Comments on: How to Trot

on 11/22/2005 Trotting is faster and bumpier then walking. It is a two time pace. The pony moves diagonally - opposite feet together. You can sit to the trot, but it is more comfortable to rise up and down in the saddle with the pony. In a rising trot a rider moves up and down in time with the trot, and if you have never tried the trot, don't worry. It may be hard at first, but then you find that it can be one of the more fun gaits.

on 11/22/2005 When you do a rise trot, you should already have mastered a sitting trot. With no pressure you should then attempt a rising trot, which is very different. You should place pressure with your calves and keep your hands on the withers and have a go at getting the feel of the beat and then try rising. When you rise you should naturally feel the movement of the trot.

on 8/8/2006 I had a serious problem with sit down trot, as I had no balance and kept falling off! My riding teacher told me to keep my legs under me and push all my weight into the saddle. But I still kept falling off! Then I realized I was looking down and had my arms straight. If you look where you want to go on horseback you will end up there. So don't look down!

on 3/28/2006 When sitting in the trot, don't clench up. Relax your leg muscles and image you are glued to the saddle. It worked for me!

on 2/2/2006 When trotting, you don't want to go up and down, you do want to go up and down slightly. The biggest part to trotting is posting. You want to move your pelvis/hips forward and back at the beat of the horse, while your hips go forward you go up. Don't land on the saddle with your butt, because you will then hear a slapping noise and the judges will take points off. Land on the crotch part. Now, when you've finished the part of your pelvis/hips moving, try it again doing the same thing but keeping your belly and chest straight as a board. This is the correct way to post, it looks beautiful, and it wins the judges over.