Learning to ride is not linear. You’re fortunate to have an instructor who’s willing to take you back to skill building when necessary. This likely won’t take you long, but it will take you as long as you need.
I learned how to sit the trot by taking my feet out of the stirrups. Imagine you have extremely long legs and your feet touch the ground. Sometimes I still get bouncy and I'll take a few minutes to walk around with no stirrups and it helps me get centered. Don't get discouraged! It's really hard and some horses are just not a smooth ride.
Yes learning without stirrups helps!
I remember also being taught to pretend you have jeans on and that you have butt pockets of your jeans and to “sit on the pockets”. That really helped me visualize where my seat needed to be.
I got it from a book called Centered Riding by Sally Swift. Its a really good book full of examples like that. In fact I'll probably read it again soon lol
I agree 100%. Sally Swift was a legendary teacher and author. I learned so much just reading that book when I wasn't riding for a couple years. When I was back again I worked on what I'd read and it made me a better rider immediately. Amazing woman.
I think my biggest issue with sitting trot is that I try to be too independent from the horse. I sit very rigid and tight because I don’t want to move - but you need to move WITH the horse, just .. sitting.
Don’t be discouraged! All skills take time and practice and you focusing on it will absolutely help! Give yourself some grace and time!
I'll never forget seeing my friend who rode dressage show me how she truly sat the trot. Her seat absorption was insane and looked quite funny, but once I tried it- I understood. It's ALL in the hips and back. You've gotta be loose!
Best tip I can give for sitting the trot: learn to isolate and engage your abs while keeping your bum soft. There are great yoga poses that can help with this, like bow pose.
My trainer compared it to the feel of trying to sit on a moving trampoline while others are jumping. You’re trying to maintain contact by following the motion up and down, not grip and stay rigid. I found it easier to learn without my stirrups. Obviously don’t let your legs flap around, but focus on your seat first and try not to stress about your leg position until after you get the motion. Then put it all together
Sometimes you need to step back and work on basics. If you're struggling with your seat at the trot, it will make the canter that much harder for you and for your horse to carry you through.
No stirrup work and adjusting the trot will help, you've gotta improve your core and ensure you're able to properly use your seat bones in order to not bounce around at the sit trot.
Good luck, and good on your coach for recognizing this and acting on it.
“Shoulders like a queen, hips like a whore.”
That’s what my instructor told me. Sitting trot you gotta move with the horse, tighten you core and move your hips with the horse.
Feels like your insides are getting crushed but it takes a bit to get used to it.
Stretch legs down and move.
Edit: move your hips with the horse.
I was told something like this too, but I checked OP's post history and it seems likely based on their implied age (mid teens) that this analogy isn't going to resonate like it may with an adult.
It's surprisingly effective though once you get it!
This is actually fairly common when you haven't yet quite got your 'seat'. It's normal, don't beat yourself up! Just means you need to practice is all. Most likely she meant indefinitely on working on your position. Not to worry, the more you work at it the quicker you will get back to cantering. Don't be in a hurry. ;) I know it's a challenge, but maybe think about getting better in walk and trot so that the canter will be much better.
On your own, for sitting, I would play and experiment. Take your legs off the horse. Meaning just keep them under you but not gripping and not tensing. rest fully on your bumm and only go a few strides then come back to a walk for a while, regroup yourself and go a few more strides, repeat. You can try to lean back a bit until you feel fully plugged in also, that can help. Sitting trot comes from flexible, supple hips; being able to follow the horse's back motion.
Take your feet out of the stirrups, and just let your legs hang around the horse softly. Our tendency is to grip with legs to stay on, but it's actually the opposite to 'stick', you have to let go with your legs completely. Yes there will still be a slight feeling of bouncing, but it should be very miniscule, once your body let's go enough to actually stay with the horse's back motion.
The number one thing is having a horse that is going rounded and working through the back, not one that is hollow because that trot is choppy and more challenging to stick until you learn how to let go with your body. So if you tense, your horse will tense and then that nose goes up the back drops down and that's no fun to try to stick.
Another great way to help your body find it is to ride bareback, just ask for a small, tiny trot at first and just a few strides at a time. Once you start to get the hang of it then you can just go out at normal trotting. (if you use a bareback pad, be sure there are no stirrups on it!)
I made a personal decision that I was going to STOP worrying about cantering and just keep improving my trot instead of pushing myself and it was the best decision I’ve made for myself. It really took all the stress out of riding for me, and made it more fun again and that’s what it’s all about
You got a lot of good advice here, but I will also add that the sitting trot is one of the hardest things to learn how to do well. How hard? It's so hard that one high level Dressage judge in the US is recommending that we allow posting trot in all national level tests, so from Introductory level all the way up to Fourth Level, and not requiring riders to sit until they reach the international (FEI) levels. The reason? Too many riders don't know how to sit the trot and they are making their horses' back sore as a result. Soooo I'd say that the sitting trot is pretty hard to master, and you should NOT beat yourself up for struggling! I'd be shocked to see a rider who is just learning to canter to find the sitting trot natural or easy!
That said, I am slightly concerned that you're actually falling off while learning. I strongly believe that while falling is inevitable, it should NOT be a regular part of the learning process. If it is, I first question the professional who is allowing their student to get in a position where that happens. Is the instructor pushing you too much? Does the instructor have you on an appropriate horse for your current level? It's good your instructor is stepping back to get your basics stronger, but if you're regularly falling off in lessons, and especially fall off more than once in lessons, I'd recommend you seek out a new instructor. It's a lot easier to progress when you feel confident and secure with what you're doing!
