Learn to Sit Your Horse's Motion

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#canter #sittingtrot #dressagehorse
Before we get into this week’s video, I just wanted to remind you that enrollment for my brand-new course, 30 Day Rider Position Challenge, will be closing soon! Your rider position is so important. Nearly every training issue can be traced down to a problem with rider position! In this course, we will be covering all topics of rider position including fitness for rider position, overcoming riding fears, visualizing your ride, and much more. Enroll today and transform your position in just 30 days! I look forward to working with you inside this course! Also, if you missed the free Rider Position Webinar, click here to watch the replay:
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Are you bouncing in the saddle? For many riders, sitting trot and the canter seat can be a challenge! It can be very tricky to figure out how to sit the motion especially since every gait is different and every horse moves a little differently!
We want to be able to sit the trot and canter well because not only is bouncing uncomfortable for us, it is also uncomfortable for our horses and bad for their back health. So, how do you sit the trot and follow the canter motion? Here’s the secret: illusion of stillness.
A good seat defines a good rider, and part of your seat’s function is to be able to absorb your horse’s motion. While it may seem like you need to be still, you actually need to move A LOT to follow your horse’s motion. When you sit the trot or canter, your belly, hips, and back will be moving to follow the motion of your horse. Your movement absorbs the motion of your horse and creates the illusion that you are sitting still!
A few tips for sitting the trot and canter:
1. Make sure your horse is forward and round. Before you work on sitting the trot, you want your horse to be using their topline. I like to warm up all my horses at the posting trot before I sit the trot. In order to sit the canter, you want your horse to be using their topline in a round and forward canter as well. If you are having to nag your horse in either gait, your seat and hips will tighten and you will bounce in the saddle.
2. Focus on quality not quantity. A good exercise to practice your sitting trot is to post ½ circle, then sit ½ or ¼ circle. Begin posting again as soon as you feel yourself start to bounce. You can also do this at the canter. Practice sitting a few strides of canter and then transition back to trot as soon as you need a break.
3. For the canter, think of your horse’s back as a wave. There is an upbeat, level beat, and downbeat of the canter stride. Your hips will move with the horse in a swishing motion front to back in the saddle. If your motion stops, you will bounce!
When your seat is connected to your horse it gives both you and the horse confidence. It takes lots and lots of practice to be able to improve your seat and sit the motion of your horse well. Learning the unique motion of your horse and each gait is difficult, but try out these tips in your rides and I know you will improve! For more help with your seat and for support along the way, join my 30 Day Rider Position Challenge!
Happy riding!
Amelia
00:00 Intro
01:17 Posting trot warmup
02:07 Illusion of stillness
02:44 What happens if you sit still?
03:16 How to sit the trot correctly
03:42 Exercise to practice sitting trot
04:16 Sitting the canter
05:06 The key to not bouncing
05:18 Your seat - move with the motion!
06:16 Outro

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Join the 30 Day Rider Position Challenge: amelianewcombdressage.com/rider-position-2023/

[@ArizonaGammy]

Wonderful. As an instructor at lower levels, I actually ask my students to keep their shoulders behind their hips at first in order to learn to connect their seat and move their core. When a greener rider tries to it too upright, they loose balance over their seat and bounce and grip. I also love how loose your knees are, which is vital for allowing your seat to remain deep and follow. I share a lot of your videos with the local pony clubs I work with. Visual learning is great!

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

That makes me so happy to hear that you share it with your local pony clubs! I really want dressage to be accessible to all, which is why I started this channel. Thank you for sharing!

[@harinu9339]

Hey, please keep doing what you’re doing. You’re the one teaching the next generation, and that’s far more important that what it is considered in this industry ❤ love good pony clubs

[@barbstrona1]

I love Jacques! I am riding a lesson horse who has a very hard time being round. I have to keep my legs off him or he speeds up and his going faster equals rougher. I have smoothed me out by trying to move side to side with his trot. His canter pulls me so deeply into the saddle that it is like floating. I don’t do anything (that I’m aware of) but my trainer says I’m definitely moving right with him. It allows me to think about relaxing my elbows, keeping my hands where they belong, turning my head and opening my inside hand while closing the outside as we turn. He leaps into the canter from a walk. We both love to canter. It is our reward at the end of our lesson!

[@theagelessequestrian]

Thanks for all the reminders! Hope you’re feeling better. ❤

[@moweaquas]

I just got a video of my canter and was reasonably happy with my seat and back. But my elbows were opening and closing in front of my body!! So this was helpful to watch for that too. I was pumping rather than just a soft open and close.

[@mariaalejandrajorio8075]

I love this video and Jacques (and Leo). I understood proper sitting in canter not long ago and it felt so amazing. I felt I was floating but also relaxed. And relaxing made my legs stretched and able to push my heels down. I am riding a horse where I had to massage the bit so she rounds. Is there already a video on massaging the bit?

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Have a look at this video on getting your horse round amelianewcombdressage.com/dressage-training/3-steps-to-round/?KZbin&General

[@spiridoulaathanasopoulou9244]

Bravo 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@Back_in_the_saddle]

Your such a beautiful rider. 😍

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

you're too kind!

[@benitascott3533]

Excellent, short, succinct & sensible approach Amelia. The only difficulty is getting an "untrained" horse, round. A horse struggling to accept the bridle is a real challenge. I've gone back to the ground, I understand the principles & keep on with all the exercises I can find. She's veey hot & rushy & any contact - trying to be so light, causes her bracing & opposition. I've gone baxk to bitless for her emotional comfort & because she has a facial sarcoma, coming into contact with the bridle. Her side-pull puts less pressure on the cheek of her face (they're apparently painless - & seems that way, but any contact potentially causes irritation.) Is it possible to get a horse to engage their hind end, to work correctly over the back without being 'on the bit', ie being bitless?? I can't find anything on this subject. I started out my journey or retraining my horse, geared toward dressage. But bitless & dressage just dont co-incide. I admire you a great deal!! Any advice would be welcome. Best wishes, Benita 🐎❤🙏

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Hey there, yes-roundness is a challenge! (You should be on the lookout for my 30 day to round course in september!), but I have some free videos to help you with that too. As far as side pulls etc. Bitless options can be just as harsh as bits if they aren't fitting/sitting on the face correctly or if used in rough hands, but that doesn't mean they are bad options! And if it's working for you, keep doing it. It is definitely possible to get them round and working over their back being bitless, it's all the same principles! Check out this video for roundness to help you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3i5immpj5dlbJY

[@naomiponyadventures]

You make it look so easy I don’t really understand how to loosen my hips

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

You want to think about allowing the movement. Try isolating your hips on the ground first. Like your a belly dancer or doing the hula hoop, that will help you start to feel how to move them separately and you can try applying movement to your riding.

[@Lauren_Equitation]

This is a good video, as sitting the trot is something I struggle with as I learned to post first. Do you have any tips for not bumping your heels and arms?

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Not bouncing those parts required you to absorb the motion of your horses back with an independent seat. It takes so much work! Don't tense or it will make it all worse

[@mary-brookedenbigh5422]

Kind of off topic but where did you get your dressage mirrors? We don't have any and I think it would be so incredibly helpful to be able to see what we look like while we are working!

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Hi Mary, I'm not sure where the barn owners got the mirrors, so sorry!

[@wendybergsma6116]

I need to practise sitting trot but my instuctor usually just does some figures in trot and then makes us canter. Because i cant sit the trot, i cant give the aid for canter myself and i get so frustrated!

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Practice sitting for a few strides and then post again. Don't try to over do it - it will come with time!