# Trotting & loping; Struggling with rider balance& lope



## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

If he won't lope a circle I don't see how he will lope a barrel pattern.

Does he canter readily on a lunge line or does he also trot fast then fall into it? 

You're correct in that you need to find your seat before you can give precise cues. I'm having a hard time understanding why you can't post to his trot? The only thing I can guess is your stirrups are too long or you're leaning forward. maybe both.
A video would be helpful...even pictures.


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## TXhorseman (May 29, 2014)

From your post, it is evident that you are asking too much too quickly. First, work on your seat. Developing a good independent seat begins at a standstill, then at a walk, then at a trot, and finally at a lope. This should be done progressively. Until each step is accomplished to at least a reasonable degree, you should not try to proceed. While the progressive approach may seem longer, rushing usually leaves too may holes which will later take even more time to fill.

Make sure your stirrups are long enough to let your center of gravity to really sink down to provide stability. They should not be so long, however, that you must reach for them. You should be able to stand in the stirrups with your heels down and just clear the saddle.

Once the stirrups are adjusted properly, try to release all unnecessary tension from your muscles. Think of balancing your head over shoulders over hips over heels. Don't try to rigidly assume this position. Just relax, balance, and let it happen. You should feel your upper body grown -- don't try to push it up. You should feel your seat (with a vertical pelvis) flown down into your saddle. You should feel your legs wrap around your horse's body like a cooked noodle around a bottle laying on its side on your kitchen counter. Your heels should naturally sink lower than the balls of your feet which are resting on the stirrups as a result of gravity. Don't try to push your feet down.

Once you are sitting in this relaxed fashion, squeeze and release your legs as you ask you horse to walk. Relax, balance, and feel your body move with your horse. Try to feel any tension in your horse's muscles. If you feel tension, try to help your horse relax. Simply maintaining balance over your horse's center of gravity while allowing your body to move with your horse's body should help. If this is not enough, try deep breathing exercises, humming, or even singing soothingly as you walk your horse.

Realize that relaxation does not mean laziness on your part or on your horse's part. You still want good movement, just relaxed movement. A good test to see if your horse is relaxed is to stop all movement in your body. As you stop moving with your horse, your horse should stop walking. Initially, you may have to use light rein pressure to reinforce the idea, but try to wean yourself and your horse from this.

Once you have established this relaxed walk, try a calm trot. Just whisper the trot signal and allow your body to follow your horse's movements. The biggest problems most riders have are tightening the muscles of their crotch as a defense mechanism to combat the bouncing of the trot and holding on with their legs. Both will cause the rider's center of gravity to rise and make their bodies less able to move with their horse's movements. The horse will feel the tenseness of the rider's muscles and tense his own muscles. Tension will cause roughness in the horse's movements. 

Releasing tension at the walk is usually not that difficult. Keeping the muscles relaxed when beginning to trot is generally a bigger challenge, especially if the horse has never learned he can stay relaxed with a rider on his back.

Once you find you can follow your horse's movements when trotting, you can work on helping your horse shift his center of gravity rearward. The horse will then be better able to make lope departures. Horses moving with relaxed muscles will also be able to turn better.


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## jenkat86 (May 20, 2014)

So...before you just jump right into the lope, work on the lower gaits first. Whatever holes are in the training will be greatly amplified at the lope. 

I think basic gait transitions will help you greatly with your seat, and help your horse start thinking about what YOU are going to ask next, which in turn will start reducing his "take off" mode. One question- are you riding in an arena or enclosed space, or are you out in the open? Regardless, start with straight lines. Walk straight, ask for a whoa, get a SOLID, QUICK stop. If he is taking a few steps after you ask for the whoa, keep working on that until he stops right when you ask. Once that is accomplished, do a walk-whoa-back. When you ask for a whoa, have him hold it for a few seconds, then ask for a few steps back. The idea is to make him not think about what he is going to do next, but what you are going to ask him to do next. The changes in direction will also help with your seat. After working on the walk-woah-back, you can try walk to trot transitions. If you are in an arena you can "Walk the straights and trot the curves" or vice versa. Again, the idea is to keep him guessing what you are going to ask next. Feel really, really solid with this before you try going into a lope. It may take a few "lessons" of this before you guys are ready for the lope, and that's ok. Don't overload yourselves. The first time you try it you may not get past the walk-whoa. But really try to perfect one thing before going on to the next. It will help you learn your seat. It will raise your confidence. And it will also raise your horse's confidence and attentiveness to you.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

you are describing a horse who is so stiff that he has to run into the canter, and cannot canter well, let alone canter a circle. you should be looking at ways to supple your horse's body first, before worrying about cantering him and your seat, or doing barrels.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

I'd focus on getting the trot better. No need to canter (lope) until the trot is reasonable. They aren't always related - "Bandit" had a decent canter, but a stiff & jolting trot. 

The rough trot may be similar to Bandit's problem. Bandit tends to brace his back and then move into an extended trot. That makes it brutal. He is about 800 lbs and his previous rider/owner was/is a big guy. I've been trotting him while standing in the stirrups to minimize pressure on his back, then asking for turns and doing serpentines at a trot to help loosen him up. After a couple of months, he's making progress.

Turns and serpentines and figure 8s are stuff that can be beneficial even done at a walk.