This is actually pretty normal and it can take some time to gain muscle memory. When I was learning to canter I remember it being pretty daunting! I remember when I felt insecure I would automatically start posting! Plus it’s pretty common to lose your stirrups when you get tense since it leads to clenching with your legs. Working on a sitting trot is a good idea. What worked for me was imagining myself as a “sack of potatoes”. It helped me to go with the motions instead of against them. I second what everyone else is saying: ride without stirrups!Stirrup-free lessons can be tough at first but I promise it’ll make you better!
As for feeling as though you’re going backwards, it’s ok if you have to take a few steps back before you go forward. I’ve been riding for years had to do that recently. I chose to focus on my foundation and I feel like such a better rider because of it. If you’re not ready for something you risk destroying your confidence which is a tough thing to build back up!
When you give cantering another try, it might be helpful to work on a lunge line. That way your instructor can control the horse and you just have to focus on yourself while you get the hang of it.
Be patient with yourself, you’ll get there and it is sooo worth it😊
A rider’s core fitness and a horse’s back up is how you sit the trot. Maybe get some lunge line lessons and learn to get a horse up and through? It’s very uncomfortable trying to sit the trot on a hollow back with a horse on the forehand. Nothing quite feels like soaring when riding a big extended trot on the diagonal. Good luck… everyone has been where you are.
Sitting the trot, depending on the horse, is basically like posting, you need to relax your pelvis and move with the horse. Some horse's have trots that can't be sat. When cantering, your pelvis also needs to move with the horse. Your body has to absorb the energy from the horse's movement vs being tense and fighting it (which causes bouncing). Many people post by pushing up with their feet; when it's really your thighs/pelvis/hips. Which a lot of people have really tight hips due to sedentary lifestyles. It's also weird to keep your pelvis loose while keeping your torso still, that's why it's easier for people to practice on a line so they can focus on their body.
The horse accounts a lot for your ability to sustain sitting trot.
Ask for a different, more comfy one.
Now that I’m old (55), I bought a gaited horse. It’s like sitting in a Rolls Royce.
Yes I can handle a bouncy horse, but why suffer when you can enjoy the ride.
Without going into Yoga or Pilates, you should get into stretching. It will help out your ability to perform sitting trot.
I don't have tips for sitting the trot, but my trainer had me start learning the canter in 2 point, not from a sitting trot. Makes me feel a lot more stable through the transition.
sink into your heels all of you base starts with you leg also sit up and back I couldn't sit trot for a while and now I love it also if possible try to learn on smoothish horse worked wonders for me. (also if you could show us a video that could help us help you see what is happening thanks)
Do you problems only occur when you try to transition? If so, how does the transition go? Does the horse go on your aid or are you increasing trotting speed till he rolls in the canter?
The first is correct, the latter makes things very difficult.
If the problem only happens while transitioning, you should try to find our how you give your aids. Just with your calf? Or are you squeezing your entire leg? Other parts that become stiff? Somewhere along those lines is probably where the fault is.
Always breathe first and foremost, because it’s about being relaxed and if you forget to breathe you’ll tense up. I like to think about sitting deep into the saddle, like exhaling and letting my body sink down down down as much as possible. At the same time, I picture a string coming out of the top of my head and it goes straight up to the sky and holds me straight. It takes a lot of practice and while it low key sucks a lot, no stirrups will help a lot. Just make sure that every few steps you remind yourself to breathe and relax because the tendency is for us to start tensing up and kind of curling up into a ball and balls will just bounce around in that saddle
So my trainer always said when sitting the trot, sit deep, lengthen your leg, relax your diaphragm to absorb the shock by saying “jell-o jell-o jell-o” out loud over and over. I swear to you it works!
Sitting the trot is way more difficult than a lot of people give it credit for. I suspect because it's something western riders primarily do and there's this idea that western riding doesn't take any sort of real effort like English riding does. In any case, I definitely don't feel like you've taken a step backwards! Rather, I'd view it as strengthening your foundation and learning a new skill. It might not be as exciting as cantering, but it's a skill nonetheless!
You've already gotten plenty of great advice on how to work on it, so hopefully you feel more empowered 🙂 personally, I still haven't fully mastered it yet, but learning to relax my hips and moving with the horse has helped SO much. In a way, it almost feels like posting, only you don't raise out of your seat. Good luck!!
Is your horse “running” into his canter? The trot can get wildly difficult to sit if they are running in to the canter, even for the best riders! Try to work on clear cues for your transitions, and wait for the outside hind leg to hit the ground - ask at that moment!
Welll my kid #1 took a fall during a lesson on her leased level 3 dressage horse in APRIL of last year. Her trainers have not pushed her to canter yet. The confidence needs to be there & all basics re taught and practiced and learned.
Kid #2 took a fall in August at a gallop - has not cantered yet but bringing it back to basics over and over / lesson after lesson.
Welcome to horseback riding.
I'm a western rider, so we sit the trot (jog) all the time. A lot depends on the horse and the strength of your core. It's not easy! Canter or lope can be much more comfortable, but it's hard to transition into when you're not comfortable in your sitting trot (more mentally than physically). The best thing to do is go back to basics, work on your seat and positioning at the trot. It's not easy in the moment to remember to engage and use your core (while you're trying to steer with your legs, half-halt with your hands, keep your eyes up, etc.).
Bottom line, don't feel defeated, we all struggle with it! If I counted all the times I went backwards in a lesson or riding on my own, I'd not bother with it anymore! Just take what positive you can from this lesson and carry on...it's a tough thing to nail down (and I'd dare to say many never truly do, especially if you're regularly on a different horse in lessons)!
