teaching someone to jog trot

[cee_gee]

Any tips on moving the beginning adult rider from the walk to the jog trot

Comments

[eyewrist]

lunge line, sans stirrups, western saddle. Take it a few steps at a time.

[lifebystorm]

this.

[candysgirl]

I learned to do a posting trot first. After I mastered the posting trot my instructor would have me sloooooowwwww the horse and sit for just a few beats and then pick up the posting again. Gradually she had me sit for longer and longer periods until she'd call out either posting or sitting trot and I could do either one indefinitely. I only took one 30 minute lesson a week growing up and managed to figure it out, so it shouldn't be absolutely impossible for him with such little time in the saddle.

I think a posting trot is much easier to learn and that is the route I always go if I'm teaching a beginner. Then again, the vast majority of my experience is in an English saddle of one sort or another. My western experience is pretty much limited to tooling around on my fiance's barrel horses.

[84trillion]

Seconding this.

[suffocationday]

Typically, bouncing occurs at a trot (or jog) when the rider tenses up. When you get very nervous and stiff, it becomes quite easy for the motions to bounce you right out of the saddle. The key is to relax and melt down in the saddle

[suffocationday]

I think I assumed that you were teaching him on a lunge line....If you're not, that's definitely a suggestion. It's easier to learn to trot when you can just concentrate on yourself, not on controlling your pony.

[cee_gee]

Nods.. certanily doing this on the lunge line sans reins. I give him a strap to hold on to but I don't want him learning to trot by balancing on my horse's mouth.

[spirithorse21]

I like this suggestion a lot and also employ this when teaching my kids to trot.

I would also add that the trotting motion is actually side to side. If the student allows his or her hips to move from side to side (or even actively makes his or her hips move this way), this also makes the sitting trot much more comfortable and easy to learn.

[adifferentriver]

I mostly teach kids, so it's a little different, but I find that beginning to trot often goes in a pretty predictable sequence: horse trots, student feels they are being bounced or losing balance, student tenses up and bounces even more/harder as a result. This tends to be a continuing downward spiral until the horse stops. I usually have students go up in a two point so that they can get the feel for the speed and rhythm of the trot without being bounced to pieces... once trotting feels more familiar and safe, they tend to be able to relax a lot better while seated. This also keeps things easy on the horse, since the student is usually more stable this way. I don't usually get into posting until they're comfortable trotting in two point... trying to post while they're still just beginning to get a feel for the rhythm of trotting at all is a little hard on them and the horse. I usually work on two point trotting, having them call the rhythm of the trot (one two, one two), and posting the walk (great way to build leg muscle)

[alittledffrnt]

I'd teach him to post first- posting will help him build leg strength and you can work on his center of balance and get him more aware of it with the post without Captain having to feel him bounce. (as in, if he is too forward he'll post and fall on the neck or if he's behind the balance he'll end up in the toilet position) Once he knows how to balance himself and stay centered and knows what muscles to relax/use I think he'll have an easier time sitting. I know how hard and awkward it is to teach a non-horsey boyfriend this stuff. I taught my sister's boyfriend to ride Austin and teaching him to post was a much better idea than just trying to get him to learn to sit the trot.

[xihateyourx]

this.
guys, I've found, are OBSESSED about crushing their junk and I think even if they don't admit it they bounce because they are CONVINCED just plain SITTING is going to DESTROY them hahaha. teaching them to post lets them get over this fear. ;)

[taleofaredhead]

LOL these two comments.

I think posting will help tremendously. At least until he gets the rhythm of the trot.