# Teaching a green rider the trot



## LizzieE (Jun 1, 2012)

I am teaching a very beginner rider who is about twenty, so she has developed motor skills and can understand the sort of terminology I have been presenting to her. However, we have hit a stumbling block. She has mastered the walk well, but as soon as we trot, all hell breaks loose. She forgets how to steer and my horse ends up cantering away with her or running her into a wall. It hasn't gotten dangerous or anything, but I feel that it will if we can't get her balance and coordination up to par soon. I have put her on a lunge line for the trot multiple times, and it does help with her balance. Does anyone know of any exercises I could do with her to help her improve her balance at the trot?


----------



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Let her try in a western saddle. She can hold the horn if she gets nervous. Once she relaxes, she can try the English saddle and go on learning English. I doubt it would take more than one session to get her comfortable.


----------



## freia (Nov 3, 2011)

Here are some exercises our trainers did with us when I was a kid:

Take the stirrups away for all these.
-Option 1: On a lead line or lunge line, have her put her arms out like an airplane. Look at her and make sure her "wings" are level. Most people will be banking to one side. Once level, lead/lunge her that way. Ask her to feel the horse. Feel where her body contacts the saddle and feel the horse's movement underneath her. Ask her to focus on feeling how the horse responds to her movements. She needs to start communicating with her body and legs. When she's comfortable, have her close her eyes and do it all again. Once proficient, do it at a trot, but with eyes open.

- option 2 - similar to option 1, but simpler: Lunge her with her arms out. You want her to be able to sit the trot without being dependent on her arms and hands for balance. She needs her hands free to control the horse, not to balance herself or hang on. Does your horse have a smooth trot that's actually "sittable" or is she uncomfortable and getting bounced hard when trotting?

- option 3: We had lesson horses that reliably followed the rail and maintained their gait when I was a kid. This only works with that kind of horse. Maybe it would work on a lunge line as well. If your horse is trotting her into the wall, it may not be a good idea. Without stirrups, and eventually bareback, we did all kinds of what I called yoga at the trot. We'd hold onto the cantle and kick our heels together above the pommel (gives you great abs too!). We'd stretch out arms out to the side, then reach down and touch one toe at a time, etc. The whole idea was to improve our balance and glue our seats to the horse.

I'd suggest trying bsms' suggestion first to get her out of panic-mod and show her that she can do it, then work on improving her seat and balance with something like what I mentioned.


----------



## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Lizzie, could you find another horse to teach a beginner on? Because if this horse runs away the end result may be quite sad (the rider can fall or can lose her confidence completely).


----------



## IslandWave (Nov 25, 2009)

Put your student on a horse that has a slow trot (a smooth trot would be an added bonus) on the lunge line and teach her about her position during the trot. Have her hold on to the mane/horn/strap at first to keep her hands still while she learns how to control her body parts separately. 

Let her practice steering while still on the lunge line, like making her circle bigger and smaller. That way you still have control over the horse.

If it's her balance that needs work, do some stirrupless and reinless work. Leg exercises and arm exercises that really her her seatbones in the saddle.

No need to rush things, build on good experiences, and safety first!


----------



## TripR3 (Oct 7, 2011)

Another thing you can try is to have your friend trot just 3 steps and then bring your horse back down to a walk, trot 3 steps, then make the horse walk again, and just keep doing that until your friend is comfortable, relaxed, and controlled doing it. That will help with both her seat and keeping the horse under control. Once she can do that, then you can start upping the number of steps the horse trots before going back to the walk. Trot 4 steps, walk, trot 5 steps, walk, etc. I've taught some very timid beginners to trot that way, and it really helped them!


----------



## Prinella (Jul 12, 2011)

Id say she definately needs to be lunged. Depending on the student I lunge them until they can confidently rise and do an emergency stop. That way I know when I let them off if the horse gets too fast they can stop it.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

yep. more lungeline lessons. have her sing while trotting, have her carry something in her hands to keep her from going all into the fetal (fatal) position. That's what kills the balance, faster than anything. keep her mentally occupied, not focussed downward, but out/upward.


----------



## uflrh9y (Jun 29, 2012)

I agree with kitten val, you need a beginners horse. I find the trot is one of the most difficult gaits to master for beginners. A horse with a slow, steady trot, who doesn't react to leg movement and bouncing, is best. Honestly I don't think a beginner rider is ready for exercises where she doesn't hold on or works on her seat. I think we forget how hard the trot is for someone who has never done it before. 