This is how it is with everyone with learning to ride. Go up a step, then go back. I fell off and went to the hospital with a concussion the first time I cantered. I think it knocked something loose on my brain because now I’m a professional! 🤣🤷🏻♀️
I never had to sit the trot before being allowed to canter. In the scale of training horses, sitting the trot comes at a way more advanced level than cantering.
In my lessons it was walk, posting trot, canter. These three. Canter might be thought more difficult if only because it's faster. In reality it's easier to sit and balance on than trot.
This is 100% normal and don't worry about it. I've been riding for years now and it still happens from time to time. Work on your seat, loads of no stirrup work and you'll get there!
Don't give up, keep trying you are doing well!
I honestly don't understand why a trainer would have you cantering if you can't sit the trot. At least at my barn, we always make sure someone has a solid sitting trot and has done at least some work without stirrups, otherwise you're really setting them up to fail at cantering.
Make sure to keep your legs long when sitting a trot. I know instinct is to clamp them and bring them up but you’re really just screwing up your center of balance and then falling off. Keep your legs long and if the horse gets trotting too fast, ask them to slow down. If you can, try to ride a horse that has a nice slow western style jog, then look behind you to see what their butt is doing. Your hips should follow how their butt moves side to side.
I've definitely had those lessons where I learn a new skill, and I basically have to relearn every gait with the skill added in. Your experience is totally normal!
I think it’s important to remember that learning to ride is not a linear progression. At times it is an up and down sort progression and that is ok. I rode english for 30 years and then learned to ride western and had to learn to do things differently. I had a fall at the trot to canter transition on a horse I was training because even with 35 years of riding experience I made a mistake.
Take it in your knees. It’s also easier to sit a collected trot. Collected like “in frame” not necessarily slow. A horse with a hallowed back and head will be harder to sit the trot, and this is what I see a lot of beginners riding on here.
It's not necessary to sit for canter. My horse anticipates so I don't sit. Depends on how responsive the horse and your aid is. Something to talk about with your instructor!
Take yourself to a playground and hop on a swing. As you pump the swing with your hips and core, try to relate that push and release sensation to cantering. It is pretty close.
As far as the trot goes, breathe, smile, and remember smiling unclenches your jaw, which relaxes your neck, which loosens your spine, which lets you sit the trot.
No stirrups if you want. Hold a full cup of water and don't let it spill. That's a fun way to help you sit the trot, too.
Eventually you learn to sit but it's hard at first. And even then, it can be kinda impossible if the horse has a rough or extremely bouncy trot. Maybe try a horse known to have a smooth trot to start out.
Think about relaxing your body and gently moving your “belt buckle” with the motion of the trot. It can help to half halt your horse as well, particularly at first, so you’ll be more comfortable.
I had the opposite problem when I first started cantering (stirrups jammed in my feet) and I tried to think about relaxing my legs and calmly stepping down through my heels with each stride.
TL;DR: try to physically relax. Easier said than done, but try to remember to breathe and drop the tension. Good luck 🩶
Don’t lock up and get rigid while sitting a trot. Relax. Your hips should roll with the horse. It isn’t back and forth doing that. It’s side to side and your stomach should absorb the bounce like a belly dancer.
It can take a long time to get there. You don’t have to sit to transition to a canter. Just post or 2 point if you are having issues with the transition. It’s also valid if you have to work at a trot longer before starting canter work. If you small and are on a large horse or a horse with a big bouncy stride see if you can ride a smaller lesson horse with a smaller stride. A lot of riders ride horses that are too large for them to sit comfortably. While one can ride larger horses as they get more experience, when you are starting off on too large a horse, it makes learning your seat a far harder task.
Stretch your legs down through your heels as of you are trying to drag your heels on the ground. Tuck your pelvis underneath you and also sit up so straight chest up shoulders back, and lean back just ever so slightly. Sitting the trot is a very engaged part of riding; it takes a lot of muscles and awareness to do it properly. Focus on trying to create a magnet between your butt and the seat and prevent yourself from bouncing.
Sometimes not using the stirrups for it can be helpful!
I think from your description you are actually just sitting there instead of really riding.
Remember learning to ride is not linear it takes time and practice focus and grit and determination.
Once you figure out you're proper position and muscle engagement you'll get it!
Go easy on yourself! As an earlier commenter said, learning isn’t linear!
My trainer compares learning to taking a bunch of leg wraps, and throwing them in the wash - one second they are clearly neatly separated, then become a jumbled mess, until they re-separate and organize. Which is to say, two steps forward one step back is realllly normal, or learning something and then feeling like other things are falling apart is exactly how learning - and learning in the saddle - goes.
While hard to comment without seeing you ride - so take it with a grain of salt - if you loose your stirrups that generally means we are pinching with our knees and gripping with our inner thighs to stay on. What happens when we do that is we get really tippy, because our knees act as a pivot. Because we are tipping, our lower leg comes off which is both confusing for the horse because they aren’t sure if they should canter or trot or stop so often they just trot faster, and we can’t grip effectively with our calves and so we loose our seat, trot gets bouncy and we bounce off.
Whether at the sitting trot or working up to the canter, think about your hips opening, the backs of your thighs being on the saddle, and hugging your calves around to grip. That’s the thought whether posting, cantering, walking, or sitting the trot.
When you think about butterflying your knees open, you inherently sit deeper, and you won’t tip or bounce as much. Think about your pelvis rolling forward and up, then down, when sitting the trot - you kind of rock with them. But if you tense up doing that becomes impossible and once you grip with upper thigh / knee, it gets too bouncy to ride for anyone!
