We will see here why the trot is sitting, what is the use, when to prefer the light trot and why, what precautions are there to take, etc.

PROBLEM # 1

The problem lies at the base, namely that I still hear people say "for those who do dressage is an account, but here is different ...". Of course, there are things that those who jump don't have to face, but the sitting trot is not part of them. Why? Because the DRESSAGE is the basis of every discipline and means nothing but "training" (and therefore training).

Those who have read one of my books know that the ideal work session should be divided into 3 parts:

1) the heating phase (in which we want to get mainly to the decontraction in all the gaits and also includes the 10 minutes of initial step);

2) the work phase (requests become more demanding and work is carried out on one's own objectives (micro and macro objectives - see training diary on the site www.addestramentocavallosportivo.it - ​​a job done without a goal will not lead to anything concrete) ;

3) the final phase in which the horse returns to relax and a lot of walking is done again, until the breathing and the beat of the horse are back to normal.

The duration of these phases depends very much on the horse. With young horses, or those who need recovery work, sometimes, it takes an entire hour to reach control. In that case the real work phase is completely skipped. It does not matter. What matters is that it is clear that without reaching a certain physical and mental state of "relaxation" one cannot go on. Any type of unresolved tension will prevent constructive work.

Very often I see riders who completely skip phase 1 and even the last one is very skimpy ... NOT GOOD. Clear that the first phase is the least elegant to see, but it is the basis of everything else. Without having reached the decontraction (find numerous posts on the BLOG www.addestramentocavallosportivo.it) YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BEGIN TO DO NOTHING.

If not then come comments like "that horse is very uncomfortable", "always pulls up his head ... put him a rein on the way back there", "go away wrong ... flex him on the other side", "no I just can't sit up , it's terrible "etc. etc.

All the problems of stiffness, of inelastic movements, of communication between horse and rider and of comfort are due to a lack of relaxation. I hardly ever hear the word spoken by the instructors ... it is as if a pizza maker didn't know about the existence of yeast ...

So to improve your sitting ability, you probably have to work on the rest first. At work. On the base. Training scale ... yes I know I'm boring. It always comes back there, but unfortunately it's all there. Every answer you seek. Forever!

Every single work session (even on the rope as you can find in book # 3 "rope work") is to be analyzed based on the training scale. Everything changes constantly, but the common thread remains. It is a gift that the "old" masters have left us. The new ones have updated it continuously, but the basics are those. There is only one anatomy of the horse. The systems are those (muscles, tendons, joints ...). The training ladder is difficult to understand and apply, but once it is understood it will make life (equestrian) far simpler. Thanks masters !!!

WHEN YOU FIND YOU SEATS

Now that we know how to divide "the hour" we can say that the sitting trot must be done especially in phase 2, of work.

IMPORTANT

The sitting trot should not be done with the foal or horse at the beginning of training. The back muscles must be strong enough and prepared to be able to carry our weight continuously. So when the problem is about 3-4 year old horses this is normal. Apart from the fact that maybe the horse can be, by nature, more comfortable and therefore it may seem ready even if it would not be…. You have to respect the times ... too much available horses are deceptive ... if you want to work on the set-up then don't do it with the colt, but with an experienced horse. Not an older horse! One worked well. It's different.

The horse must be warmed up well, relaxed and have an elastic back that allows the rider to follow the movement. Otherwise, instead of learning something, you can only make the situation worse.

TWO STAGES OF SITTED TROUT

There are two different phases concerning the sitting trot. One is that of balance. The first. The first stage is one in which one learns to FOLLOW the movement. The muscles of the back and abdomen are constantly working to adapt to the movements of the horse. We need to understand what is the deepest point of the saddle, to get as close as possible to the horse's center of gravity. We must learn not to be too far behind or too far and we must find the right length of the stirrups. The saddle here is quite indifferent and because we mainly care to be able to sit at the center of the saddle, with the pelvis following the movement. The decontraction of the horse is fundamental (because the back is soft) and also that of the rider (the more we can be relaxed the better). They made us sing a song.

Phase 2 is quite different. Most stop at phase 1. Instead, it is here that the sitting trot takes on a real meaning. It is of no use to sit, if not to influence the horse with its own set-up. We move from simply supporting the movement to managing the entire situation almost exclusively with the attitude. When you get here you become a knight let's say. The hand becomes a practical accessory. It is there only to guarantee the possibility for the horse to have the upper tension necessary for optimal development of the back muscles (everything is always connected ...).

We move on to the FUNCTIONAL TRIM.

The speech is particularly long ... I realize ... so we will face it a little at a time.

Meanwhile you can find other posts on my Blog www.addestramentocavallosportivo.it

A hug and a good day to all!

Daniela

ACS

#equitazioneperamore