Two months ago, Bandit's trot was un-postable for me. Just "Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop!" How does one post on a jackhammer? But with practice, and large circles getting smaller, and serpentines, and some trotting down the road until HE decides to relax...and...well, it isn't good, but it's better. The trend is my friend. It is even sit-able, at times. Briefly.

His canter is decent, but I see no benefit on trying to make it better until we've got the trot going strong (and relaxed).


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## GoldenGlory (Jul 9, 2015)

Natisha: He will readily canter in the roundpen. I can't post to his trot; it's like a jackhammer! I couldn't go 'up down up down' as fast as he does (when moving up to the lope)
TXhorseman: I think my stirrups may just be too short, maybe my center of gravity isn't as grounded as it's supposed to be. Thanks, I'll try that!
jenkat: I have a big rectangular pasture, about the size of a large arena. Thank you! I never thought of doing those things before. 
tinyliny: He can lope circles in the roundpen (which is a lot smaller than our pasture) and he does it with no difficulty. What exercises do you suggest to supple him? I do basic suppling exercises every time I ride. Would he need more? 
bsms: Ok thanks! I actually do figure 8s, turns, and serpentines at a trot and walk, and he feels relaxed after that. He is slowing down now too, but still gets excited... thats when he earns two or three extra circles or figure 8s  OK I will definitely work on that trot, then I'll work on the lope after perfecting the trot.

Thanks all!


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## DarlaPony96 (Jan 5, 2015)

My suggestion is this; try lunging him on a lunge line with side reins. You can look up videos on how to properly attach side reins. I made my own and attach them to my saddle. Just be sure that you aren't forcing your horse's head into any position; there should be some slack in the reins. What this does is teach the horse to soften his head and reply to bit pressure. My horse had a trot just like yours does - i couldn't post or sit his trot and neither could my trainer. I started gradually using the side reins (meaning we used them at the walk for a few days, and then the trot, and then finally at the lope) and his trot is perfect now.  He has a nice western jog now that's very comfortable. We are still working on his lope. We have been perfecting his trot before we went onto the lope, and I think we're almost there. 
That's just my suggestion and what worked for me. Give your horse time to adjust and have patience with him. Over time you can tighten the side reins (very little) after he seems comfortable with the first setting.

And of course, practice makes perfect!
Good luck and remember to have fun!


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## BiologyBrain (Jul 9, 2015)

Work on relaxing your horse so he slows down his trot a bit. Lots of transitions is a good place to start as well as lots of turns. I would do a lot of worried at the walk with just a few trot steps. If you're constantly asking for downward transitions your horse won't get in such a big hurry to trot so fast. 

Instead of using your reins to turn, uses your weight to turn. Starting at the walk, weight one stirrup to turn without touching the rein and look in the direction you want to go. Focus your eyes on the direction you want to go. Try to be as relaxed and light as possible. Only use the reins if your horse doesn't turn using your other cues. 

When you want to halt, think about making your feet heavier and actually dragging them on the ground. Focus on sitting heavier in the saddle and not moving with his motion. Tilt your see at backwards a little. Don't tighten the reins unless your horse doesn't stop using the other cues.

To trot, think about making your seat lighter and slightly tilt your seat forward, gently bump your horses sides with your legs. As your horse trots, don't think about posting forward and backward or up and down. And don't try to force yourself to relax and glue yourself into the saddle. Instead focus on letting your hips tilt from *side to side in rhythm with your horse's barrel*. By moving side to side you should find it easier to be in sync with his hind feet. That should help you cue him to canter when you get him trotting in a relaxed way. 

This is kind of what I remember from Sally Swift's Centered Riding book.


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## GoldenGlory (Jul 9, 2015)

Thank you @Darlapony96! I will have to give that a go!
And also, thank you @BiologyBrain. I never thought of finding my seat that way before... I've been too focused on forcing myself to relax. Thanks!


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## sorral3 (Jun 7, 2013)

I see two separate problems.

1. Sounds like you need to work on your riding, which should be done on a more experienced horse. 

2. Your horse needs training by someone who's mastered the type of riding you want to do. 

I have never seen horse and rider both needing training work out well. Is this reply too harsh? I hope not. I hope it helps prevent injuries to both animal and rider. Do you have stable friends with calmer horses you can borrow to work on your horsemanship?


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## GoldenGlory (Jul 9, 2015)

No, not too harsh.  However, I've had this horse for 3 years, and the only thing I'm trying to do is better my balance and seat. (I have an average seat, but I'd like it to be better). Then we will continue on the barrels. Also, I don't have an extra horse that's older and more seasoned...this is the only horse I own  and he's 9. 

I've been doing lots of transitions, and I'm getting better, thanks to everyone's advice. We've been loping for 2 of those 3 years, and I wanted to get better at sitting the trot and loping...so that's all there is to that. I'm not sure why my horse would need to be taken over by someone else, since he's already trained. This past year I've been working on tuning him up, as in slight leg cues, neck-reining, going when I ask, and quick stops, side-passing, pivots, and things like that (He's been ridden since he was 3, and he is 9 now). He's picked up a few negative habits though,and the first problems I explained were among those. I've been able to slow down his trot, lope, and also get him to lope without that jolting trot. Simply turned him in circles, slowed him down, and started over. He learned pretty fast. Thanks to all who gave advice, I appreciate it!
God Bless~


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