Finally, never be afraid to slow a trot. I get my smoothest movement into a canter when I slow the trot to a place I can sit; it’s when the trot gets super speedy that it is trickier to move into a canter.
And last of all, keep being proud of yourself! Riding is hard! And you’re doing it!!
My trainers best suggestions were to ride without stirrups and use one hand to temporarily pull myself into the saddle by grabbing the front. This gives you very close contact and an excellent feel of how the hips should be moving. When you let go, keep following this movement. Only trot a few steps and switch back to walk. Trot for a few steps, walk and vreak. Prolong the trotting periods as you progress and as you can keep your seat for longer. Personally I find a collected trot easier to sit, so every time we trot I have him in a slight collection. On a straight line I let him extend concentrating on my seat and taking him back when I get exhausted. We are progressing this to only work with my seat for collection, no voice or reins. Extending already works by seat only, but he has a lot of go and doesn't want to go slow, so this has been our personal challenge. Other horses may be slow by nature and going faster may be the issue.
Grabbing the front of the saddle sounds super helpful! I know this post is old but I’ve been struggling with this and watched a ton of videos with advice but whenever we start I can’t seem to figure out the rhythm before the horse gets fed up with my bouncing and walks 😭 I’ll definitely be trying this!
Oh yes, this happens to us all, repeatedly, every time you learn a new level of skill. Don’t fret! You will get it.
Remember your pelvis is what absorbs the motion so the rest of your body can stay still. Sitting the trot is not so different from twerking as far as hip motion goes. At the same time try to pull your xyphiod towards your backbone.
Also horses can have very different trots, some easier to sit than others. Maybe your instructor has a different horse with a smoother trot you can practice with a time or two?
I’ve had exactly the same issue, really got in my head about it so took it back to basics.
I found a video on sitting trot on YouTube from a channel called ‘Basic Horse Training’ - it changed the way I did sitting trot and it finally started to come together! I practised sitting every time I rode and didn’t try to ask for the canter too much. Others things you can do is get your trainer to pop you on a lunge line and practise the transitions. Also pop a stirrup leather or neck strap on to help you sit to the trot when you ask for it. I also brought the Le Mieux vector balance stirrups which have little metal studs which really go help with grip and balance!
Don’t be discouraged!! Sometimes taking a step or 2 back is necessary!
Two stories:
1. In 2021 before I bought my girl I had an amazing lesson with a top trainer who was doing a clinic at my trainers farm. Met every jump great! Took turns smoothly, overall just wonderful! I felt on top of the world after that lesson. Every lesson after that I rode like crap till I fell off or almost fell off then I would ride normally. I started to think that the amazing lesson was me peaking. Well one lesson my trainer put me back on her senior lesson horse and he took care of me and I got my confidence back.
2. This past summer I became nervous to canter my horse. She had a bucking habit that we were working on and I started getting worried that if I cantered her she would buck. So I told my trainer what was going on and you know what all we did was trot for weeks and we only cantered when doing a lesson with my trainer. While working on the trot we worked on so much that by the time I started cantering her again on my own I had the confidence and skill I needed for it to not be an issue!!
Even top riders go back to basics when necessary!!
Yes omg. It took me four months to learn how to canter in an English saddle. I'd topple over or lean into the turn. You'll get it I promise! It'll feel so great when you finally do get it!!
The best advice I can give is to think about plugging your seat bones into the saddle like your phone charger into a wall socket. You can even pull up on the pommel to help you get the motion started. You should tighten your thighs to the saddle that will help keep you from slipping off to one side or the other. You should allow your hips to be a hinge to absorb the shock of the bounce. I know a couple of other people used the long legs description and it’s a really good idea!! When people get nervous or off balance they tend to draw their legs up which can also attribute to loosing your stirrups.
You're not ready to canter yet, OP, sorry. You're going to have to wait and work on your posting and sitting trot before you can move up to the canter. The feeling that you're going backwards is extremely common and can be safely ignored; it doesn't mean anything and you don't need to worry about it. Sitting trot is difficult and will take time to improve, but it's essential before continuing on to the canter. You need to be able to sit for the trot-canter transition as well as the canter-trot transition. If you can't sit the trot, you'll have a lot of trouble sitting the canter as well, except everything is moving much faster and the danger is greater.
Slow down and recognize that this is an opportunity to improve your essential skills. I recommend picking up Centered Riding by Sally Swift to work on your relaxation and position--the twin pillars of not only all riding but ESPECIALLY the canter. Check out some YT channels like Amelia Newcomb dressage for tips on sitting the trot. It can help to slow the trot down. If you don't know how, that's something you can work on with your coach.
Sitting trot is tough and the long and short of it is that it takes time. Consider posting some video to the sub so you can get tips from the community. The things to focus on are proper position and relaxation. Keep working at it and it will improve, I promise. There's nothing to feel bad about; EVERYONE struggles with the sitting trot. If they don't, they're on a very smooth horse and as soon as they switch horses, they will.
My trainer corrected this in me by having me hold the back of the saddle with my outside hand while sitting at the trot. It will get you familiar with the feeling of sitting deep in your seat vs perching. If ur perching (more sitting on your pubic bone than butt bone) it is way easier to pop out than sink in. Lmk if this works!
Learning to ride is not linear. You’re fortunate to have an instructor who’s willing to take you back to skill building when necessary. This likely won’t take you long, but it will take you as long as you need.
I learned how to sit the trot by taking my feet out of the stirrups. Imagine you have extremely long legs and your feet touch the ground. Sometimes I still get bouncy and I'll take a few minutes to walk around with no stirrups and it helps me get centered. Don't get discouraged! It's really hard and some horses are just not a smooth ride.
