Why do you sit when you can post in Training/1st level?

[RogersChapelFarm]

Sitting instead of posting when given the choice.....I noticed and the judge I sat with as a scribe this weekend also constantly asked this out loud almost every time too! WHY?
People are choosing to sit when there is a choice to rise the trot or sit especially at the lengthenings and it is to their detriment and their scores suffer. Even the riders with fairly independent seats usually get a little more out of the rising trot lengthening and many horses move a little freer at just working trot...just wondering---are your trainers telling you to sit? Do you think it's better for some reason to sit versus post---I guess they think dressage so I better be sitting....Not so! I know some people who can ride really well can do this just fine but most of the tests we saw...should have been posting and would have come up 2-sometimes 4 total points or more with coefficients...

[CapitolDesign]

A few examples of why sitting trot could be a better choice, though I agree that rising trot is usually the better choice:

1 - If the horse is tense and feels more relaxed when an experienced rider stays quietly sitting.
2 - If the rider still hasn't perfected the rising to sitting right before the canter and ends up getting a transition to walk or halt. I have seen this a few times in riders that are capable of sitting the trot, but accidentally activate their slowing aids when they think they are applying the canter aid.

Can't really think of many other times I would support the choice to sit when given the opportunity to rise.

[Cat - OnceUponADressageDream]

Many, many reasons and all very different! On one of my horses, I'd definitely go rising because he doesn't cope very well with sitting yet - he's not strong or balanced enough and is built downhill too. On my other horse, who is not balanced but naturally built uphill - he tends to get blocked and tense, and sitting helps to "break up his back" so to speak. I also find I can apply my softening aids more constantly until I get the response I want when I'm sitting, as opposed to rising on him.
However if I didn't have a specific reason for sitting to supposedly work better, I'd always opt for rising - as stated, why take the risk if you can do a nice test rising?

[Eventer13]

You see this in eventing dressage, too. I think some riders feel like sitting is the "thing to do." Especially with some of the juniors, they feel that it somehow makes them more advanced to be sitting. Afterall, you sit the upper level tests.

I, of course, don't mind this mindset, because I post whenever possible and usually end up with the better score because of it. So you all can just keep on sitting!

[slc2]

Because they don't know everything?

[Gayla]

Because they don't know everything?


:lol::lol::lol::lol:

[Eclectic Horseman]

Because some riders' cores are not strong enough to prevent the horse from pulling them forward out of position when they are in the posting trot. Some horses, particularly older, wiser, stiff and resistant ones, have learned that they can dislodge the rider when she is at the top of her posting rise out of the saddle.

It is also easier for the rider to use her leg correctly when sitting the trot.

[Lieslot]

I didn't think you were allowed to post the trot in 1st level? :confused:

[Daatje]

I will post every chance I get in my 1st level tests! :winkgrin:

(1st level tests you can rise during your lengthenings and are required to rise during your stretchy circle.)

I have NO idea why anyone would want to sit when they could be posting....

[AmericaRunsOnDunkin]

I will likely post in shows until I get better/more confident at sitting, but then I will try a sitting trot in a few shows to practice before moving up to another level when I don't have a choice. Schooling sitting trot and doing it at a show when you are more nervous and tense is another thing altogether. You have to practice it (that's my best guess since I actually haven't done it yet!).

[bluesegolene]

I will sit my green mare in her first few shows as it is the only way to help her balance herself (and to keep her quietly focused on me instead of on the many bodysnatchers always hiding on the sides of the ring, waiting for any opportunities to take over her 16h3, 1400 lbs body).

[Shrunk "N" Da Wash]

I would rather post the lengthenings but I guess some people feel more important when they sit:lol:.

However the other movements I can understand sitting because it helps maintain the regularity in the tempo by using your seat to half-halt.I find in general I can better control my horses sitting then posting. But again for the lengthenings there is no reason to sit because it's just a good way to butcher it.:yes:

[rabicon]

Did you scribe the training test in ring B? I noticed one that REALLY needed to post but was sitting and I couldn't figure it out. The horse was wayyyy to much for her to sit. Myself on the other hand I post :winkgrin: My horse does better right now when I post and there is no reason to sit until we both get better. Did you get to see us go? It was a bad test. I didn't ride my horse like I usually do and our score suffered. I was nervous for our first usdf show and I didn't even really use leg for the bends and well it was all my fault :cry: Oh well, next time I will ride my horse :D

[Knothead]

Because frankly my horse and I go much better sitting. He's VERY EASY to sit to and he and I seem to keep our balance in tact better that way. That being said, I do post my lengthenings.

[anchorsaway]

It really depends on how my horse is going that day. Sometimes it varies from test to test.

If he's super loose, supple and pushing really nicely from behind then I'll sit. I can usually get more out of him.

If he's kinda cranky or we didn't have the perfect amount of time to warm up, then I'll go ahead and rise.
However, there are occasions(especially if I'm riding training level) where I'll sit the whole test so I can shorten his stride and bring him back before/in the corner and then go rising; allowing him to really open up and push.

I say, whatever works best! :)

[Elegante E]

I'm sure there are various reasons some people sit when they could post. For me, I have one mare that prefers sitting. We sinc up and she's a happy camper. Posting, she's ok but tends to lose her balance or becomes nervous easily even when I'm super careful posting. I would still always rise for the extended.

I suspect that some people find it very difficult to remain balanced during the extended trot and even if they post may be scared of that first sit afterwards.

[Touchstone Farm]

The times I sit would be for "feel" and sometimes, if the horse is a bit tense or spooky, I like sitting because I can stay with them better if a "moment" occurs. In most cases. I'd probably do the rising for the lengthenings to give them a little more encouragement and freedom in the back. But it depends upon the horse.

[lovemyrobin]

I ended up sitting the trot at my last show of 2008. End of November, freezing cold with 20-30 mile an hour winds and a very hot horse. I hadn't planned on sitting, actually wanted to bail on showing. But I made it through Training 3, got my best canter score ever, a very decent rider score, and I was happy to get through the test. My trainer was a little suprised, but she said I made the right choice. Would I normally do a sitting trot at Training level, no, but the conditions warranted it that time. My horse goes better and I feel I have better control during the sitting trot. I'm getting a little excited about moving up to First Level now, I love my mares sitting trot.

[Cielo Azure]

Another thought, if you were trained first to ride western, sitting comes VERY easy. Posting and thinking about diagonals takes more work. At least that was how it was for me.

People come from all different disciplines before starting dressage, some even originate from riding in a western tradition (where posting isn't even in the vocabulary).

[Cindyg]

I find sitting far easier. It's not that I can't find the diagonal. It's just that I can SIT! At 47, I find posting difficult.

[Ajierene]

Inability to multitask.....

I spent a lot of time riding Western as well as English in my earlier horse life. When I started studying dressage, I thought you were supposed to sit. I found out that was not the case, but two main reasons kept me sitting:

1-when I am working with my mare I would often forget to post.
2- I am so OCD about diagonals (from my hunter/equitation days) that it is better to sit rather than mess up my mare's forwardness by HAVING to switch diagonals when trotting across the diagonal to switch directions or something.

I do post when lengthening across the diagonal in a level 1 test, but I still have trouble with the whole 'proper diagonal' concept and my trainer constantly reminds me that it doesn't matter which diagonal I am on - but sometimes I am still a bit late to start posting due to HAVING to be on whichever correct diagonal I think I should be on...

[Hazelnut]

Once I forgot to post the stretchy circle...nerves...great score!