Magnetized in Sitting Trot!

Horse and rider, Universo and Chloe, trotted to a halt in front of me, both breathing hard, Universo bumped me with his nose for a peppermint treat and a smile burst out on Chloe’s face as the words tumbled out . . . “I felt magnetized to my horse. When I lifted my hips, it felt like his hips lifted with mine. I am used to me bouncing along with him, but this time I felt his back under me, so there wasn’t a bounce!”

Teaching my daughter is rewarding and fun. I get to be a riding instructor again; I love to teach, and lucky for me, Chloe wants the structured lessons and enjoys learning. I love to see a student making progress. I love the lightbulb moments in the brain, and I love it when I see those lightbulbs manifested in the body, which is the mind/body connection.

Learning how to sit the trot correctly is challenging for many riders. Riders use coping mechanisms to sit the trot, like using the reins for balance and absorbing the motion incorrectly in their body. Without proper instruction in the mechanics, their body figures out ways to help them cope. Head bobbing, pumping through the lower body, and lower legs swinging back and forth are all examples of incorrectly absorbing the motion of the sitting trot, which makes it difficult for the rider to coordinate their aids and influence the horse. Many times, the horse is also used to help a rider sit the trot; the trot gait may be restricted or flattened, or the horse may brace against the rein. All coping mechanisms eventually become training problems for the rider and horse as they progress.

Teaching riders to sit the trot correctly is also challenging. Universo and I have spent hours teaching Chloe sitting trot. She does the frog position and works on bouncing her legs from the hips alternately and together, in 2-beat time and in time every stride. She uses the strap on the saddle to keep her seat in the saddle and works on using her stomach muscles. She lets her arms hang down from her shoulders, which helps her learn how to keep her elbows loose and relaxed. She practices without stirrups on the longe line. Universo teaches Chloe by dropping his back in tension when she bounces on his back and by rushing through her aids when she grips with tension. He is willing to jog very slowly in circles around me, until she follows the motion, and then he lets her know by relaxing and walking. Off the horse, Chloe does Pilates to strengthen her core, achieve muscle balance, and maintain postural alignment, which all helps her sit the trot, absorbing the motion correctly, with relaxation and balance. Pilates also helps her attain the muscular endurance necessary to maintain sitting trot for longer intervals at a time.

Different horses have different natural trots that are inherently easier or more difficult for the rider to sit. However, when any horse is round and connected, it is easier to sit the trot. Some horses will maintain a round frame and willingly give their back to the rider, even when a rider is incorrectly absorbing the motion, bracing, and bouncing around on their backs. However, many horses, like Universo, will not automatically engage their back and they will react against rider deficiencies by hollowing the back, rushing, throwing up their head, or offering other resistances. When the rider can sit the trot, and only then, will a horse who does not willing give his back, do so. And when that horse lifts his back and provides a platform for the rider to sit, that is when the rider feels a stable connection with the horse. That is when, as my daughter put it, you feel magnetized to the horse.

And so Universo got his peppermint, his extrinsic reward for being a patient teacher, and Chloe got the intrinsic reward of feeling what it is like to sit the trot correctly, in balance and harmony of motion, her horse through and using his back.