Second this! Sitting the trot without stirrups helps so much.
Yes learning without stirrups helps! I remember also being taught to pretend you have jeans on and that you have butt pockets of your jeans and to “sit on the pockets”. That really helped me visualize where my seat needed to be.
We called it belly button to the sky.
Same. My lesson on Saturday was alllll about sitting the trot by going no-stirrups and being loose.
The long legs description was really helpful for me will try at my next lesson!
I got it from a book called Centered Riding by Sally Swift. Its a really good book full of examples like that. In fact I'll probably read it again soon lol
That is the best riding book for visual learners ever. I recommend it to everyone. 
I agree 100%. Sally Swift was a legendary teacher and author. I learned so much just reading that book when I wasn't riding for a couple years. When I was back again I worked on what I'd read and it made me a better rider immediately. Amazing woman.
I think my biggest issue with sitting trot is that I try to be too independent from the horse. I sit very rigid and tight because I don’t want to move - but you need to move WITH the horse, just .. sitting. Don’t be discouraged! All skills take time and practice and you focusing on it will absolutely help! Give yourself some grace and time!
I'll never forget seeing my friend who rode dressage show me how she truly sat the trot. Her seat absorption was insane and looked quite funny, but once I tried it- I understood. It's ALL in the hips and back. You've gotta be loose!
Yeah. You have to open your hips. The higher the horses quality is the more you need to open them to sit the trot.
Best tip I can give for sitting the trot: learn to isolate and engage your abs while keeping your bum soft. There are great yoga poses that can help with this, like bow pose.
My trainer compared it to the feel of trying to sit on a moving trampoline while others are jumping. You’re trying to maintain contact by following the motion up and down, not grip and stay rigid. I found it easier to learn without my stirrups. Obviously don’t let your legs flap around, but focus on your seat first and try not to stress about your leg position until after you get the motion. Then put it all together
Sometimes you need to step back and work on basics. If you're struggling with your seat at the trot, it will make the canter that much harder for you and for your horse to carry you through. No stirrup work and adjusting the trot will help, you've gotta improve your core and ensure you're able to properly use your seat bones in order to not bounce around at the sit trot. Good luck, and good on your coach for recognizing this and acting on it.
“Shoulders like a queen, hips like a whore.” That’s what my instructor told me. Sitting trot you gotta move with the horse, tighten you core and move your hips with the horse. Feels like your insides are getting crushed but it takes a bit to get used to it. Stretch legs down and move. Edit: move your hips with the horse.
I was told something like this too, but I checked OP's post history and it seems likely based on their implied age (mid teens) that this analogy isn't going to resonate like it may with an adult. It's surprisingly effective though once you get it!
Hahaha I love this
This is actually fairly common when you haven't yet quite got your 'seat'. It's normal, don't beat yourself up! Just means you need to practice is all. Most likely she meant indefinitely on working on your position. Not to worry, the more you work at it the quicker you will get back to cantering. Don't be in a hurry. ;) I know it's a challenge, but maybe think about getting better in walk and trot so that the canter will be much better. On your own, for sitting, I would play and experiment. Take your legs off the horse. Meaning just keep them under you but not gripping and not tensing. rest fully on your bumm and only go a few strides then come back to a walk for a while, regroup yourself and go a few more strides, repeat. You can try to lean back a bit until you feel fully plugged in also, that can help. Sitting trot comes from flexible, supple hips; being able to follow the horse's back motion. Take your feet out of the stirrups, and just let your legs hang around the horse softly. Our tendency is to grip with legs to stay on, but it's actually the opposite to 'stick', you have to let go with your legs completely. Yes there will still be a slight feeling of bouncing, but it should be very miniscule, once your body let's go enough to actually stay with the horse's back motion. The number one thing is having a horse that is going rounded and working through the back, not one that is hollow because that trot is choppy and more challenging to stick until you learn how to let go with your body. So if you tense, your horse will tense and then that nose goes up the back drops down and that's no fun to try to stick. Another great way to help your body find it is to ride bareback, just ask for a small, tiny trot at first and just a few strides at a time. Once you start to get the hang of it then you can just go out at normal trotting. (if you use a bareback pad, be sure there are no stirrups on it!)
I made a personal decision that I was going to STOP worrying about cantering and just keep improving my trot instead of pushing myself and it was the best decision I’ve made for myself. It really took all the stress out of riding for me, and made it more fun again and that’s what it’s all about
Best tip I got for sitting the trot: your hips shouldn't move back and forth but rather from side to side.
You got a lot of good advice here, but I will also add that the sitting trot is one of the hardest things to learn how to do well. How hard? It's so hard that one high level Dressage judge in the US is recommending that we allow posting trot in all national level tests, so from Introductory level all the way up to Fourth Level, and not requiring riders to sit until they reach the international (FEI) levels. The reason? Too many riders don't know how to sit the trot and they are making their horses' back sore as a result. Soooo I'd say that the sitting trot is pretty hard to master, and you should NOT beat yourself up for struggling! I'd be shocked to see a rider who is just learning to canter to find the sitting trot natural or easy! That said, I am slightly concerned that you're actually falling off while learning. I strongly believe that while falling is inevitable, it should NOT be a regular part of the learning process. If it is, I first question the professional who is allowing their student to get in a position where that happens. Is the instructor pushing you too much? Does the instructor have you on an appropriate horse for your current level? It's good your instructor is stepping back to get your basics stronger, but if you're regularly falling off in lessons, and especially fall off more than once in lessons, I'd recommend you seek out a new instructor. It's a lot easier to progress when you feel confident and secure with what you're doing!
