Rising trot

[3kidslou]

I was riding my 14.1h pony today and i noticed that my rising trot doesnt seem right, as i sat it felt like i was sitting hard in the saddle, my stirrups were a bit short but i think i may be a little unbalanced on him. i always worry im a bit big on him, hes medium weight and im 5.5 and 9.5st. Any tips on becoming a more balanced rider and do u think its his size that causing this?

Try some trotting without stirrups but maybe stick a neckstrap on so that you have something to hold onto if you become a bit unbalanced. Ideally lunge lessons are great because someone else has control of the horse and you can concentrate on your position. Once you feel more secure without stirrups you can try staying in the rising position still without stirrups and eventually working through transitions (best doing this on the lunge though as it is tough!!!). That one really builds up the inner thigh muscles and then you can use these to completely control your rising trot.

The only other things to consider is whether you were on the right trot diagonal and whether the pony has some stiffness that makes it harder for you to balance.

Get someone to lunge him with you on board. Take away you stirrups and reins. Learn sitting trot like this. Once you have an independant seat (ie can sit to the trot without the need of stirrups or reins to balance you) then you will find all of your riding is much better.

It is bloody hard work though.

If you have been riding him a while and you have just noticed this, first check he is 100% sound, if so, check your saddle balance. Horses tend to lose a little weight at this time of year, and also less work over winter can mean they change shape a little and your saddle may have dropped or lifted at the front making you unbalanced.

You SO arent too big for him! A medium weight 14.2 could probably carry half as much again.
As others have said, try either bareback, or without stirrups. If you are doing it correctly, you can rise like without stirrups. The action is more front to back, rather than up and down. Imagine you are trying to hit something in front of you with your pubic bone, by rocking on your gusset. IYSWIM

My instructor says that the most important thing when you are rising is to go forward with the horse. She said that I was going up and down like a tin soldier which caused me to land heavy, she recommended Alexander riding lessons which were fantastic and the Alexander teacher recommended I look at some children's riding books called Think Like a Pony in the Saddle, they are fantastic as they are simple to read and full of illustrations. Me and my children all use them and we end up teaching each other! Maybe its worth you having a look for an Alexander teacher or have a look at these books.

Check your leg position, if you feel like your sitting heavily maybe your legs are too far forwards. Try bringing your shoulders forwards slightly (may help with neck strap to get position) and think of having lower leg underneath you more. Also you may be too upright/ combination of the two!

Any improvement yet?

First stop an instructor you can get to some see you, I would think, pretty much as the above have suggested.

Another thought would be look at your saddle, if you have now ruled out lameness/stiffness in you or the horse, as roger says. Is it sitting well on the horse, with panels nicely in contact all around, good clearance for the shoulders to move freely? Is it totally symmetrical when viewed flipped upside down, and are the stirrup bars placed far enough back to allow you to get the shoulder/hip/heel line right, rather than placed in the chair-seat position (too far forward?).

Watch youtube footage of Anja Beran doing rising trot, engrave the image on your brain, and go out and try the same.