Visualize Your Way to a Better Sitting Trot, with Shannon Dueck

The sitting trot could be a metaphor for the sport of dressage itself. Deceptively simple-looking, it requires a significant level of strength and skill to perform correctly. There may be no better test of your development as a rider and your readiness to progress up the levels than the ability to create the appearance of sitting effortlessly at the trot, particularly on a large-moving horse.

But why do we do it? Other than the important fact that sitting trot is required in all dressage tests from second level up, what purpose does it serve in the development of the dressage horse and rider? International grand prix competitor and Pan Am Games silver medallist Shannon Dueck explains, “Sitting well is the basis for the development of swing, cadence, and collection, which is why it is necessary as the training continues from first to second level and above.” Dueck, who was born in Texas and raised in the Vancouver area, adds, “Sitting the trot well enables the rider to communicate with a subtlety that is difficult in rising trot, and allows the horse to feel the full influence of the rider’s aids.”

The Struggle is Real

Dueck points to a number of factors that may negatively affect the ability to sit the trot well, from a lack of rider balance, relaxation, and core strength, to simply not understanding how to correctly move with the horse. For many, many equestrians, the sitting trot is a challenge.

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“A rider who has excellent balance on a horse will be able to relax her hips and lower back, and follow the horse’s movement, rather than bouncing or bracing against it. Core strength allows a rider to balance without gripping or tightening, and with relaxation of the hip joints and lower back the rider can use her internal pelvic muscles to work exactly with the horse’s back,” she says.

So what’s a struggling amateur to do? Should we seek out breeds with smaller gaits that are easier to ride? Not necessarily, according to Dueck.

“Big-moving warmbloods can definitely demand greater flexibility and strength from the rider in order to sit the trot well, because the trampoline of their backs can be more powerful and produce a bigger arc. However, once the rider learns to use her body correctly, these types of movers can actually be easier on the rider’s joints, in the same way that skiing over bigger, softer hills is easier on the joints than smaller, harder, bumpier moguls,” she explains.

Troubleshooting the Trot

Dueck offers simple solutions for three of the most common mistakes she sees in riders who are learning to sit the trot.

Leaning forward on a fork seat instead of truly sitting.

When the rider leans forward, she keeps the hip joint closed instead of letting it open every stride. I ask students to take the reins in one hand and hold the pommel with the other, and then pull their seat toward the front of the saddle with their arm. This is what the core and internal pelvic muscles need to achieve, but the rider must first learn what it feels like with a little help. Gradually, riders should be able to relax the holding arm and let their core muscles do the work.

Using their hands for balancing.

When students use their hands for balance, I know they are also gripping with their lower legs to help stay on the horse. Developing the required level of balance is best achieved with lunge lessons on a safe horse so that the rider learns to relax. With relaxation comes the ability to drape the legs and use the core muscles to stay in the middle of the horse.

Leaning behind the vertical and bringing the hands back.

Leaning behind the vertical initially is actually not a bad step towards developing a good seat. Leaning back a bit can help a rider to feel her hips going forward and opening with each stride. But once the rider can keep her hips engaged, then the next step must be to develop the abdominal strength needed to carry her upper torso upright over her pelvis, and to keep her hands forward towards the horse’s mouth.

These abdominal muscles are not just in the belly, but encircle the rib cage as well. I think it surprises riders at this stage of their seat development how strong their upper abs must be to carry their upper torso independently of their pelvis. Once this strength is achieved, the rider will have independent hands.

Picture this at Home

Dueck teaches her clients and clinic participants using both physical and mental exercises to help them feel and visualize the correct movement patterns and muscle involvement needed for a good sitting trot.

“I ask them to practice their ‘catwalk’ walk,” she says. “Imagine being a supermodel, slinking along with your shoulders back and down, and feeling your hips moving forward with each step to propel you instead of your legs. I also ask them to walk slowly backwards with big steps while keeping their shoulders down and back. This really helps riders to feel their hip joints fully open and stretch with each stride.

“One of my favorite visualizations is to imagine the horse’s back is an ocean with regular gentle swells (not crashing whitecaps). Then imagine you’re sitting on a surfboard that follows those gentle swells. Once a rider is able to follow those swells with ease, they can actually influence the swells, which can enhance the horse’s cadence, swing, and tempo.”