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Don Huston said:

> Diagonal in question: "My ass hits the saddle
> ?when the left front hits the ground". Am I on
> ?the "left" or "right" diagonal?
>
> Some have said left and some right so there is
> ?not any consensus yet.
?
The reason that he has not gotten a consensus with respect to which diagonal he 
is on is that there are two ways to describe which diagonal you are trotting 
on, and they are opposites of each other, and some people use one way and some 
people use the other.
?
One way is to say that you are on the "left" diagonal if you are sitting when 
the left front is on the ground.
?
The other way is to say that you are on the "right" diagonal if you are sitting 
when you are on the "correct" diagonal for going around to the right, in which 
case you would be sitting when the left front is on the ground.
?
Few people use these exact opposite definitions interchageably, but some people 
use one defintion and some people use the other.
?
So, whichever definition you choose, if you are sitting when the left fore hits 
the ground, you are riding on a right (right as opposed to left, not right as 
opposed to wrong).? Out on the trail, if you are going around a turn then being 
on the "correct" diagonal for that turn is mildly relevant (more on that below).
?
If you are riding on a striaght line, then there is no "correct" diagonal, but 
it is recommended that if you are riding on a straight line for an extended 
period of time that you periodically?change (I change about every 10 strides) 
which diagonal you are riding on as this evens out the work load for the 
horse.? It doesn't matter which one you are on at any particular time as long 
as you switch often enough to give the horse a rest from each one.
?
I say that being on the "correct" diagonal for a turn is MILDLY relevant 
because it is slightly easier for both horse and rider to balance through a 
turn if the rider is sitting on the inside HIND leg (which also means sitting 
on the outside fore) through the turn;?the sharper the turn, the more relevant 
this becomes.
?
However, all that said, I have found that the best way (even for novices) to 
tell which diagonal you are on is by feel, not by looking down, or by trying to 
think and figure out which hind leg is on the ground when.
?
When you are riding at the rising trot, it feels more natural to "kick" (i.e. 
put your leg on) the horse with one leg than with the other.? The leg that it 
feels more natural to put your leg on is the INSIDE leg (i.e. it is more 
natural to put your leg on the horse as you are about to sit down than when you 
are about to rise).
?
Incidentally, this is one of the reasons that you are on the "correct" diagonal 
when you are sitting on the horse's inside hind/outside fore; putting your leg 
on the horse just as the?lorse's leg is coming forward to hit the ground is 
when applying your leg can affect the placement of the horse's leg, to step 
further under, to step further forward, or whatever.
?
But, DON'T think about it.? If you think about it, by the time you have thought 
about it, it will be too late.? Just notice what feels more natural, and what 
feels more natural is when it is more cofortable to use your leg that is on the 
inside of a turn if you are on the "correct" diagonal.
?
So, to answer Don's question, when he is sitting on the left fore during the 
trot it should feel more natural for him to "push" the horse with his right 
leg, and that is because he is on the "correct" diagonal for going around to 
the right (even if he is not going around to the right).? 
?
Whether he (or anybody else) chooses to call this the "left" diagonal (because 
he is sitting on the left fore) or the "right" diagonal (because he is sitting 
on the right hind for going around to the right) is entirely at his discretion.
?
Personally, _I_ think it makes slightly more sense to call this the "right" (as 
opposed to left) diagonal for the direction you are travelling, but since MANY 
people determine which diagonal they are riding on by looking down at their 
horse's shoulders and seeing which foreleg they are sitting on, it makes some 
sense also to refer to it as the "left" diagonal. All you really need to do is 
agree when talking about it with other people that you are using the same 
definition, whichever one you choose.
?
It doesn't matter what you call it just so long as you know when and why to use 
one over the other.? 
?
kat
Orange County, Calif.
:)


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