I had a male instructor who was frustrated with we women tightening up at a sitting trot, so he told us his wife was going to teach us one day, (this was a long time ago). She watched us for a while and she knew, probably from watching so many overweight women riding in her life what was wrong. She told us that we are thinking of being fat, and not wanting our tummies to jiggle, but she said if we wanted to ride a sitting trot well, we had to think of sloppy fat, and just let it go. We both learned to sit the trot that day! I guess if you relax your tummy, the rest relaxes with you. Smile, laugh if you like, it was not a very tactful way to do it. But it worked! For the Canter, I never had trouble with that, because one book I read as a very young child said it was like pumping a swing, it is the same back movement as when you tried to swing on your own. Then in time, you learn to relax and go with the flow in the same mimicing movement. Or you can push your horse forward, to go faster, just like the swing! You are not saying anything wrong, neither was our male instructor, but he was a gentleman enough not to want to embarrass us in class.
Thank you for sharing this I have been struggling with this for years and finally someone is sharing on HOW to relax and let go! You guys are the best!
I notice that in anticipating the movement of the horse when I ask for a trot or a canter, I tend to tighten up. If I just think of myself as "melting" into the saddle, it helps.
That makes sense! I tend to grip with my knees and then I bounce...I even do forget to breath as I'm riding, while trying to figure out what can I do to stop that uncomfortable movement, and that creats tension on my back (then again bounce)
What helped me finally was when my instructor took my foot out of the stirrup told me to relax and shook my leg. She said let ur leg move relaxed and loose like this. This is what it feels like. Then I got it and it clicked.
This was SOOO amazing my instructor is always telling me if I’m bouncing to pull back my shoulders and push my heals down but mostly when I experience the most bouncing it’s when I’m trying SUPER hard to hold on with my legs and that is very frustrating to me, but now I know that that’s the reason why I bounce so THANK YOU SO MUCH for this video ❤️
What a helpful video! When I started riding, my instructor at the time always told us "push your heels down, grip with your knees and thighs!". Now, many years later I'm having some trouble re-writing these commands to myself, because these lead to bouncing issues. I wish I would've learned earlier the importance of keeping my body relaxed.
That's what my instructor told me as well and is really confusing (I started only three weeks ago). I was gripping so hard with my knees and it was so exhausting for me I could barely trot for a straight minute. After a ride (without any instructor) at the country side I was way more relaxed, it felt better and was way less exhausting. It was much more fun. I don't know why they told me to grip that much - maybe because I had troubles staying in the saddle at the beginning. But why haven't they told me what the video just did? I can't believe it is a bad instructor since it is a popular and well-reviewed equestrian farm. But yeah, I learned that being relaxed is a major key to good and comfortable riding.
@@MinosDaedalus Lord, my sister and I have had just two lessons on horseback riding, and this whole time we've been trying to grab the horses as tightly with our knees as we can, to physically raise ourselves standing on the stirrups during trot. Not only this is exhausting as hell, it's totally w r o n g according to everything we've read so far. Facepalming *hard*
My instructor is telling me this all the time cause he says i might fall if i dont grip.. and i get it but i bounce so bad and also cant even trot... im gonna try to melt down to the saddle now 🙏
Ditto. I have been exploring the extreme polar opposite from the "put your heels" down era. I even allow myself to do some "bouncing" exploration. I laugh at myself because I look like a newbie. "More leg, more leg..that's not enough" I can still hear clamoring. The harder I "tried" more leg the more tense I got, perched myself on top of the saddle, and it all went south after that. It seems like a lot of riders are going through this reevaluation and looking for answers to help.
@@MinosDaedalus Hi Filben, I've been riding for a long time (six years infact), I'm no expert but I do have lots of experience. Riding instructors know much more you or me, but they don't now exactly how YOU feel. Horse riding should be an enjoyable experience. You never hear in stories about when you go on a canter across a meadow and they are bouncing around, tense as a piece of wood. They may be stories, but the author has to get facts from somewhere. What I'm saying is, if something doesn't feel right, whether its your saddle slipping, your stirrups are the wrong length, you are bouncing around or you are unusually exhausted, do what YOU think is right. Relax. And if your teacher comments, just tell them that you feel better when you don't grip too hard. I don't know whether this helped but I hope it did. :)
Thank you so much for posting this! I had my first lesson today after 18 years out of the saddle. I was bouncing so much in the canter it was like going back to being a complete beginner. Now I know it’s because I was tense (pretty much everywhere) but especially my legs, feet and shoulders. Such a relief to know why.