My vote is use a different horse and a western saddle.


----------



## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

yeh I need to figure this out. I spent years never riding faster than a walk as the trot was bone jarring and it was all I could do to hang on to the horse. Never have figured it out as I started riding Walkers. But my quest for winning endurance races has me looking at Arabians.
I imagine my learn to canter and gallop method, although very effective for me will be frowned apon. I do have to credit Clinton Anderson for the technique. One of his few training aids I have found to be pretty effective. 
You know those little plastic bottles of green apple Smirnoff ?


----------



## justxride97 (Jan 12, 2012)

Yeah, I like the western saddle idea. It will give her a little more support and makes everyone feel a little more comfortable with the horn in front. Another idea is that you set up some cones in the middle of the arena and practice weaving threw them at a walk. Then _slowly_ build up to a trot. Do you guys have a round pen? That would definitely help her since most horses will stay out of the middle and only follow the outer part of the ring.


----------



## Laurren (Jun 24, 2012)

I'm a beginner myself, I started riding about 2 months ago and am now decent at both sit and rising trot, so maybe I can help. The first time I tried to sit trot was on a lunge and it still scared the bejeebus out of me. What helped me the most was my instructor made it really clear which muscles to use to hold on (NOT the reins, or the saddle, or whatever), and emphasized how important form is, especially pushing down as HARD AS I CAN on the balls of my feet. Maybe if you tell her to focus on her grip muscles while she rides and do yoga at home for balance/core she will improve, and have her do a walk without stirrups to practice strengthening her thighs. And if you have her do the drills while the horse is in a walk, like situps and toe touches, she will have better balance and confidence.


----------



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

"which muscles to use to hold on...pushing down as HARD AS I CAN on the balls of my feet"

??????????????????

I suppose it varies some with style of riding, but I've never heard of using muscles to hold on while sitting the trot, and pushing down hard on the balls of the feet is 180 out from how I approach a sitting trot. Or posting.


----------



## Laurren (Jun 24, 2012)

bsms said:


> "which muscles to use to hold on...pushing down as HARD AS I CAN on the balls of my feet"
> 
> ??????????????????
> 
> I suppose it varies some with style of riding, but I've never heard of using muscles to hold on while sitting the trot, and pushing down hard on the balls of the feet is 180 out from how I approach a sitting trot. Or posting.


It helps to keep my heels down and, of course you hold on with muscles? how else would you hold on? Just sit there and flop around?


----------



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Laurren said:


> It helps to keep my heels down...


Pushing down on the balls of your feet doesn't do much for keeping your heels down. It does create tension in the leg, which is counter-productive to sitting the trot. It is probably better to think about lifting your toe than it is to think about heels down. A common exercise to improve trotting is to go without stirrups. Think about that.



Laurren said:


> ...and, of course you hold on with muscles? how else would you hold on? Just sit there and flop around?


Yep. Pretty much.

Gravity is your friend. Let the weight of your legs pull you into the saddle - although this requires a relaxed leg and NOT "pushing down as HARD AS I CAN on the balls of my feet". Keep a relaxed back and enjoy the ride. Then you end up 'just sitting there' instead of flopping around.

If someone wants to try to grip hard enough to hold his/her butt in the saddle during a trot, I've got a 13 hand BLM mustang I'd like to introduce you to...

And while my horses are pretty slender, I've been on some Quarter Horses with backs that resembled the roof of a Ford Explorer. Unless you have legs that allow you to cross a room with a single step, you ain't gonna get your legs wrapped around and hold yourself on the horse with your muscles. And yes, trotting on my mustang will just about split you in two if you try.

BTW - one of the things my daughter-in-law was shown on her first (western) lesson (in a round pen) was to hold on to the horn for her initial balance, then pull her legs out of the stirrups, close her eyes and relax until she was barely touching the horn. Then let go of the horn. Of course, it helped that the lesson horse was an outstanding gelding who was paying attention to the instructor and who had a gentle jog. It gave her confidence since she could adjust how much she was holding on to the horn on her own schedule. It also taught her to relax and enjoy trotting. I wish I had taken a camera so I could show the smile she had...


----------



## jinxremoving (Apr 6, 2009)

Laurren said:


> It helps to keep my heels down and, of course you hold on with muscles? how else would you hold on? Just sit there and flop around?


