A horse should be started in a rising trot and warmed up before moving onto a sitting trot, which is more of a collected trot. Find out how to move a horse from a rising trot to a sitting trot with helpful advice in this video on horse training and dressage.
So, I like to start my horse in a rising trot, stretching him down a little bit in a rising trot. Again, nice warm up same as in the walk that he really can reach, stretch, let the muscle warm up a little bit. And once I get him a little more warmed up, then I go into a sitting trot and I let him come up a little bit more in the frame. Lots of changes of direction, the rising trot is that he can warm his back up a little bit, by me not sitting into his back right from the start. So, I already have them a little bit of the rising trot so I'm going to go now to the sitting trot. This is more of what you would call a collected trot, that the horse comes a little bit more together, carries himself behind and then we have also what is called an extended trot which I will do coming towards the camera. This is where the horse lengthens his stride and then comes back into the collective trot. One more time and back again.