That was very helpful! Since many of my problems in staying balanced etc.. are due to subtle muscle flexion/extension etc... It is difficult to understand exactly which muscles are subtly tensing and causing a particular problem. It's such a gift to find a teacher/trainer who can perfectly (for lack of a better word) explain those fine points. You do such a nice job in explaining which muscles may be causing the particular problem.
I am so appreciative of your instruction style. I have one gelding that is very rough at the trot, and another that is not. I'll practice as you say with the bouncy guy to see if I can improve.
I'll be 65 this month and I just started learning to ride. I'm fine when we're walking but I really bounce when we transition to a trot. This video was quite enlightening and I'm hoping to use the information shared to be able to minimize the bouncing. One of my problems is panicking once my backside leaves the saddle. My brain goes blank on what to do; my reaction is to get the horse slow down to a walk.
I'm 69 and have only ridden my horse a few times. When she trots I am probably tightening in my legs, buttocks and shoulders and also leaning forward so I grab onto the horn to keep from falling off. I get scared and ask her to slow down to a walk. I will concentrate on softening in the trot and going with the movement and see how that works. Great video and thanks.
I see this post is from a few years ago, but wow you are a rock star! I hope you continued learning and having fun. I am half your age and feel weird starting to learn and riding with people younger than me but you’re never to old to learn and have fun 😊
Oh this really resonates! Trying to achieve perfect form, I tense ALL the way from heels to butt, plus arms and shoulders! Overthinking instead of melting into my horse's rhythm. Thank you!
This was very informative, thank you. I just started riding again and I clearly tense up because I am nervous and trying to do it correctly. I am going to test this out this weekend.
As a new rider, I find when I am doing/learning my ups and downs in a trot I put A LOT of pressure on the balls of my feet! So this video is really helpful, and I will keep it in mind when I ride next!
I also have a big mover and I’m just getting back to riding as a sport. So I’m having to relearn everything, especially with this particular mare. I’ve never had such a big mover and it’s really different to any horse I’ve yet ridden and I’ve ridden many. I’m taking a lesson tomorrow and I hope this info helps me. I’ll be watching it again. I liked how you gave us a bit of personal info to keep it real, and then went straight into teaching. These shorter, information packed videos are nice for those of us who have to spread ourselves very thin in order to get to the fun stuff in our lives. Thanks for a great teaching experience. I’ll watch more of your videos.
I bought my first horse a year ago and I’ve felt kinda stuck in my progress for a while now.. I randomly found this channel and your videos, and I’m so happy I did! They are really good and you explain everything so well! Thanks
I have a lesson later this morning and this video is EXACTLY what i needed because bracing and tightening is my biggest challenge. I have an OTTB who is incredible at adapting to my flaws and this was just what i needed! Thank you!!
You are a teacher extra ordinary. I know when I push my heel down through my leg, I start bouncing in the saddle like a beach ball. When I let go of the stirrup and again push my heel down, no bouncing. In fact, I'd rather do a sitting trot with no stirrups. Same thing at the canter. I have to somehow make the stirrup my friend as opposed to it blocking my leg. Thank you so much for this lesson!
I am very new to riding - 4 months - and said the exact same thing to my instructor last week. Sitting trot without stirrups is so much more comfortable. (Haven’t gotten to canter yet). It’s difficult to relax my leg in the same way with the stirrup. Even posting trot feels better with no stirrups although my inner thigh muscles scream in agony.
@@cherylisler4013 Isn't it so much more comfortable? I've been riding for years and I can't seem to relax my leg enough. I've always gripped! Wait until you learn to canter. Don't try it for awhile, but once you get your seat and balance, you'll find cantering without stirrups, especially on a smooth horse is heaven. Let me know how it goes. :)
Thank you so much! I have been riding for a year now through 4-H, and I never knew there was a way to not bounce so much. I think this will help me a lot.
Great explanation. As a trainer it is sometimes difficult to verbalize what needs to be communicated to the rider in an effective and understandable way. You did a fantastic job, thanks for sharing!
This was really interesting and informative! I have a tendency to bounce a step or two in my canter, and I think that's because my shoulders easily slip forward too much and put me out of balance. And probably because I am very out of practice, I just recently returned to riding after a six year break.
