# How do you "keep at the trot"?



## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

It takes strength. Drop your stirrups for a few minutes every ride at whatever gaits you're comfortable with. This does wonders for your thighs. Also do exercises to work on your core strength, as this will help your balance tremendously.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

I think it may be that your stirrups are too low or you're posting incorrectly and gripping somewhere - your feet shouldn't be coming out of the stirrups when you post.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

When I taught lessons the people that were the most fit made the quickest progress. If you do NOTHING else you need to strengthen your leg muscles. Walking and running alone will not help you ride better. Here is a recent thread I started:
http://www.horseforum.com/rider-wellness/ballet-workout-equestrians-152471/


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I'd guess that you're gripping hard with the back of your legs to try to keep your balance, then going tense and that's causing you to lose contact with the stirrup
Riding without stirrups will help you deepen your seat and drop your heels when you get them back. Try to relax and when the horse stops instead of worrying about posting do a sitting trot for a few strides as you push him forward then go back into posting


----------



## Finalcanter (Apr 15, 2013)

equiniphile said:


> It takes strength. Drop your stirrups for a few minutes every ride at whatever gaits you're comfortable with. This does wonders for your thighs. Also do exercises to work on your core strength, as this will help your balance tremendously.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Thanks for the response. I haven't done any leg exercises in a long while; but I just made it one of my goals to do some nice exercises two or three days a week for 30 minutes..that and some yoga. 



DancingArabian said:


> I think it may be that your stirrups are too low or you're posting incorrectly and gripping somewhere - your feet shouldn't be coming out of the stirrups when you post.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Part of the problem may also be that I have difficulty keeping my heels down. Actually, I think that is most of the problem.


----------



## iRide Ponies (Aug 10, 2012)

Also as you post up, you can *bump* the horse with the inside of your leg to ask it to speed up slightly just before the corners.

Like others have said, your leg/heel position is probably the cause of you losing your stirrups.


----------



## Finalcanter (Apr 15, 2013)

I have been gripping the horse with my calf muscles and rising. I don't think that is how you do it, and that is probably why my feet keep slipping out of the stirrups. Probably why I can't keep the horse going. 

this video tells me otherwise 




So I should be gripping with my knee, not my calves?


----------



## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

No, don't grip with your knees. Grip with all of your inner thighs.


----------



## CowboyBob (Feb 11, 2013)

Its just a thought, you are getting a lot of good advice about your posting. About the problem of you horse stoping at the turns. I don't know how new of a rider you are but, I see kids were I work that have this same problem. I think, if its only on the turns then there is a chance you are thinking to much about the turn and losing the need to keep your speed up. Try thinking about the turn sooner think about what you need to do to get your horse though the turn at about half way between the turn you just left and the up coming turn. That way once you are to the turn you have already prepaired for it and you mind is free'er to work on controling your horse in the turn. Just a thought.


----------



## Gallop On (May 1, 2011)

Your supposed to have a relatively quiet leg, without your leg flying all over the place, you sink your heels down down down and that alone will help your leg to stay still. You really only grip with your calves if your on horses that need constant leg pressure to keep them moving, and actually not even then that often. But do not grip with your knees no matter what. It leaves you with a loose dangling leg, it throws your balance off, and makes it hard to give the horses leg aids, and when it comes time to jumping, it will be a absolute disaster. I would say most of your problem is your not sinking your heels down far enough. As far as keeping the horse going around a corner - When rising up at each up post you just remind your horse to keep moving by bumping him. If your heels are down, and your not gripping with your calves or knees, bumping the horse around the corner will not cause you too loose your stirrups. You really dont grip at all per say, you simply sink your weight in your heels and remain in a balanced position, with no calve or knee gripping


----------



## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

On top of everything else that has been said, core exercises are so awesome for everything


----------



## Finalcanter (Apr 15, 2013)

I love all the advice, thank you so much everyone! I wish I can practice this now..maybe posting a video of my lesson would help.


----------



## Finalcanter (Apr 15, 2013)

okay, so looking at some old threads, the trot should be more of a back and forth than up and down. I never thought about that, I thought it was up and down. so I notice a difference if I bring my pelvis forward and back, not straight up and down.


