Is your riding position stable correct when you’re trotting with your horse? Here with some pointers is biomechanics pro Russell Guire.
Perfect your rising trot
We’re often taught that rising trot is an ‘up, down’ motion, which can be a little bit confusing.
It’s actually better to think of it as ‘sit and forward’.
It’s the momentum of your horse pushing himself forward from his hindquarters that pushes your seat and hips forward and out of the saddle, followed by sitting gently back into the saddle.
It’s important to keep your knees relaxed, your shoulders level and you should be sitting evenly on both seat bones.
Your horse’s tail should also dissect you into two equal halves.
Your position in sitting trot
Many riders struggle with sitting trot and the main issue is tension, which causes you to bounce in the saddle.
As this happens, most riders will slow the trot down to make it more comfortable to sit on.
The key to perfecting your sitting trot comes back to your pelvis. It needs to move softly forwards and back in time to the trot while you maintain a secure yet supple core (you don’t want to become stiff and rigid in your position).
You also need to stay relaxed in your knees, any gripping in your legs will only make you bounce even more.
To help you get the right feeling, think of gently polishing the seat of your saddle with your seat bones!
