Horsemanship How-to: Sit the Jog Better

Part of the allure of riding western is sitting astride a slow-legged horse as it moseys
along at a jog. Faster than a walk, slower and more relaxed than a lope, the jog is the
gait most favored for covering ground on trail rides. In the show pen, novice riders
typically master the walk/jog division before moving up the ranks. But what if you’re
having trouble getting in the groove when it comes to sitting still at the jog? If you
struggle to sit the jog without bouncing, here are some suggestions.

• Check the length of your stirrups. If they’re too long you’ll either roll too
  far back on your tail bone or too far forward on your pelvis in an effort to keep your
  boot in the stirrup. That’ll undermine your position in the saddle and make you more
  likely to bounce. Stirrups that are too short will create too severe of a bend in your
  knee, forcing you to perch above the saddle. That will also make your seat insecure.
• Once your stirrups are adjusted properly, think of sitting “in” the saddle
  rather than “on” the saddle. With that same mindset, relax your lower back so the
  muscles of your lower back and core midsection can follow the natural movement of the
  horse.
• To help get the feel of following the motion of your horse, take your feet out
  of the stirrups and stretch your legs down and around the barrel (rib cage) of your
  horse. Much like riding bareback (another way to develop a more natural seat), riding
  without stirrups will force you to connect with your horse’s back and follow the motion
  of each stride.
• Though you want to maintain an erect upper body with good posture, strive to do
  that without holding yourself in place by gripping with your thigh and knee. Such bad
  habits will cause your seat to pop up and out of the saddle with each stride at the jog.
• How schooled is your horse? A horse that’s high-headed with a hollow (inverted)
  back is typically rough to sit. Manipulating the headset with draw reins or a tie-down
  and restricting the trot to a slower speed rarely results in a smooth jog. Instead it
  requires consistent schooling to help the horse collect its stride, slow its pace and
  develop self-carriage. Such qualities help create a jog that’s much smoother to sit.

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