@Gremlinsateit @Tupperwarelid
I always start in walk and use it was my warm up for me and the horse - so lots of walk/halt transitions, long and low, then collected up a bit, some leg yields, circles, spiralling in and out. It really helps me get into the swing of moving with her and relaxing into the saddle. I might leave it at that if she's in a I'm going to spook at my shadow move but then do it in trot.
Sitting trot always! Rising trot no stirrups is for other way better people than me.
I find trotting no stirrups down the long side much harder - but my horse is not very straight and I normally ride her off the track to work on this.
The thing with no stirrups for me is that no matter how much I do it, the first couple of minutes in trot can be a bit of fuck, bounce, wobble, grip with knees - but I remember to breathe, relax, do circles at the end of the school she's less likely to take a dislike to until suddenly it clicks.
So it's tempting to give up and say I can't do it because it's tricky for the first bit but it's worth carrying on - after 10 mins it's "normal". You just have to get over the scrappy bit to start with.
What I've found most interesting (I did it initially to give me some stickability) is I can feel how she finds some things easier - definitely does excellent leg yields, really free when I've got no stirrups- and less so, particularly on one rein when I take my stirrups back - establishing that the problem is me blocking her.
I find bend easier because I have to put my legs on - specifically my calves so it gives them something useful to do.
The other thing is that while I try very hard not to use the reins to balance myself - it does make me take up a shorter rein/better contact and if I can organise myself to then use this to ask her for inside bend, she finds it easier because I'm actually giving her something to work into.
Remember though this is on a horse I ride a lot so I'm used to her - I'd not be nearly so blasé on a horse I rode only occasionally.
When I was getting back into riding and having weekly lessons I insisted in doing at least 1/3 of the lesson mo stirrups because it's literally the fasted track to a good seat and having a feel of what's going on - which is natural to people to ah e ridden every day for 25 years - I'm playing catch up!
It worked really well until me and my instructor got carried away - I was riding a gorgeous ex dressage horse no stirrups- she she said, if you ask him he'll do a lovey medium to extended trot.
I did, he responded like the long suffering babe he was and I bounced right out of the saddle and splatted spectacularly onto the floor.
The few strides I sat felt amazing though and as falls go, it was a good one because he was doing the opposite of playing up - he did exactly what I asked.
It was a weird thing to do in a way - because I was paying for a lesson which I felt I wanted it to be fun all the time, not bloody no stirrups- but I stuck with it out of bloody mindedness until it was fun because I wanted desperately to get the point where I could share a horse and hack and whatnot and I knew if was the secret sauce.