Why rising trot feels so wobbly at first

Almost every rider remembers their first attempts at rising trot: the sudden bounce, the desperate grab for the mane, the feeling that the horse is moving far faster than it actually is. This is completely normal. Rising trot asks you to do something no other gait requires — you must leave the saddle and return to it in time with the horse's stride, over and over, without gripping, leaning or losing your rhythm.

The good news is that balance in rising trot is a skill, not a talent. It is built from a few simple ingredients: a secure lower leg, an independent seat, a relaxed hip, and a rein contact soft enough that you are not using the reins to steady yourself. Once those pieces click, rising trot becomes the most comfortable way to travel in trot — and the foundation for everything from canter transitions to jumping.

Set yourself up before you move

Most balance problems begin before the horse has taken a single step. Take a moment to check your position while standing still.

• Stirrup length: for rising trot, your stirrups are usually a hole or two shorter than for dressage-length flatwork. Your knee should sit comfortably against the saddle flap with the ball of your foot on the tread.
• Lower leg: let your leg hang long and wrap gently around the horse. Imagine the weight dropping down through your heel, not gripping with your knee.
• Seat bones: sit on the two bones at the base of your pelvis, not on your tailbone or the front of your crotch. Rock slightly forward and back until you feel them.
• Upper body: tall but not stiff. Shoulders over hips, elbows soft, hands carried just above and behind the wither.
• Contact: a light, even feel down both reins. If you can feel the horse's mouth pulling you forward, your reins are too long; if you can see the bit rings being dragged back, they are too short.

Find the rhythm with a counting exercise

Rising trot has a beat: down, up, down, up. In a normal working trot, that rhythm is roughly one rise for every two beats of the horse's stride. The trick is to let the horse's movement push you up rather than pulling yourself up with your thighs or reins.

Ask your instructor to put you on the lunge or on a quiet schoolmaster for this. Start in walk, then transition to trot and simply count out loud: "one, two, one, two." As you count, let your hips follow the swing. When you feel the second beat of each stride, allow yourself to be lifted — think of the horse's hind leg pushing you out of the saddle, not your muscles doing the work.

If you find yourself rising on the wrong diagonal, sit for two beats and start again. Correct diagonal means you are rising when the horse's outside front leg is on the ground, which keeps you balanced through turns.

Three exercises to steady your balance

Do these in a safe enclosed space, ideally with someone on the ground. Each one trains a different part of the skill.

• Two-point hold: in halt or walk, stand in your stirrups with your seat out of the saddle and your hands resting on the horse's neck. Hold for five seconds, sit, and repeat ten times. This builds the thigh and core strength that keeps you stable without gripping.
• No-stirrup rising: once you are confident, try a few steps of trot without stirrups, rising just an inch or two. Keep your legs long and let the saddle come to you. This teaches you to follow the movement rather than bounce against it.
• Drop and pick up the reins: in trot, hold the reins in one hand while the other rests on your thigh for a few strides. Swap hands. If your balance collapses the moment you let go, you are relying on the reins for stability — a common habit worth breaking early.

Keep your hands quiet and your contact soft

A surprising number of balance issues in rising trot come from the hands. When you rise, your upper body moves forward; if your elbows are locked or your arms are stiff, your hands jab the horse's mouth with every stride. The horse then hollows, speeds up or tosses its head, which makes your balance worse. It becomes a loop.

Fix this by thinking of your elbows as hinges that open and close as you rise and sit. Imagine carrying two cups of tea in your hands — the hands stay level and steady while the body moves underneath. If the horse is jogging or rushing, slow the rhythm of your rise rather than pulling back. A slower rise, matched to a slower trot, is far more effective than a hard rein.

You should aim for a contact that feels like a firm handshake: present, consistent, but never rigid. When your seat is secure, your hands naturally become lighter, because you no longer need them to hold you in place.

Common faults and how to correct them

• Rising too high: you are using your thighs and reins to launch yourself. Rise only two or three inches and let the horse do the rest.
• Bouncing on landing: usually caused by gripping with the knees, which locks the hips. Open your knees slightly, lengthen your leg and let your seat absorb the landing.
• Leaning forward: often a sign of nerves or a horse that feels fast. Sit tall, breathe out and slow the trot until you can stay upright.
• Losing a stirrup: check that the stirrup sits on the ball of your foot and that your weight is in your heel, not your toe.
• Pushing your feet forward: this tips you behind the movement. Let your leg hang beneath your hip, with your heel lightly down.

Give yourself permission to be a beginner. Rising trot takes most riders several weeks of regular practice to feel genuinely secure, and even experienced riders have days when the rhythm escapes them. Keep sessions short, finish on a good note, and celebrate the small wins — a single lap of steady, balanced trot is real progress.