This was so helpful. Everything I was doing to stop the bounce was the opposite of what I needed to do. Can't wait to get back on trail and try this advice out.
This is so helpful, im currently leasing and 7 yr old ottb and he retired last december so he's only been off the track for about a year and his canter is pretty quick and i tense up so much i literally go into two point because im afraid im gonna bounce out of the saddle, but i need my seat to slow him down and get him collected and relaxed. It's a struggle but it's getting there!! thanks so much!
i so get this, I go to two point to feel safe when they bolt, but equally, i feel my seat isn't there to slow them, plus if they're really going insane against my better efforts my legs will grip which only sends them on.
When I relax during a trot I sometimes lean back and slide towards the back of the saddle feeling like I'm gonna 'fly' off. I'm a very new rider. Love your video lessons.
I’m so grateful you made this video! It’s almost as if it was sign I need to watch this! I’ve been struggling with worrying in canter as I moved riding schools as my old horse wouldn’t move so I’m now riding very forward horses. So I’m not very used to cantering. So I have been bouncing a lot! Thanks sooo much😘😘❤️❤️❤️
This video helped me so much! I think I’m tensing in my shoulders during a canter because when I watch videos back of myself, I lean a little forward and I don’t move with the horse I’m just bouncing! Thank you so much for this really amazing useful video! ❤️ Edit: I went riding yesterday and I got my canter!!! This was after I watched this video and it was so effective... thank you so much! ❤️
I've been riding for around 8 years now, and I found that recently (especially during transitions and sitting trot) I have started to bounce. I have always had a reasonably secure seat, but for some reason my riding style has changed so that I am gripping with my knees. I don't know why I am, but it is annoying! This video definitely made me realise that's what I'm doing wrong, thanks.
perfectly explained, thank you so much. Immediately I recognized why I bounce so much soon as you said about the tightening of the knees "trying to stay on". I need to work on my balance and gaining confidence. I will do the walk to trot and back transition as many times as I need until I get this. I love my Mare, I want her to enjoy our time together as much as I do, if I can be a better rider I'm sure she'll enjoy it even more. ( she probably thinks, "I love my human, but dang she's killing me!") Thank you again for this video.
Thank you! This was helpful, I ride a big, strong horse at my riding school and it's very bouncy, I've also just started cantering and I noticed it was extremely bouncy. I'll try not tensing as much next time I ride
I am a relatively experienced rider, but I haven't ridden all summer cuz we were traveling, so at my first lesson after the summer, I. WAS. HORRIBLE. In the canter, I was leaning forward, and bouncing, and just being all over the place😂 so I will definitely use this in my next lesson.
i love the sorts of videos you post because it really helps me a lot as i am fairly new to the equine world! these videos are SOOOO helpful so thank you very much for helping me!
Well...this was a ton of information! I’m really good at the sitting trot and for some reason wanted to watch this. This was a great video and helped me a bit with some things. Great video!
I'm back in lessons after 20+ years. I find my self bouncing and trying to hard to find our rhythm together that I nearly bounce myself right out of the saddle. Last lesson I just could manage myself, the horse .... I just kept bounce out. Trotting isn't the problem, however, when I canter transition after a little while I completely loose my rhythm and end up back in a bouncing mess!!
I got back on a horse today after more than 20 years. I'm a tall person and it was a big horse with a rough trot. Had I watched this video before I set off I'm sure that poor Appaloosa would be feeling a lot better right now, lol. THANK YOU. Your videos will help me immeasurably get back into the saddle in my 40s.
Still a newbie adult, riding three years this month, bought my mare 6 months ago. What an addictive and challenging sport, with so many avenues this is. Finally getting the feel over the last couple of months, and what a breakthrough. I tense with my shoulders, knees and heels, with my heels coming up in the canter. I love this video for the perfect demonstration of what this creates. The more saddle time I get, the better I get, and I particularly enjoy no stirrups because of the balance it demands. My trainer tells me to "deflate" my legs, and that helps so much. I have also read that instead of holding your shoulders back, you should open your chest (and always wear a good athletic bra!! ;) Yoga that stretches your back and strengthens your core is also super helpful. I hope to some day be as good a rider as my mare deserves. As always, Callie, thank you for the awesome videos.
