freely under you. 

Once you get that, you can control the tempo of the walk using the same idea. If you increase the speed in which you lift a hip, the horse naturally wants to increase its own speed to maintain that ease of movement for the corresponding leg. Again, first I did it with one hip until we both had the idea. Then, I switched hips. Then, I did both hips. Now, I can increase and decrease the tempo of the walk with my seat alone - no hands or legs needed. 

I order to get a transition to the trot, the same principle is applied. This is harder for my horse, so we had to combine aids for a bit before he understood what I was asking of him. Ideally, you would be able to essentially lift each hip to the tempo you want and the horse matches it. If you give a trot tempo, the horse should move into it. Mine needed some help to wade through the confusion. 

First, I tried just using my seat in a trot tempo with no luck. So, I added just enough calf pressure with my hips lifting until he trotted. I only used as much pressure as I needed and no more. I would get him into the trot for 1 or 2 solid strides and then back to the walk (again, with my seat). As I did this, I decreased the pressure from my calves and maintained what I was doing with my hips. Eventually, he started moving into the trot from the seat. 

Personally, I had a tough time because I thought too much. I do that a lot. It's the engineer in me. 
The more I do the exercise, however, the more it just becomes muscle memory and everything goes much more smoothly as I think about it less and just do it. 

I really hope that made some sort of sense.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Well, that's a great description, SEAmom.

another thing that helps a horse get the message to go up to a trot is for the rider to look further down the trail/arena. put your mental focus on a point that you are going to go to, and think about going there with energy, and take a big inbreath. looking down at your horse, or just barely in front of them keeps the energy small and shut down.


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## equitate (Dec 14, 2012)

Good luck getting to fei with all that motion to just do an upward transition. It is one thing to allow a gait (i.e. walk), but another to do a transition. The seat is balance, the posture (and the stilling of the seat for down transition. The leg/calf touches to ask for foreword movement/transition upward. Ask/allow. Sitting deeper/posterior tilting of the pelvis can be a hh/putting the horse upright (between the hand/leg) but it is not an up transition. The asking for more or up originates in the leg. i


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## Janskee (Nov 16, 2013)

The way I've been trained to ask my trainer's horses to transition up to a trot is to sit deep and exhale (this allows your back to relax and hips to move more fluidly), then squeeze and release with the legs. The increased movement in your seat actually comes from your hips and lower back. Think of what you do to ask for a half halt (still your seat and quiet your back), and asking for the upward transition is the opposite.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## equitate (Dec 14, 2012)

Touch with the (inside) of the calf, no squeezing (that lifts the center of gravity/tenses the rider).


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## Rideabighorse (Jan 12, 2014)

A lot of it is your energy. Increase the energy in your body and think "Come on let's trot". I know that sounds silly, but it works for me.


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