Imagine a dressage rider sitting the trot so well that she appears to be apart of the horse, or a show jumper quietly transitioning his horse from a standstill into a collected canter. Both these riders have put a lot of time and effort into riding their horses correctly. They also have worked with trainers every day and that’s not always possible to do. Here I’ll give you some tips on how you can make big improvements in a small amount of time.
Position
When you sit in the saddle you want a relaxed, effective position. Sit centered in the saddle, with even weight in both stirrups. Sit up straight but not stiffly, as if you were sitting in a chair at the movie theater. Let your legs hang gently at the horse’s sides, softly wrapping your legs around him. This is not the same as squeezing. Have your legs slightly in contact with his sides, not pushed out away from him. You want a straight line from your ear through your shoulders, hips, to your heel. Have someone video tape you riding so you can see what your position looks like at all gaits. By watching yourself ride you can notice things that you wouldn’t have otherwise.
Walk
Once you get into the correct position, start riding at a walk. Start walking in your body with the motion of the horse by softly moving your hips side to side in rhythm with your horse. Let your shoulders relax and move with the horse. Keep your back soft and supple so you can absorb his movement. If you have any tension in your legs try moving your feet up and down with the rhythm of his walk.
Trot
At first don’t worry so much about what posting diagonal you are on, focus on being relaxed and confident in your position. Some horses trot fast, have a big stride, or are very rough. If you feel uncomfortable when trotting try using your hands on his withers to push on to help you post in time with his motion. Round your back slightly and place one or both hands on his withers to help you come only a few inches out of the saddle and to push you back down deep in your saddle when you sit. Practice this when you warm up or at any time you feel unbalanced in the saddle. Once you have been practicing it you will have a secure position and won’t need to do this exercise at all. You can then start posting without pushing, sitting up, and straightening your back.
Ride the sitting trot by keeping your secure riding position I described at the stand still. Relax your body and softly move your knees up and down going with the movement of the horse’s trot. Sit up straight and let your back swing with the horse. If at any time you feel unbalanced grab the pommel of the saddle to help push yourself back into the saddle. At first, practice the sitting trot for only a few minutes at a time, then slowly add time as you get stronger. The sitting trot is probably the hardest gait to sit and will take a lot of time to practice, especially if your horse has a rough or fast trot. But once you learn how to sit it correctly you can ride any horse’s trot no matter how bouncy or rough it is.
Canter
At the canter sit back, leaning your shoulders backward slightly toward the cantle of your saddle. You will want to over exaggerate leaning back at first because it will feel like you are sitting back farther than you really are, especially if you have a habit of leaning forward. Sitting back adds weight to your horse’s hindquarters, allowing him to push off, making a smoother canter transition. The canter starts with one back foot hitting the ground first, and finishes with a front foot hitting the ground depending on which lead you are on. That’s why sitting back is so beneficial; adding weight to his hindquarters lets the horse step into the canter and free up his forehand so he can lift it and make a nice transition into canter.
To make sure you are sitting back far enough, try cantering with one hand on the cantle of your saddle. This will bring your upper body backwards and help you sit in the correct position. Relax your body and follow the motion of your horse. Again having someone video tape you will help you to see any parts of your position that you may need to work on. Keep practicing, and soon you and your horse will synchronize together in complete harmony.