What is the correct way to post the trot on the diagonal?
When your post or rise, you go up and down with one of the diagonal pairs or one side. You should post on the outside diagonal. This means that when you are riding to the right, you rise when the left front and right hind legs go up, and you sit when they go down.
Why do you post on the outside diagonal?
We call this “posting on the outside diagonal” because the legs move in diagonal pairs in trot. So we spend months – and for some of us, years and years (!!) – learning to post on the “correct” diagonal in effort to do what is right for the horse.
What is posting diagonal?
Posting or rising on the correct diagonal in trot is when you are sitting or down when your horse’s outside shoulder (and inside hind leg) are on the ground. This means that you are rising or posting when the same outside shoulder and inside hind leg and moving forward.
Why is the posting diagonal important?
Being on the correct diagonal helps your horse stay balanced, especially through a circle or tighter turns. As horses turn, they use different muscles to create a bend. They put more weight on the inside hind leg.
Why do we post on the correct diagonal?
Posting on the correct diagonal helps your horse balance better through turns, because you are sitting when the inside hind is pushing on the ground, which is when that leg can best support your weight, and we rise when it is coming off the ground, so your horse can pick it up easier.
How do you teach diagonals to post?
Have the rider close their eyes while sitting the trot, or at least sit really deeply if not closing their eyes. Ask if they can feel the horse bounce them forward a little. When this happens, just start posting. Aka let the horse push you into not just the post, but the correct diagonal.
Why is it important to post on the right diagonal?
If you’re riding on the correct diagonal, you’ll rise as the horse’s inside leg moves forward, relieving some of the pressure on the leg that is already bearing most of the weight. It’s important to change diagonals regularly, even when you’re riding on straight lines.
Why do we post on the outside diagonal?
The second thing we learn is that we HAVE to coordinate the rise moment with the moment that the horse’s outside front shoulder swings forward. So when that leg is off the ground, we are off the horse’s back. We call this “posting on the outside diagonal” because the legs move in diagonal pairs in trot.
Why is it important to post on the correct diagonal?