Leaning In And Trotting. Two Problems.

[Tabitha]

Hi,

I have two major problems when riding. On the right rein I lean into the inside and collapse my right side. Any suggestions on how to correct this? I'm a lightweight rider (7 and a 1/2 stone) so have to make my weight aids very clear, but in doing so have this problem to the right. I'm also quite stiff in the right hip and find this harder to advance forwards than the left.

The second problem is coping with sit-in-trot on during extension, and very dynamic trots during lateral work for example shoulder-in and half pass, leg yielding is not too bad. I've videoed myself in a normal working trot and I think I'm pretty okay, no head bobbing and I seem pretty relaxed, I have more problems when the trot is upped a gear.

Thanks.

[cptrayes]

I've got the same problem with sitting trot Tabitha. I find Heather's advice to think "left - right - left - right" works really well with this one. If  you feel yourself lifting off the saddle, start the left/right thoughts going and sit with one half of your bottom at a time. I think it's Heather also who points out that our bottoms are in two halves- and it's obviously so we can do sitting trot!

Caroline.  

[Tabitha]

Hi,

Thanks. I'll try that, but I find really difficult to get the timing with a more dynamic trot? Does that come with practice?

Thanks
  :lol:  

[cptrayes]

My older horse is just beginning to do fabulous extensions, but it is desperately difficult to sit to something so active. It's definitely getting better with practice.

I find sitting to shoulder-in easier, not harder, than to a straight trot. I wonder if your horse is not quite letting you sit in to his back for some reason? It's so difficult to know when we have got it wrong and when the horse is just not letting us get it right, isn't it? From my two horses, I would say that the trot is much easier to sit to if their backs are really up and swinging. If I can't sit, then it's a signal to me that the trot is not actually quite right. It might be interesting next time it happens just to question whether the horse is actually allowing you to sit?

I'd also say that you'd have a much harder time sitting if your horse  is either big for you or small for you. There is certainly a natural rythmn that fits each rider best, and if the horse's doesn't match, it's much more difficult. That's where "left-right" comes in - it helps match the rythmn.

It would be so much easier to make useful comments if we could see, of course, but tell us how it goes.

Caroline.

 

[Tabitha]

Hi,


Thanks for the reply.

I tried the left right thing in my lesson this week, as well as working on half halts, which was my request. My timing is still off. I'm going to have a play around with it some more tomorrow when I ride and try it on a couple of strides of extended trot.

Having played around with it thus far I would say actually that perhaps shoulder-in is easier for me to sit to the more dynamic trot down the long side, but it is much harder on the stiffer (right) side of Tabitha. Do you think it could have something to do with where my hip bone is? Unfortunately Tabtiha's stiff side is my stiff side also, and I have problems relaxing down this side and lengthening my inside leg. I'm now wondering whether my two problems are actually the same thing, because I have problems getting the righthip forward enough and my weight down that leg. Do you have any tips? Tabitha is also big for me. I'm only petite, but she is a middle weight cob 15.3hH, with a large stride. On the whole I find her strides more comfortable to sit than a smaller, shorter strided horse and she is so responsive that usually my size hasn't hindered us. But I now want to move up a gear with her and need to get this sorted.

Thanks.
 

[cptrayes]

Very interesting Tabitha. You may have hit the nail on the head. I've written elsewhere that I have broken quite a few three and four year olds, and with only one exception those horses were dead straight and even-sided until I had been riding them for a few months. Then they always have more problems with left bend than right bend. It's me!

Have you got any physical reason that you know of which makes it more difficult for you to get your right hip forward? If not, try questioning whether you are actually sat level. If you can get someone to watch you from behind you may find you have more weight on one side than the other. (That would also make it difficult to get left/right because you're not getting the same signal to each seat bone. The more powerful paces might be catching out a fault that you have at the lower level too, but maybe it isn't severe enough to come to light until you try to sit more active trot?) One of my friends actually slips to the outside on the left rein, then tells me that the horse is hard in the mouth on that side. When I yell at her to make her sit level, the horse suddenly softens on the left side of its mouth!!!

Don't be too hard on yourself - maybe your horse is just extremely bouncy when she starts to motor - can anyone else sit to her?

Another question would be 'are you sat above your feet and absorbing the trot in your back properly?' Heather uses an exercise in sitting trot where you take away your stirrups and point your toes to the floor. If you're bouncing around when you sit like that, then it's possible it's your mare's action throwing you around, and you'll just have to keep practising. Take a look at some photos of Grand Prix riders doing extended trot - you'll be amazed at the number of them that are very clearly not sat on the horse's back!

Tell us if anything changes when you try it again.

Caroline.

[Tabitha]

Hi,

Thanks for all the help.

The only physical reason is sitting at a desk all day getting tight in my hips. I need to practice loosening them up day and moving around at work. I'm probably not sitting level, because sitting at a desk means I sit how I am comfortable rather than how balanced I am, and I think this reflects in my riding. Hmm. Something to work out of the saddle.  

I think you are right about the legs. When I ride in the dressage saddle it's much easier to sit to the trot. The GP it's not. Problem is that it's not always down to me what tack she is in due to lesson schedules etc. It's not too bad when I ride out of lessons because I get to tack upand choose what I want to ride in.

If the ground is not too frozen this weekend I will have a play around and get my boyfriend to take some pictures so I can make a better judgement.

Thanks.
 

[Tabitha]

Hi,

Still haven't had time to take photos and get them developed. I'm going to try and sort something out soon.

I'm still having problems with the dynamic trot. I can manage the left right things for a few strides but then I lose my timing and it starts to hurt  once I've lost my timing. Maybe her strides are just too big for me :( . My instructor is petite and rides her beautifully so it gives me something to aspire to!

Thanks again for your input. I just thought I'd update the thread. I'm determined to get this sorted.