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RE: [RC] Equitation Tip of the Day - Smith, DaveThanks Don: I too am not sure what you mean by "bicycle thing," but while sitting, I usually just let my legs hang loose, I allow the horse to lift me and use just a bit of leg on the way down. When I watch others post, they seem to be standing almost upright before coming down. I never get that high off the saddle. I'll pay attention to how my saddle might be rocking. I use a Parelli Theraflex pad and I think the constant inflation and expiration of air prevents the saddle from rocking too much and grinding against him. Thus far, after a ride, his back has not been sored. Still, I'm a heavy weight and my mustang is not particularly big, barely 15 hh and probably about 1,000 lbs. so I worry that sitting the trot might not be good for him. I like your suggestion about varying the speed of the trot so that at times I will be doing full postings. Thanks for the info. --Dave -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Don Huston Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 12:36 PM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: RE: [RC] Equitation Tip of the Day Hello Dave, I'm not Kat and I don't equitate :-[ (you ladies do ride nice) but I do know how to make my horse's back sore. My guy also has a smooth slow jog but if I start doing the "bicycle thing" with my feet in the stirrups and sitting then I'm grinding the saddle back and forth and it makes his skin tender. As long as I keep my legs still and flex in the gut or lightly post we do fine. I also try to mix up the gates and style so we don't overdo any particular muscle group but currently I only have 2 muscle groups left....old and flabby....I'm sure that my horse would agree. :'( Don Huston At 11:43 AM 7/31/2007 Tuesday, you wrote: Question for Kat: My mustang has a relatively slow trot that he seems most comfortable in. At this particular gait, his trot is so smooth that I can "sit" with just a very minimal amount of "posting." When he speeds up, I do post, but he seems to be able to go forever in the slower version. I wonder whether I might be working his back too hard when I sit his slow trot. What do you think? --Dave -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of k s swigart Sent: Monday, July 30, 2007 4:22 PM To: Ridecamp Subject: [RC] Equitation Tip of the Day Angie said:P.S.S. If some riding professional like Kat wants to start an "equitation tip of the day" I'll sure read it!The muscles that develop strength and elasticity if you are riding "correctly" are your lower back and your inner thigh. Pretty much all the other muscles are passive (be used no more than if you were standing). Posting should require very little effort, it is the thrust of the horse that pushes you up and gravity that brings you back down. Your inner thigh allows you to apply leg aids, and your lower back allows you to apply weight and rein aids. If you are developing strong arms to apply the rein aids, you are pulling with your arms, which, when riding correctly you shouldn't be doing (the reins are HELD with the lower back, not pulled on with the arms). For me, who spends my whole day riding, the only thing that requires effort and wears me out is saddling and unsaddling the horses. If I had a groom to take care of the tacking up and untacking (which many professionals do), then my job would be easy. All of this assumes that you have a horse that is sufficiently well trained that it is carrying itself "correctly." Some horses will beat the tar out of you because they have not yet learned self-carriage...or they don't have the strength and endurance to maintain it for the distance travelled. If both the horse and rider know it, movement is pretty effortless. If the rider knows it but the horse doesn't, then the movement is a conditioning exercise and requires a little more effort from the rider. If the horse knows it but the rider doesn't, the rider can mess up the horse a little bit, but it is still going to be less work than.... If neither the rider nor the horse knows how to do it. In which case they are both going to get beat to all hell. kat Orange County, Calif. :) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ----------------- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! ----------------- Don Huston at cox dot net SanDiego, Calif =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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