To echo what has already been said, don't force your heels down! *You need to let the weight sink into your heels.* When sitting the trot you need to relax and not grip otherwise the horse will likely speed up and you're going to find it even harder to sit. When posting (rising) trot you let the horses impulsion lift you out of the saddle... far too often people will push off their stirrups to rise and that's incorrect. Also make sure the stirrup length is correct as that can sometimes contribute to heels coming up, or at least make it difficult to sink into them.

Pick up a copy of Sally Swifts - Centered Riding, it might help you better visualize how to sit and post the trot.


----------



## jinxremoving (Apr 6, 2009)

Laurren said:


> What helped me the most was my instructor made it really clear which muscles to use to hold on (NOT the reins, or the saddle, or whatever), and emphasized how important form is, especially pushing down as HARD AS I CAN on the balls of my feet.


Oh yikes! I read the full comment (not just what bsms quoted) and noticed that an instructor told you to do that. I would talk to her and tell her that people are saying it's wrong, you shouldn't grip while sitting the trot nor try to force your heels down. Maybe she has a specific reason for asking you to do that, knowing it's wrong, but definitely a good way to teach you some bad habits.

Check this article out:

http://www.woodlandhorse.com/introtothesittingtrot.html

They stole some of that from a book, but it explains why gripping is a sin when sitting the trot. If your instructor wants to argue and tell you that gripping + forcing heels down is the correct way to ride, then I would suggest finding a new instructor and buy the old instructor the US Pony Club D Manual - Basics For Beginners.


----------



## LizzieE (Jun 1, 2012)

Thanks for all the feedback, guys. Unfortunately, I don't have any other horse to teach her on. I am teaching her on my personal horse. By no means is she a school horse, but she is perfectly capable of helping my friend/student learn simple things like balance and steering. I have had her steer around jump standards (like cones because I don't have any actual cones). I have put up poles that she has to steer through at the walk, and she does wel. i think balance is the major issue. I don't have a western saddle myself, but I may be able to borrow one from someone. I also have access to a roundpen, so I definitely think I will utilize that next time. It never even occurred to me to try that. Silly me. Thanks for all the help. Should I have her focus on sitting first? Or posting? Or both?


----------



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

LizzieE said:


> ...Should I have her focus on sitting first? Or posting? Or both?


For English, I'd recommend posting first. For a forward seat, I might even try 2-point prior to posting. My big challenge trying to teach myself riding and posting (starting English on a spooky horse) was getting my balance to synch with the horse. An instructor would have done wonders for me, but I increasing believe that learning to feel the horse's balance and movement is a critical foundation for everything else.

OTOH, my family prefers western, and I ride an Aussie-style saddle using western rein use. For western, I'd start with the sitting trot, in part because a lot of western saddles make posting awkward unless you already know how to do it. A lot of western saddles put the rider in a chair seat, which is fine for some types of western riding - but posting from a chair seat is miserable IMHO. 

I'm not an instructor or a highly qualified rider, so I'm just answering off of what felt best (or what hindered me) when I was learning to ride a few years ago.


----------



## freia (Nov 3, 2011)

If you don't have a Western saddle handy, use the English. The suggestion of the Western saddle was for the horn = something to grab onto. I would think that you could do about the same thing by putting a grab strap on your English saddle until she builds some confidence. You don't need a bonafide grab-strap. An old spur-strap or piece of rope attached to the dee-rings should suffice.
do the above mentioned balance exercises at a walk until she builds confidence, balance, and relaxes and no longer feels she needs the horn/grab-strap.

I think a few of the above posts might really be onto something. Many green riders will tense up in anticipation of their first trot. Being tense is bone-jarring, especially if sitting the trot. Once that's happened, she'll tense up even more the next time, in anticipation of having her kidneys turned to jell-o.

Here's an exercise my trainer did with me (30 years ago - some details might not be accurate).

-Sit on the horse at a standstill with someone holding the horse. No stirrups.
-Relax
-take time to find the balance point and the leg position that gives the best contact and most comfort.
- sit there like that until completely relaxed and comfortable. If still tense, ask her to yawn deeply. This will relax most people.
-Close the eyes. Feel the balance, position, and relax completely.
-Now envision a thick, heavy bathmat. Yes, bathmat. Visualise that it's soaking wet. You know how heavy that is and how it wraps itself onto every surface? Visualize that all your body parts that contact the saddle/horse are a wet bathmat. Let your lower body become that wet bathmat. Relax and balance like that.

30 years later, whenever I'm on a horse with a bonejarring trot that makes me start to tense up and bounce, I think of that wet bathmat.


----------