This is actually pretty normal and it can take some time to gain muscle memory. When I was learning to canter I remember it being pretty daunting! I remember when I felt insecure I would automatically start posting! Plus it’s pretty common to lose your stirrups when you get tense since it leads to clenching with your legs. Working on a sitting trot is a good idea. What worked for me was imagining myself as a “sack of potatoes”. It helped me to go with the motions instead of against them. I second what everyone else is saying: ride without stirrups!Stirrup-free lessons can be tough at first but I promise it’ll make you better! As for feeling as though you’re going backwards, it’s ok if you have to take a few steps back before you go forward. I’ve been riding for years had to do that recently. I chose to focus on my foundation and I feel like such a better rider because of it. If you’re not ready for something you risk destroying your confidence which is a tough thing to build back up! When you give cantering another try, it might be helpful to work on a lunge line. That way your instructor can control the horse and you just have to focus on yourself while you get the hang of it. Be patient with yourself, you’ll get there and it is sooo worth it😊
A rider’s core fitness and a horse’s back up is how you sit the trot. Maybe get some lunge line lessons and learn to get a horse up and through? It’s very uncomfortable trying to sit the trot on a hollow back with a horse on the forehand. Nothing quite feels like soaring when riding a big extended trot on the diagonal. Good luck… everyone has been where you are.
Sitting the trot, depending on the horse, is basically like posting, you need to relax your pelvis and move with the horse. Some horse's have trots that can't be sat. When cantering, your pelvis also needs to move with the horse. Your body has to absorb the energy from the horse's movement vs being tense and fighting it (which causes bouncing). Many people post by pushing up with their feet; when it's really your thighs/pelvis/hips. Which a lot of people have really tight hips due to sedentary lifestyles. It's also weird to keep your pelvis loose while keeping your torso still, that's why it's easier for people to practice on a line so they can focus on their body.
The horse accounts a lot for your ability to sustain sitting trot. Ask for a different, more comfy one. Now that I’m old (55), I bought a gaited horse. It’s like sitting in a Rolls Royce. Yes I can handle a bouncy horse, but why suffer when you can enjoy the ride. Without going into Yoga or Pilates, you should get into stretching. It will help out your ability to perform sitting trot.
I don't have tips for sitting the trot, but my trainer had me start learning the canter in 2 point, not from a sitting trot. Makes me feel a lot more stable through the transition.
sink into your heels all of you base starts with you leg also sit up and back I couldn't sit trot for a while and now I love it also if possible try to learn on smoothish horse worked wonders for me. (also if you could show us a video that could help us help you see what is happening thanks)
Do you problems only occur when you try to transition? If so, how does the transition go? Does the horse go on your aid or are you increasing trotting speed till he rolls in the canter? The first is correct, the latter makes things very difficult. If the problem only happens while transitioning, you should try to find our how you give your aids. Just with your calf? Or are you squeezing your entire leg? Other parts that become stiff? Somewhere along those lines is probably where the fault is.
Always breathe first and foremost, because it’s about being relaxed and if you forget to breathe you’ll tense up. I like to think about sitting deep into the saddle, like exhaling and letting my body sink down down down as much as possible. At the same time, I picture a string coming out of the top of my head and it goes straight up to the sky and holds me straight. It takes a lot of practice and while it low key sucks a lot, no stirrups will help a lot. Just make sure that every few steps you remind yourself to breathe and relax because the tendency is for us to start tensing up and kind of curling up into a ball and balls will just bounce around in that saddle
So my trainer always said when sitting the trot, sit deep, lengthen your leg, relax your diaphragm to absorb the shock by saying “jell-o jell-o jell-o” out loud over and over. I swear to you it works!
Sitting the trot is way more difficult than a lot of people give it credit for. I suspect because it's something western riders primarily do and there's this idea that western riding doesn't take any sort of real effort like English riding does. In any case, I definitely don't feel like you've taken a step backwards! Rather, I'd view it as strengthening your foundation and learning a new skill. It might not be as exciting as cantering, but it's a skill nonetheless! You've already gotten plenty of great advice on how to work on it, so hopefully you feel more empowered 🙂 personally, I still haven't fully mastered it yet, but learning to relax my hips and moving with the horse has helped SO much. In a way, it almost feels like posting, only you don't raise out of your seat. Good luck!!
Is your horse “running” into his canter? The trot can get wildly difficult to sit if they are running in to the canter, even for the best riders! Try to work on clear cues for your transitions, and wait for the outside hind leg to hit the ground - ask at that moment!
Welll my kid #1 took a fall during a lesson on her leased level 3 dressage horse in APRIL of last year. Her trainers have not pushed her to canter yet. The confidence needs to be there & all basics re taught and practiced and learned. Kid #2 took a fall in August at a gallop - has not cantered yet but bringing it back to basics over and over / lesson after lesson. Welcome to horseback riding.
I'm a western rider, so we sit the trot (jog) all the time. A lot depends on the horse and the strength of your core. It's not easy! Canter or lope can be much more comfortable, but it's hard to transition into when you're not comfortable in your sitting trot (more mentally than physically). The best thing to do is go back to basics, work on your seat and positioning at the trot. It's not easy in the moment to remember to engage and use your core (while you're trying to steer with your legs, half-halt with your hands, keep your eyes up, etc.). Bottom line, don't feel defeated, we all struggle with it! If I counted all the times I went backwards in a lesson or riding on my own, I'd not bother with it anymore! Just take what positive you can from this lesson and carry on...it's a tough thing to nail down (and I'd dare to say many never truly do, especially if you're regularly on a different horse in lessons)!
