Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I have a question about diagonals.  I always thought that when I came down 
from the rise as the horse was putting his right front (an therefore left 
hind) down on the ground that was the right diagonal.  If I'm wrong, please 
correct me, as I think I may have it all wrong.
I have a distinct inclination to post on that diagonal all the time, and 
some horses I have ridden tend to allow that diagonal, but fight my attempts 
to change to the other.  My current horse is doing that and I am working on 
changing it anyway.  We have various fire roads that curve around the 
contours of the mountains, and I use them to practice changing diagonals. 
My horse doesn't like that, but after a few moments, he settles in.

Barbara

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Duncan McLaughlin" <duncanmclaughlin@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, April 13, 2007 2:18 AM
Subject: [RC] Endurance Equitation: The Rising Trot Part 1


> Introduction
>
> No-one wants to be an imposition to their horse. A
> good, effective riding position is especially
> important for endurance riders. Not because we are
> worried about striking a pose and looking fabulous.
> But because we want to minimize our riding burden and
> allow our horses to travel cleanly and efficiently,
> with the senses and reflexes of both horse and rider
> intimately connected.
>
> This is what a good riding position allows. To improve
> our riding, it is not enough to just try harder, no
> matter how determined we are. Instead we should try
> and understand some of the physical and biological
> forces at work, and learn to harness these forces to
> our advantage. So, let's consider the rising trot; why
> we do it, how we do it, and what we can do to make the
> trot work to our advantage in training and in
> competition.
>
> The Trot
>
> The trot is a diagonal gait in two-time: The left hind
> and right fore (the right diagonal) move forward
> together, then the right hind and left fore (the left
> diagonal) move forward together. Between the passing
> of each diagonal there is a moment of suspension where
> all four feet are off the ground.
>
> Actually, the trot is not always strictly in two-time.
> Superior performance horses display what is called
> 'positive dissociation', where the movement of the
> hind-leg precedes slightly the movement of the
> diagonal foreleg. This is difficult to see with the
> naked eye but is often apparent in photos and slow
> motion video. We rise in the trot to cope with the
> strong vertical forces produced during the moment of
> suspension. For example, on the right diagonal we rise
> as the right diagonal leaves the ground. We are at the
> top of the rise and coming down as the left diagonal
> leaves the ground. We sit briefly as the right
> diagonal hits the ground and begin to rise again as it
> leaves the ground.
>
> ....
>
>
>
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Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
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Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

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