Learn the sitting trot: how to absorb the movement through your pelvis, stop bouncing and protect the horse's back, with exercises and milestones.
Why do I bounce like a rubber ball in sitting trot? The honest answer: because trot is the gait that most riders find hardest to sit. The horse pushes you up, you drop back into the saddle, about three times per second [1]. Sitting trot means you stay in the saddle and let the movement run through your pelvis and lumbar spine instead of working against it.
This is not just about comfort. In sitting trot, two equal force peaks per stride act on the horse's back, up to about twice your body weight [1]. A quiet seat is therefore also horse welfare. In addition, measurements on ten dressage horses show that back and lumbar movement behave differently in sitting trot than in trot in hand [5]. Your seat influences how the horse moves.
Stay realistic: you learn sitting trot over many short practice sessions, not in one lesson. There is no fixed time window; it is a practical experience that most riders need several weeks to sit stably.
Sit deep, pelvis neutral, no hollow back and no rounded back. Let your legs hang, heels down. Milestone: you can sit two minutes at walk without holding on.
At walk, let your pelvis roll gently from left to right and draw small circles. In a study with 20 experienced riders, the ability to move the pelvis actively was related to quality and harmony in the saddle, and to fewer conflict behaviours in the horse [4]. Milestone: both movements flow without pulling on the rein.
Trot on and sit only five to ten strides. Then rise again or go to walk. Important: don't tense, let the seat swing along. Milestone: you sit at least ten strides without losing the rhythm.
The steadier your pelvis, the quieter your hand. Experienced riders (professionals) showed less movement in elbows and knees and a more upright head than beginners [2]. Milestone: the hands stay still, the reins don't become a handle.
Extend the sitting stretch step by step, alternate between rising and sitting trot and watch the rhythm. Milestone: you sit a whole long side without tension and without the horse speeding up.
At intermediate level you keep practising sitting trot under supervision, helmet mandatory. Unquiet hands and a stiff pelvis can tense the horse and throw you off balance. If your back or hips hurt, pause and have it checked. In an analysis of 669 emergency-department visits after riding falls, 43% involved the spine [6]. A soft, balanced seat is your prevention, but no guarantee. If the horse spooks or bolts, the same rule applies as always: keep the seat deep, breathe calmly, bring the horse back with a soft hand and, if in doubt, go to the full halt. Someone who tenses in sitting trot can lose balance faster when the horse gets restless. So you practise sitting trot only where an instructor is watching, never alone on a trail. It is no substitute for supervised training.
Imagine your pelvis as a sponge: it should absorb the shocks, not return them. Consciously feel your seat bones travel with the horse; that teaches your trunk to take over the springing.
A second trick: yawn on purpose or sigh audibly as you breathe out. It sounds silly, but it loosens the jaw, the shoulders and so the whole chain down to the pelvis. And stop before you get tired. A short, relaxed stretch that works teaches you more than three minutes of fighting, in which you train tension into yourself.
First practise pelvic rolls and circles at walk, then sit five to ten trot strides on the lunge and extend the stretch slowly. There is no time window; the yardstick is a stable rhythm without bouncing.
Because trot pushes you up and you don't absorb the swing through the pelvis. Too much tension in buttocks and thighs makes it worse. A soft back, deep pelvis and calm breathing help.
It creates two force peaks per trot stride, up to about twice your body weight [1]. A quiet, balanced seat is therefore important. It's no reason to panic, but a reason to consolidate rising trot first.
When rising trot, rhythm and diagonal are secure and you sit relaxed at walk. Your instructor decides when the step fits.
Yes, but mobility counts more than plain strength. Advanced riders activate the trunk more strongly and in a more coordinated way [3]; in the study, pelvic mobility was linked to riding quality and harmony [4].
Canter Transition: Striking Off Cleanly on the Correct Lead