As a beginner to sit down softly - tips

Lunge lessons serve as a starting point for beginners

Lunge lessons give you, as a beginner, the opportunity to get used to the movements of the horse without having to worry about the running direction and the pace. You can concentrate fully on your seat. A correct basic seat is the basis for a soft and correct sitting.

• Sit upright, but stay relaxed and relaxed. If you tense up, it will immediately spread to the horse. This is led by the lunge guide, so your rein influence is unnecessary. You don't have to take the reins in your hands, you can either tie them at the neck or unbuckle them completely.
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• Concentrate fully on the sequence of movements, feel how the hooves detach themselves from the ground, swing forward and then touch down again. This movement goes through the entire horse's body, the back arches slightly to the side. One of the particularly good tips is to close your eyes. This is how you focus your attention on the essentials.
• When the horse is trotting, be sure to stay relaxed and not cramp. If you do not tip your upper body forward, you can no longer feel your horse with your buttocks. Continue to sit upright, drop your shoulders and swing your hips with you. The trot should run through your whole body, your buttocks clinging to the saddle.
• Do not exert any pressure on the horse's belly with your legs, this will drive the horse unnecessarily and you will no longer sit deeply, you will rather relieve the horse's back.


Tips for sitting out

As a lively two-stroke, the trot is a gait in which the horse ...

• All joints, feet, knees, hips, wrists, elbows and shoulders must easily vibrate. The heel is your lowest point, the toes are slightly turned inwards. The trot movement goes through your body, you catch it elastically and do not jump up and down. When the reins are picked up later, the horse's mouth remains unaffected by the movement.

Difference between sitting in and sitting out

• When sitting out, the rider remains consistently in the saddle and sits out in every gait. The buttocks should not leave the saddle surface, a sheet of paper pushed between the seat and the buttocks must not slip out. Sitting outside gives the rider the best opportunity to give the horse a helping hand.
• Sitting down, on the other hand, always alternates with "getting up" when trotting lightly, so it usually occurs at the beginning of the riding lesson during the solution phase. The moment in which you touch the seat with your buttocks again is sitting down and takes place with every second trot step of the horse. Beginners prefer to trot lightly, as sitting out is still quite difficult. As a rider, especially when sitting down, you can make mistakes that are very uncomfortable for the horse.

Tips for a soft sitting

• Listen to the tips of your riding instructor, who will support you with a lot of personal experience. A good riding instructor can explain to you clearly what you have to pay attention to. He observes you in your movement very closely and can provide precise assistance.
• As a beginner, do not make the mistake of actively supporting the light trot. Do not stand up consciously. There is no need to create a lot of space between the buttocks and the seat. The light trot only serves to relieve the horse's back.
• Let the momentum of the trot lift you gently out of the saddle, keeping your knees closed. The knees are the only real point of contact from the buttocks down through which light pressure is applied.
• Now you mustn't let yourself fall back into the saddle. Many beginners make this mistake and hurt the horse's back. As a result, the horse tenses up and the movements become harder, making it more difficult to sit softly. With your knees firmly closed, you can sit softly back in the saddle with your buttocks. Make sure you have elastic joints so that the trot movement can flow through your body again.

The softer you sit and the more elastic you can catch all movements of the horse, the more effective your aids will be.