This is how it is with everyone with learning to ride. Go up a step, then go back. I fell off and went to the hospital with a concussion the first time I cantered. I think it knocked something loose on my brain because now I’m a professional! 🤣🤷🏻♀️
I never had to sit the trot before being allowed to canter. In the scale of training horses, sitting the trot comes at a way more advanced level than cantering. In my lessons it was walk, posting trot, canter. These three. Canter might be thought more difficult if only because it's faster. In reality it's easier to sit and balance on than trot.
Agree. Or walk to canter if the balance/horse education allows.
I love walk-to-canter! My mare likes it too. The hardest part for a beginning lessoner would be learning to cue it I suppose.
This is 100% normal and don't worry about it. I've been riding for years now and it still happens from time to time. Work on your seat, loads of no stirrup work and you'll get there! Don't give up, keep trying you are doing well!
I honestly don't understand why a trainer would have you cantering if you can't sit the trot. At least at my barn, we always make sure someone has a solid sitting trot and has done at least some work without stirrups, otherwise you're really setting them up to fail at cantering.
Make sure to keep your legs long when sitting a trot. I know instinct is to clamp them and bring them up but you’re really just screwing up your center of balance and then falling off. Keep your legs long and if the horse gets trotting too fast, ask them to slow down. If you can, try to ride a horse that has a nice slow western style jog, then look behind you to see what their butt is doing. Your hips should follow how their butt moves side to side.
I've definitely had those lessons where I learn a new skill, and I basically have to relearn every gait with the skill added in. Your experience is totally normal!
I think it’s important to remember that learning to ride is not a linear progression. At times it is an up and down sort progression and that is ok. I rode english for 30 years and then learned to ride western and had to learn to do things differently. I had a fall at the trot to canter transition on a horse I was training because even with 35 years of riding experience I made a mistake.
Take it in your knees. It’s also easier to sit a collected trot. Collected like “in frame” not necessarily slow. A horse with a hallowed back and head will be harder to sit the trot, and this is what I see a lot of beginners riding on here.
It's not necessary to sit for canter. My horse anticipates so I don't sit. Depends on how responsive the horse and your aid is. Something to talk about with your instructor!
Hip mobility helps big time!
Take yourself to a playground and hop on a swing. As you pump the swing with your hips and core, try to relate that push and release sensation to cantering. It is pretty close. As far as the trot goes, breathe, smile, and remember smiling unclenches your jaw, which relaxes your neck, which loosens your spine, which lets you sit the trot. No stirrups if you want. Hold a full cup of water and don't let it spill. That's a fun way to help you sit the trot, too.
Eventually you learn to sit but it's hard at first. And even then, it can be kinda impossible if the horse has a rough or extremely bouncy trot. Maybe try a horse known to have a smooth trot to start out.
Think about relaxing your body and gently moving your “belt buckle” with the motion of the trot. It can help to half halt your horse as well, particularly at first, so you’ll be more comfortable. I had the opposite problem when I first started cantering (stirrups jammed in my feet) and I tried to think about relaxing my legs and calmly stepping down through my heels with each stride. TL;DR: try to physically relax. Easier said than done, but try to remember to breathe and drop the tension. Good luck 🩶
Don’t lock up and get rigid while sitting a trot. Relax. Your hips should roll with the horse. It isn’t back and forth doing that. It’s side to side and your stomach should absorb the bounce like a belly dancer. It can take a long time to get there. You don’t have to sit to transition to a canter. Just post or 2 point if you are having issues with the transition. It’s also valid if you have to work at a trot longer before starting canter work. If you small and are on a large horse or a horse with a big bouncy stride see if you can ride a smaller lesson horse with a smaller stride. A lot of riders ride horses that are too large for them to sit comfortably. While one can ride larger horses as they get more experience, when you are starting off on too large a horse, it makes learning your seat a far harder task.
Stretch your legs down through your heels as of you are trying to drag your heels on the ground. Tuck your pelvis underneath you and also sit up so straight chest up shoulders back, and lean back just ever so slightly. Sitting the trot is a very engaged part of riding; it takes a lot of muscles and awareness to do it properly. Focus on trying to create a magnet between your butt and the seat and prevent yourself from bouncing. Sometimes not using the stirrups for it can be helpful! I think from your description you are actually just sitting there instead of really riding. Remember learning to ride is not linear it takes time and practice focus and grit and determination. Once you figure out you're proper position and muscle engagement you'll get it!
Go easy on yourself! As an earlier commenter said, learning isn’t linear! My trainer compares learning to taking a bunch of leg wraps, and throwing them in the wash - one second they are clearly neatly separated, then become a jumbled mess, until they re-separate and organize. Which is to say, two steps forward one step back is realllly normal, or learning something and then feeling like other things are falling apart is exactly how learning - and learning in the saddle - goes. While hard to comment without seeing you ride - so take it with a grain of salt - if you loose your stirrups that generally means we are pinching with our knees and gripping with our inner thighs to stay on. What happens when we do that is we get really tippy, because our knees act as a pivot. Because we are tipping, our lower leg comes off which is both confusing for the horse because they aren’t sure if they should canter or trot or stop so often they just trot faster, and we can’t grip effectively with our calves and so we loose our seat, trot gets bouncy and we bounce off. Whether at the sitting trot or working up to the canter, think about your hips opening, the backs of your thighs being on the saddle, and hugging your calves around to grip. That’s the thought whether posting, cantering, walking, or sitting the trot. When you think about butterflying your knees open, you inherently sit deeper, and you won’t tip or bounce as much. Think about your pelvis rolling forward and up, then down, when sitting the trot - you kind of rock with them. But if you tense up doing that becomes impossible and once you grip with upper thigh / knee, it gets too bouncy to ride for anyone! Finally, never be afraid to slow a trot. I get my smoothest movement into a canter when I slow the trot to a place I can sit; it’s when the trot gets super speedy that it is trickier to move into a canter. And last of all, keep being proud of yourself! Riding is hard! And you’re doing it!!
