Rising trot tutorials

Oh, yeah. When the horse is still like that, I can do that too. Wait until you see my slow-motion trot when the horse walks!  Picture from www.ponybox.com

Oh, yeah. When the horse stands still like that, I can do that too. Wait until you see my slow-motion trot when the horse walks! Fantastic stuff!
Picture from www.ponybox.com

Who has watched me riding knows it well; my sitting trot needs improvement. Desperately. And I know it well; I go mad every time I think about this. And my instructors both in Crete and England are often frustrated. Why? Why can’t I trot like other beginners who also ride just once a week?

So, my instructors have reached the following conclusions:

  1. My legs need to get stronger.
  2. I think too much when I trot. More thinking than feeling.
  3. I rise up to the sky, which means that it takes me ages to return to the saddle (here’s some difference. It took me ages to rise from the saddle in the past).
  4. And this is mine: when they say “well done”, I get happy (too happy I would say), lose my concentration and mess up again. This is why I remind them not to tell me that phrase until I get off the horse. Ever. And I wish they never forgot it.

So, yes. All these get mixed up, I guess, making my sitting trot infuriatingly messy. And the problem is, that even if your instructor sits there screaming instructions at you all day, everyday, your own effort is what matters the most. Especially if you know what to do, but simply can’t do it!

But I’m determined to fix this, ladies and gentlemen! I’ve been serching around for tutorials with exercises and demonstrations. So, here’s what I’ve been watching today, focusing on what I can do during the week-long break. I hope to see some progress, sometime soon!

Any other suggestions?