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I tend to agree at least it
is the same for me.
For years I assumed
my old gelding had a favorite diagonal as they do in the canter leads
and he would constantly bump me over to the left diagonal. As we went
along together for about three years and did very well in our 50 milers,
always in top 5, I never worried much about it and just figured horses are
no different than people and prefer one side over the other (as in right or left
hand) As he became more and more built up on one side in shoulder and the
hip muscles I also thought, hey, people aren't perfectly
balanced either, right. A lot of us have one leg slightly longer
than the other or tilt a little at the hip because we have poor posture.
But as time has gone by and I have truly learned the hard way its not the
horse its me! He started to show soreness after a ride and would be
slightly off and we no longer did well in competition. Then with my next
Endurance Mare it started to happen again. So I feel, and so does my
instructor, that I have made them one-sided and unbalanced in their
muscle definition because of my build and poor balance. Kinda
like the chicken and the egg thing which came first? Did he cause me
to ride one-sided or did I make him one sided? My saddle even needed to be
re stuffed on one side and one day I discovered my favorite winter riding pants
had lost all the lining in only the left leg!
With training and
Dressage work and always being aware of my seat and balance I try and
not allow this to happen in my new gelding. It is working so
far. I always try to change the diagonal and even spend more time on the
one I'm weak at because in one year with this new horse I have already started
to make him favor his left and I believe its because I favor it not
him.
Mary
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, November 07, 2002 6:36
PM
Subject: RE: [RC] Right-Handed
Riders/Diagonal
This is going to be even more controversial probably than the
other posts,
but I have a theory that diagonal preference has something to
do with the
rider's handedness, only in how handedness relates to their
abdominal
oblique muscles happen to be. I know I used to have an imbalance
in my
oblique muscles and when I first started riding 8 years ago, I
noticed I had
a definite strong preference for the right diagonal and
posting the left
diagonal would just about jerk me out of the saddle. After
I figured out it
was me and not my horse, I strengthened that weak side of
my abdominals and
it got almost as easy as the right. I still to this day
have difficulty
hitting the L diagonal right off. I always, always rise
first on the right
and then switch to the L diagonal. The imbalance is in
me. I am right
handed. During the posting movement, your abdominals
contract reciprocally
to counteract the twisting action of the diagonal
trotting gait. If one side
is weaker than the other, that is where the
preference comes from. JMHO
Susan and Fly
Bye
>
>
> Ok, I'll be different (nothing new in that...). I
am right-handed
> and prefer the left diagonal. I have to constantly
check my
> diagonal. Since I unconsciously post the left, I'll
purposely
> change to the right as often as I remember. Tanna will bump
me
> back to the left, but I'm not sure if that's because HE
prefers
> it, or because I do and thus it's easier to carry me when
I'm
> comfortable and probably more balanced?
>
> However,
he shows his own signs of left-hoofedness. He can really
> bend into a
tight left turn, but he doesn't bend as well into a
> right-hand turn.
He also prefers the left lead on the canter. (I
> have the hardest time
getting him into the right lead, but we're
> working on that.) He was
that way from the day I bought him.
> Shows how well I've been working
on that right side, huh? :/
>
> However, I do think a person's
level has to do with it. Once I
> rode a huge hunter jumper type back at
my old barn, and I had the
> hardest time posting on the right diagonal.
Wasn't him, it was
> me. I also did the same thing with a little
morgan-type mare.
> I've been working hard on my right diagonal and I
think I'm more
> balanced than I was last year at the right diagonal,
but it's
> still not my favorite diagonal.
>
>
>
April
> Nashville, TN
>
> Dbeverly4@xxxxxxx
wrote:
>
>
> >I think it has more to do with handedness
in the rider not the horse. A
> >right handed rider almost always
prefers the right diagonal so
> they'll make
> >the horse
stronger on that side.
> >
> >I'm left handed and definitely
prefer the left diagonal....all
> my horses do
> >too. Its me
not them.
>
>
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