Hi
First, thank you for taking the time to read mine and all the other horse sense e-mail. Your insights and expertise are priceless. You are extremely unselfish and that is very refreshing. Thanks again.
My question:
I've been riding for a number of years. About 10 years ago I was introduced to Centered riding, by my boss and through clinics with Kim Walnes. I feel my riding improved greatly from that point. (Actually any sport I play I use imagery to learn and it makes great sense to me.) Anyway, now I have a wonderful new instructor and we get along great. I have slightly stumped her and I haven't figured it out myself yet, but onto my question - do you have a good image for the sitting trot? I feel I understand the movement of the horse, maybe I don't. yet I can't seem to link the image to the movement. I can sit the trot, but I feel I could do it better. Thank you in advance for
your help.
Hi -- thanks for the kind words! Centered Riding is a great help to so many people, isn't it?
The best image I know for the sitting trot may or may not work for you, but here it is: think about doing the hula. ;-)
Really. No joke.
There's a lot of movement that needs to take place in YOUR body, just to absorb and reflect the movement that's taking place in the horse's body. As the horse's hips lift and drop, and as its hind legs drive forward and its back lifts and drops, your body needs to accomodate all of that movement.
Your hips need to move quite a lot -- not just up and down, but also forward and back, almost as though you were sitting in (and pushing) a swing. Your abdominal area must be relaxed and able to follow the horse's back DOWN -- if you have an image of yourself "bouncing the horse" as you would bounce a basketball with your hand, that's a close approximation.
You can't do it with a tight, tense abdomen, and you can't do it by pushing hard with a tense back.... although many riders try. :-(
This brings us right back to the hula image. Think of a line of dancers doing the hula -- they're not thin and they're not "sucking in" their bellies, in fact their tummies tend to pooch out a little at times, but they're obviously using lots of muscles everwhere from their lower rib to their knees -- which, oddly enough, is also the area we speak of as the "seat". Think about the coordination, the rhythm, and the free, flexible movement -- think HULA, have fun, let all the body parts work together, and let me know if the image does anything for you!
Jessica
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