This video was super helpful as I'm dating an equestrian and am quite new to horses with little to no experience. I had to hop on a horse who was terribly behaved and don't listen to any stop signals. When she broke into a full sprint I relaxed my body and leant slightly forward to adjust to the speed, then when I was comfortable I was able to dis-mount willingly as to not hurt me or said horse. Moral of the story, don't try impress your girlfriend when you've no clue what you are doing 🤣🤣 this video saved my life
I definitely bounce more as I get tense mentally, which translates to tightness somewhere in my body. It takes work to let go of fear/stress, relax, and just trust (both myself and the horse).
I just had my first ever riding lesson today. Gosh I felt like I was about to bounce right out of the saddle. I guess I must be tensing way too much in an attempt to hold on for dear life haha. This video helps and I felt like by the end of the lesson I was getting better, I guess practice makes perfect
I was also told to grip with my thighs, another trainer said with knees--these poor horses! My horse is big and bouncy--I try to relax and let him lift me into a trot rather than trying to start posting on my own. Thank you for this helpful video~
Thank you so much. I'm new to riding and have always felt like i was going to come out of the saddle when I went into a trot. This caused me to grip tighter with my knees, of course now I know, which was making it worse when I thought it would help. I will definitely be putting these tips in practice.
I just got back into riding after a 20 year absence. I'm still relearning focusing on keeping my calves on the horse and knees loose while riding. Great tips that I will keep in mind during my lessons.
So glad I saw this video!! It makes so much sense to me! Very helpful! I usually tense up in the thigh to my knee area to try to hold on. Yep that doesn’t help one bit. It just makes my horse go even faster and a more bouncy ride for me! Can’t wait to try this out!
Awesome video! Thank you for sharing your expertise. I just recently noticed that I squeeze my glutes in the canter. I’m an adult who has just been riding 3 years so my low back is always tight and sore (probably b/c I brace in the glutes. Haha!)
So then how do you stay on? Is it literally just sitting up there, relaxed, following the movement? How do you post without your leg muscles? Is there no activation of muscle at all? Or is there a difference between active muscles and tensed muscles? I feel like not understanding or being able to feel the difference and how it should feel is the one thing holding everything back from clicking for me.
Kay Maynard there is some activation at the center of your body and upper groin muscles against the saddle. But mainly it is your balance keeping you on the saddle which takes time to develop. Check out "Centered Riding" by Sally Swift which has lots of imagery and exercises at all the gaits to practice and learn this, in addition to the time spent riding and also videos like this. :)
if it's all in your core and groin, how do knee patches on breeches come into play? are they just there to help your legs "stick" to your horses sides without gripping?
Kay Maynard The knee patches are used most when you are in two point, going over obstacles, to give you grip into the knee blocks on your saddle. Yes, they also provide some friction against your saddle so you don't have to do much active gripping in the upper groin. Having ridden on my English saddle in jeans, running tights, and breeches with or without those patches, I do prefer riding with those patches.
Kay Maynard when you are riding, I am sure that your instructor has probably told you " heels down" and " grip with your knees". I know mine did, but jamming heels down and gripping at the knees raises your center of balance and increases tension, which makes following your horse's movement harder. Let your legs drape over your horse's barrel and downward as if they are wet towels. Allow your heels to sink downward through gravity and relaxation. That helps to lower your center of gravity into your saddle. The stirrups are there (when you are doing seated flatwork) to raise your toes, not to brace against. Be sure the balls of your feet are flat and relaxed. If when riding your horse disappeared from beneath you, you should land lightly on your feet, following gravity downward. When on your horse at all the gaits, feel the right and left sides (rib cage) of the horse's body with your seat and legs as they shift back and forth. Follow that movement, fitting your horse like a glove. Feel the contact of your seat bones against the saddle and keep them " plugged in" there through your balance and core muscles.
Kay Maynard, way back 60 yrs or so, instructors told me to grip with my knees, that is the worst thing you can do!!! It is like squeezing a watermelon seed, it is totally contrary to relaxing. It tightens your thighs and between the tense muscles and thinking about squeezing with knees, it pushes you right out of the saddle. If you use the lowering of heels (which you can practice on a set of stairs, with just the ball of your foot on the step, hopefully you have a rail to hold on to.) it will line your leg up with the correct feeling of the sides of your horse.
