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try to get a really steady trot first, a really slow one, almost like a jog and then sit. keep you horse at this trot and relax. really, relax. the only way to stop relying on you hands for balance when doing a sitting trot is to improve you seat first. and to do this, a lot of practice at a slow sitting trot is in order. gradually get faster and faster but this will take more than one (or even a few) rides. something that helped me a lot was riding bareback. it forces you to keep the horse slow and steady and with no seat and no stirrups, its the ultimate balance test!

If possible, ask someone to lunge you and your horse in a confined area (like an arena). Go back to trotting without holding the reins, and try different arm excercises - arms out to the side, behind your back, making circles, crossed in front of your chest, etc. One lunging session isn't going to fix you overnight, so try to take as many as you can.

Try to ride a horse that has a smooth trot. It's difficult to master the sitting trot on a bumpy horse. You also must remember that the key to mastering the sitting trot is in your abs! Your ribcage and stomach muscles are what absorbs a great deal of the bouncing. Make sure they're in shape by doing crunches regularly at home. While in the saddle, try to imagine doing to hula while sitting to the trot - the key is to keep your but in the saddle and move gently with the horse.

If you can manage it, also try to use your ankles as shock absorbers - if you watch top dressage riders, you'll see their feet seeming to move around in little circles at the sitting trot - this is the foot absorbing and releasing the impact.

Once your seat and body is conditioned and is absorbing the movement, your arms will follow. Riding without stirrups is a good idea, but it will be easier to get a hang of it on a smooth horse. wink

A hula hoop eh?
Well thankyou for all your advice everyone, much appreciated heart . I will try them all out. Hopefully. Though I do have to point out, I am not actually riding a horse. I'm riding a pony, and the trot is far from smooth and slow. But again thankyou.

A pony, eh? I've found that it can be very difficult to learn a proper sitting trot on a pony - their gait is usually fast and choppy. When learning the sitting trot, often riders will tense up their first few tries, and the pony will probably trot faster, leading to a ride that is anything but productive to learning to sit the trot. With the fast and bumpy gait of mosy ponies, it can take a long time to 'figure out' the sitting trot. Like I said before, try to ride a horse with nice long strides. Once you figure out what you're supposed to do with your body, find the rythmn and movement, you'll be able to sit the trot on any equine, horse or pony. smile

Those are great ideas, however they're impossible. My choices are limited to; my Aunt's prelim horse, whom I'm tentitive to ride incase I ruin him with my green-ness. Or my cousins' ponies. But for the last week I've been riding stirrup-less. Would that help?

Yay! I'm doing something right whee . Bloody hard to post without stirrups, my Aunt has been getting me to both post and sit without stirrups. Makes one glad they're not of the male variety. Thanks so much for your help though.

That's the thing, he's four, only just starting prelim, very head-shy and jumpy.

Posting without stirrups..my oh my. See the thing is, when posing, no matter what, your not even suppose to rely on them, its all suppose to be done with thigh strengh alone, and trust me, they can tell in alot of events.

But everyone is right, while a bumpy horse is generally not preffered when trying a sitting trot, I guess it's better then never. Learning to relax and just go with the flow of the horse is all you really can do.