Sitting pretty – how to develop a more effective sitting trot, with dressage riders Matthew Burnett and Laura Eve Thyer

We asked two of our Derriere Equestrian dressage ambassadors, Matthew Burnett and Laura Eve Thyer, to share some top tips for achieving that elusive, harmonious sitting trot. Read more about Mat and Laura far-below.

The facts: Under British Dressage rules, trot work may be ridden sitting or rising for all tests at Elementary level and below. At Medium level, all trot work must be ridden sitting except extended/Medium trot movements, which may be ridden in rising. At Advanced Medium level and above, sitting trot is mandatory.

Let’s look at why the scales of training require sitting trot after a certain level. It isn’t for aesthetics. Sitting rather than rising allows you to stay in harmony with the movement of the horse, while maintaining your position over his centre of gravity; a good sitting trot allows the horse’s movement and own posture to be optimised, not compromised. The rider’s aids can be used more subtly and effectively!

Balance and ‘feel’

“Sitting trot can be used for the training and improvement of all horses. You will forge a stronger connection in your partnership, and sitting trot can be especially useful to engage the horse’s hocks, and perform the more advanced movements,” Mat Burnett explains. “It is also essential for your balance and rider ‘stickability’, and will give you a far better feel for the way the horse is working beneath you than rising. Because all of the elements and objectives being worked on en-route to Medium level are extensive, the rider’s pelvic and hip mobility develops over time, as they move up the scales of training. In fact, the strength and muscle memory is often found in the rider’s thigh; as the hip joint extends and flexes, the thigh absorbs the movement from the higher joints,” Mat adds.

A neutral spine

“Perhaps one of the most common issues seen with less experienced riders is a sort of protective, flexed position, when the seat bones angle too far back in the saddle,” Laura Eve explains. “You can push your pelvis forward and your bottom back, to recreate this off the horse, and will feel an exaggerated curve in the lumbar area of your back. The other extreme is to tuck the pelvis under and extend the back, which often looks as if you’re sitting behind the vertical. In fact, in between the two extremes is where the pelvis is most comfortable, akin to a ‘neutral spine’ in pilates or yoga. It’s this ‘middle ground’ position, with ‘engaged’ yet relaxed thighs, that allows a nice sitting trot to develop in dressage.”

Girding the loins

The main hip flexor muscles in our body are the ‘iliacus’, covering the wide pelvic bone, and ‘psoas major’ which connects the lumbar vertebrae. The name ‘psoas’ is of Greek origin, meaning ‘muscle of the loin’ – so, to coin the biblical phrase, it’s time to Gird Your Loins, or prepare and strengthen! Effective hip flexing, and thus sitting trot, requires a strong core, so in order to be effective, you will need to develop and strengthen the muscles that support both the pelvis and the spine, including those in your bottom, back muscles, stomach and hips. Postural work like yoga and pilates may help.

“In terms of mounted exercises, you could start by working without stirrups. Start by crossing your stirrups across the pommel to give you more depth of leg, keeping your legs long and low. Aim to be very upright in your body, but allow your hips to relax and absorb the movement of the horse,” Mat advises. “Send him forward from walk into a slow jog trot to ease you into the gait, and not bounce you out of the saddle. When you’re happy with this, ask for a little more impulsion, opening up into a working trot. Little and often is the way to accustom both of you to train in this way, if you’re still developing your sitting trot, which will soon become second nature. This could be part of your training every time you ride, gradually increasing the duration and tempo. You will probably also find working without stirrups useful when you’re working on leg yield, shoulder in and transitions. When regaining your stirrups, you may wish to lower them a hole or two.”

Utilising lungeing

“It is very easy to be out of ‘sync’ with sitting trot, bouncing against the movement, and going from the extended to flexed positions described earlier. But this will make your horse hollow, and inevitably you will be out of balance, says Laura Eve. “To avoid this happening, it is a good idea to sometimes be lunged in sitting trot without stirrups and not holding the reins, giving you the opportunity to concentrate solely on your position, whilst the control of the horse is in the hands of a friend or trainer. Once you feel more balanced and in sync with the horse, you can then add exercises with your hands and arms to ensure you are relaxed, and develop your core strength. You can then move on to controlling the horse’s gaits with your seat. This will ensure the horse is really listening to your seat aids, and develop your control for half halts and transitions” Laura Eve suggests.

For ultimate comfort in the saddle, so you’re not thinking about discomfort when trying to hone your sitting trot, try the Derriere Equestrian DE SPORT Seamless Shorty, in male and female designs, designed to eradicate seamlines visible through breeches, and ensure no rubbing, chaffing or abrasions. The new, integrated waistband further ensures no restriction or discomfort for the wearer. Visit http://www.derriereequestrian.com

Mat Burnett

Mat’s famous dressage training camps with originalequestrian.com are due to start running again shortly, and he’s also busy training clients at his Herefordshire-base. After spring’s lockdown, he has also been out competing, campaigning the eight year old Nibeley Black Pearl, and the nine year olds Graxieux SSH and Humus Von Singing at medium level, winning a clutch of regional classes. Mat also offers dressage training at his stables in Herefordshire and throughout the UK at various venues.

Laura Eve Thyer

Laura has been using the lockdown period to focus on training and plans for the future. She made the decision to try and breed her most advanced Dressage horse, Chablis Sinclair, during this ‘downtime’ period. Her younger prospect, Chianti, is about to make his competition debut, along with a young horse Florian, an exciting hope for the future.

www.derriereequestrian.com