Hi Callie I like your structure of Teaching. I noticed i used to hold tension in my glutes and legs just like you've shown here, and focusing on relaxing those muscles has helped. Thank you. Curtis
I found that when I canter, imagine there is a string tied from your hat, right down through your body and into the saddle, and it's holding you down... Helped me a lot
For me I am always more tense in an English Saddle, my favorite saddle is western, mostly because I grew up with it. I guess when doing anything new or if you have a horse that requires more work it can make you tense up. Obviously practice would help, but some mental and physical techniques to relax before mounting and when mounted would be appreciated. The same is true for any other thing we learn. Love your videos. Blessings.
This is a good and excellent video on riding and having posture in the saddle. Please keep them coming i have a beginner rider that i am showing her how to ride. Again Thank you . I wish you were in OKLAHOMA we would come get riding lessons
i’ve always had quite a bit of struggle with my trot to canter transitions. this video helped me a lot with my sitting trot and bareback, so i thought i’d watch it again and apply it to the next issues.
Hi, I've been riding for six years and can walk, trot and canter and I'm learning how to jump. I just want to say this helped me so much. I ride quite a few horses and every one is different. One might have a floaty, long canter whilst another will take shorter, bumpier steps (again in canter). I find the smaller horses easier to ride in canter as the bigger 16.2hh horses have a more rocking motion which usually throws me a little. I saw this video, took in the info and i had a much better canter on my biggest horse (a 16.3hh horse). Thank you so much for these tips. They really do work!
This video is so helpful . Im always so tense in my hips and butt resulting in my feet coming out of the stirrups and giving the horse mixed cues . This was so helpful
My trainer and me are always cantering because I can’t stop popping out of the saddle because I tend to really tense up from my knees to my ankles but now I canter better because of this video. Thank you!
I am tense everywhere. I am a new rider and this video was very helpful for the explaination of what was going on. Thanks going to try an practice today.
Very helpful ~ Thank you. Specifically I like how you do the slow motion and the added area to highlight the area you are discussing. My trainer has been helping me with loosening my body and this validates and gives another perspective to how much tight muscles effect the ride. Again, thank you!
i went horseback riding yesterday and my horse started to trot to catch up to the other horse and i was not prepared and pretty much bruised my butt lol. this video is A LOT more helpful for when i go horseback riding the next time :) if anyone has any tips that would be great ! (i’ve never ridden prior to yesterday)
OK so this is my second time riding in an English Saddle and I'm very out of sync with my horse. Like when i start a sitting Trot my body starts to move up, and I'm bouncing and bouncing and when I ask for a canter my horse likes to kick so i usually fly up a little then I reaptivelly start to bounce.
I struggle to keep my feet in one spot, they slide back and forth without me knowing how to stop it. I grip with my knees and they still flap a bit. Sometimes the flapping gets worse and other times it improves
Finally, eventually a person who can speak clearly, (as like as usual people should always do) not acting over-paced, doing all the necessary and correct breaks in speech and the content is well structured and so on Really well done :-) I mean it and I do appreciate that very much. A lot of uploaders and "channel owners", especially those who take themselves way too important, could learn from you how to - at least - speak in very good way. Listening to you is a very wll feeling and enjoyable experience. Thx 4 that. This way, whatever clip will be much more welcome to watch, no matter the content. What a pity one can't present that to RU-vid as an example of "how to narrate a clip".
I just bought a standard bred a couple months ago and her trot is so big, I bounced almost off my horse. I realize from watching this video, my problem is I completely tensed everywhere and I was leaning forward. When my horse went into her trot it wasn't planned, she bolted on me. She's the high horse of the barn and I'm having a lot of difficulties with her biting and bolting. Do you have any videos on these problems? Thank you for any help you can offer.
Sounds like you need to do some groundwork training. That will get you respect on the ground which will make things safer for anyone handling her, then you can work on respect in the saddle
I ride standardbreds too, i have the problem on getting them to collect their trot because when they race they can only pace or trot so she must have raced as a trotter so instead f collecting she extends that is something you need to work on, it is easier to do through the posting/rising trot as you can control her trot length but rising small for a short and choppy trot, and rising tall for a nice extended and ground covering trot, once she is responding to the posting/rising then you will find it easier to control her trot and not fell like your are going to bounce off
Watching your video really emphasized just how much I’ve been gripping! I am struggling with transition from trot to cancer and canter back to trot I bounce all over the place! I’m 20+ yrs out of the saddle and the things I used to find so easy seems so hard now. After a fall recently when my big boy massively shied I sailed over his left shoulder and I since then I seem to be gripping all the time