----------



## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

I still have a problem gripping with my knees while posting. I have to consciously think about it or I'll grip with my knees and lose balance (posting is the only time I grip with my knees). When I realize I'm gripping with my knee, I usually just try and push my knees farther apart and sit a little deeper (not to stop though). When I do this, it feels like my whole lower body just relaxes and drops into place. It feels soo much better than when I grip with my knees. When I grip with my knees, I fall forward doing a stop, corner, turn, etc. I worked on it a lot yesterday (with stirrups because they'll flop all over the place and bother my poor mare for now (she'll get use to it soon).

I just wish every horse I rode naturally had a nice jog that I could comfortably sit instead of having to post, lol.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I don't grip with my legs at all, I might have a sort of folding my leg to the shape of the horse but its not a grip - a grip is tension and pressure - if I put pressure on my horses they would be buzzing all the time
If you allow your heel to drop then the leg will follow it downwards
If your struggling with the post then try to just sit at the trot for a while and feel the horses diagonal movement which is whats actually pushing you 'up/down' then try to allow that action to move you rather than you force your movement - which results in you 'over posting'


----------



## Finalcanter (Apr 15, 2013)

Ugh, this is my fault. I've been rising wrong for a few lessons and never brought up the issue with my instructor. This waste time and money.. Someone had said to grip with your inner thigh; but can someone just clarify? I am confused now on the whole mechanic of the posting trot. If you just sit with your heels down, that's just a sitting trot, so how do you rise? 

It really sucks that I can't do anything about this until I am at the stables. Maybe the fault is on my instructor..but I'm more likely to blame myself. Sorry for bringing all my grief onto any of you with annoying questions. I feel like I should be learning faster because of my lesson limitations and it's really bothering me. I'm sorry if I may have missed something in someone's post about this issue (I'm not ignoring you, I just have trouble reading and concentrating at the same time, if that makes sense to any of you..) I'll honestly take my slow time to take notes on each post here.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I think your only fault is that you're trying too hard.
Try to relax and feel the horses movement. Ask your instructor if you can limit the trot to shorter stretches so you don't have to worry so much about pushing the horse forwards
I don't like the word grip because its got too much restraint and tension in it - like your trying to stick on like a limpet rather than develop a natural balance
Starting out at sitting trot allows you to 'feel' the horses action.
If you can find some videos like this one you'll be able to see how its the horses movement that pushes you upwards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG9etQZIjTM


----------



## Gallop On (May 1, 2011)

Finalcanter said:


> Ugh, this is my fault. I've been rising wrong for a few lessons and never brought up the issue with my instructor. This waste time and money.. Someone had said to grip with your inner thigh; but can someone just clarify? I am confused now on the whole mechanic of the posting trot. If you just sit with your heels down, that's just a sitting trot, so how do you rise?
> 
> It really sucks that I can't do anything about this until I am at the stables. Maybe the fault is on my instructor..but I'm more likely to blame myself. Sorry for bringing all my grief onto any of you with annoying questions. I feel like I should be learning faster because of my lesson limitations and it's really bothering me. I'm sorry if I may have missed something in someone's post about this issue (I'm not ignoring you, I just have trouble reading and concentrating at the same time, if that makes sense to any of you..) I'll honestly take my slow time to take notes on each post here.


In my opinion I would say dont grip with your inner thighs. At all. Not even at a sitting trot. At a sitting trot you are simply relaxing your body and using you abdominal and back muscles to absorb the motion of the horse. Dont grip, dont tighten up, or you will end up bouncing about.

At a posting trot you are rising up with the leg on the wall, and coming down with the inside leg. All without gripping with your thighs, knees, or calves. Impulsion at a horses trot will naturally bring you out of the saddle, so learning the sitting trot first is best, so you can learn to feel the horses movements.


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

CowboyBob said:


> Its just a thought, you are getting a lot of good advice about your posting. About the problem of you horse stoping at the turns. I don't know how new of a rider you are but, I see kids were I work that have this same problem. I think, if its only on the turns then there is a chance you are thinking to much about the turn and losing the need to keep your speed up. Try thinking about the turn sooner think about what you need to do to get your horse though the turn at about half way between the turn you just left and the up coming turn. That way once you are to the turn you have already prepaired for it and you mind is free'er to work on controling your horse in the turn. Just a thought.


 
Cowboy Bob and I were thinking along the same lines ; prepare sooner. Get the horse more energetic BEFORE the turn. Look up and think forward.

all this will fall into place in time. everyone goes through what you are going through when they start. riding isn't easy, contrary to what some folks say. it takes time, strength and practice. that's why in it's highest form, it is considered an "Art".


----------