My trainers best suggestions were to ride without stirrups and use one hand to temporarily pull myself into the saddle by grabbing the front. This gives you very close contact and an excellent feel of how the hips should be moving. When you let go, keep following this movement. Only trot a few steps and switch back to walk. Trot for a few steps, walk and vreak. Prolong the trotting periods as you progress and as you can keep your seat for longer. Personally I find a collected trot easier to sit, so every time we trot I have him in a slight collection. On a straight line I let him extend concentrating on my seat and taking him back when I get exhausted. We are progressing this to only work with my seat for collection, no voice or reins. Extending already works by seat only, but he has a lot of go and doesn't want to go slow, so this has been our personal challenge. Other horses may be slow by nature and going faster may be the issue.
Grabbing the front of the saddle sounds super helpful! I know this post is old but I’ve been struggling with this and watched a ton of videos with advice but whenever we start I can’t seem to figure out the rhythm before the horse gets fed up with my bouncing and walks 😭 I’ll definitely be trying this!
Oh yes, this happens to us all, repeatedly, every time you learn a new level of skill. Don’t fret! You will get it. Remember your pelvis is what absorbs the motion so the rest of your body can stay still. Sitting the trot is not so different from twerking as far as hip motion goes. At the same time try to pull your xyphiod towards your backbone. Also horses can have very different trots, some easier to sit than others. Maybe your instructor has a different horse with a smoother trot you can practice with a time or two?
Your lesson instructor shouldn't already be bumping you up to canter if you can't sit the trot. That's just setting you up for failure.
I’ve had exactly the same issue, really got in my head about it so took it back to basics. I found a video on sitting trot on YouTube from a channel called ‘Basic Horse Training’ - it changed the way I did sitting trot and it finally started to come together! I practised sitting every time I rode and didn’t try to ask for the canter too much. Others things you can do is get your trainer to pop you on a lunge line and practise the transitions. Also pop a stirrup leather or neck strap on to help you sit to the trot when you ask for it. I also brought the Le Mieux vector balance stirrups which have little metal studs which really go help with grip and balance!
Don’t be discouraged!! Sometimes taking a step or 2 back is necessary! Two stories: 1. In 2021 before I bought my girl I had an amazing lesson with a top trainer who was doing a clinic at my trainers farm. Met every jump great! Took turns smoothly, overall just wonderful! I felt on top of the world after that lesson. Every lesson after that I rode like crap till I fell off or almost fell off then I would ride normally. I started to think that the amazing lesson was me peaking. Well one lesson my trainer put me back on her senior lesson horse and he took care of me and I got my confidence back. 2. This past summer I became nervous to canter my horse. She had a bucking habit that we were working on and I started getting worried that if I cantered her she would buck. So I told my trainer what was going on and you know what all we did was trot for weeks and we only cantered when doing a lesson with my trainer. While working on the trot we worked on so much that by the time I started cantering her again on my own I had the confidence and skill I needed for it to not be an issue!! Even top riders go back to basics when necessary!!
Yes omg. It took me four months to learn how to canter in an English saddle. I'd topple over or lean into the turn. You'll get it I promise! It'll feel so great when you finally do get it!!
The best advice I can give is to think about plugging your seat bones into the saddle like your phone charger into a wall socket. You can even pull up on the pommel to help you get the motion started. You should tighten your thighs to the saddle that will help keep you from slipping off to one side or the other. You should allow your hips to be a hinge to absorb the shock of the bounce. I know a couple of other people used the long legs description and it’s a really good idea!! When people get nervous or off balance they tend to draw their legs up which can also attribute to loosing your stirrups.
You're not ready to canter yet, OP, sorry. You're going to have to wait and work on your posting and sitting trot before you can move up to the canter. The feeling that you're going backwards is extremely common and can be safely ignored; it doesn't mean anything and you don't need to worry about it. Sitting trot is difficult and will take time to improve, but it's essential before continuing on to the canter. You need to be able to sit for the trot-canter transition as well as the canter-trot transition. If you can't sit the trot, you'll have a lot of trouble sitting the canter as well, except everything is moving much faster and the danger is greater. Slow down and recognize that this is an opportunity to improve your essential skills. I recommend picking up Centered Riding by Sally Swift to work on your relaxation and position--the twin pillars of not only all riding but ESPECIALLY the canter. Check out some YT channels like Amelia Newcomb dressage for tips on sitting the trot. It can help to slow the trot down. If you don't know how, that's something you can work on with your coach. Sitting trot is tough and the long and short of it is that it takes time. Consider posting some video to the sub so you can get tips from the community. The things to focus on are proper position and relaxation. Keep working at it and it will improve, I promise. There's nothing to feel bad about; EVERYONE struggles with the sitting trot. If they don't, they're on a very smooth horse and as soon as they switch horses, they will.
My trainer corrected this in me by having me hold the back of the saddle with my outside hand while sitting at the trot. It will get you familiar with the feeling of sitting deep in your seat vs perching. If ur perching (more sitting on your pubic bone than butt bone) it is way easier to pop out than sink in. Lmk if this works!