How to Trot
Be comfortable walking with your horse., Urge your horse into a walk., Sit as correctly as possible., Squeeze both legs on your horse, with a little bit harder pressure on the inside leg (if you squeeze the outside leg harder, this is the aid for...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Be comfortable walking with your horse.
You're not ready to trot until you're 100 percent confident with the walking.
Know all the basic things, such as asking your horse to halt, turn or move forward.
When you are comfortable with walking you can know move on to a trot.
Make sure you are relaxed as your horse can sense all your tension and may not respond well to commands. -
Step 2: Urge your horse into a walk.
Keep the walk smooth and rhythmic.
If your horse is having a hard time walking, nudge him/her with your heels. , Keep your back straight, your heels lower than your toes, and the balls of your feet on the stirrup irons (toes to the nose as well).
Your elbow and hand should be creating a straight line to the bit.
Always aim to sit back instead of leaning forward, Leaning will cause you to lose your balance.
Make sure that you are putting all your pressure into your heels and not pressing down on the reins, as this can hurt the horse's mouth. , If the horse doesn't respond, tap the horse lightly with your crop.
Try not to kick your horse, because this only dulls him/her.
Squeeze tightly with your legs and give your horse a couple of kicks until you can feel that you are going in a 1, 2, 1, 2 rhythm.
Trotting can be very uncomfortable, as it bounces a lot, and makes you move around in the saddle.
To make you feel more in control and balanced, gently rise up and down to the rhythm of the horse. , Diagonal is when you go up the horse's shoulder closest to the wall should go forward then when you go down the horse's shoulder should go back.
An easy way to remember this: "Rise and fall with the leg on the wall." While this is the extreme basics of posting, you might want to know why you do it.
Not only are you raising yourself up when the outside shoulder-blade comes forward, but you are lifting yourself off of their back when the inside hind leg comes forward.
Hence 'diagonal.' This allows their inside leg to extend farther and the horse can use itself more efficiently.
A lot of people blindly post and have no idea why they do it. , Your horse should always be moving forward, but remain collected in your hands.
His energy should be powered by your legs and caught in your hands, not by jerking on his mouth or kicking.
Don't choose to whack your horse or to kick him/her as your very first option for changing speed.
Use good horsemanship instead:
If your horse starts to slow down, squeeze or nudge slightly with your heels and lower calves while you are coming down from the post to keep them in a consistent trot.
If your horse starts to want to walk, squeeze with your calves and heels.
If your horse starts to want to canter, sit up straighter and give them a nub with the reins (don't pull though).
Keep your hands low to their neck and the reins loose at all times.
If your horse starts going too fast, you might want to give the horse a little nub with the reins.
Sometimes horses stumble after going so fast.
If you want to go into a canter, slightly tighten the reins and squeeze with your outside leg.
Finally, if you want to go even faster, or your horse won't listen, use a whip, this gives them the boost they may need. , Or, gently pull, if necessary. , -
Step 3: Sit as correctly as possible.
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Step 4: Squeeze both legs on your horse
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Step 5: with a little bit harder pressure on the inside leg (if you squeeze the outside leg harder
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Step 6: this is the aid for canter).
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Step 7: Get on the right diagonal to post.
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Step 8: Guide the horse's speed.
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Step 9: To make your horse slow to a walk
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Step 10: sit back deeply in the saddle and squeeze the reins.
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Step 11: Keep practicing as many times as necessary until you feel comfortable in this gait.
Detailed Guide
You're not ready to trot until you're 100 percent confident with the walking.
Know all the basic things, such as asking your horse to halt, turn or move forward.
When you are comfortable with walking you can know move on to a trot.
Make sure you are relaxed as your horse can sense all your tension and may not respond well to commands.
Keep the walk smooth and rhythmic.
If your horse is having a hard time walking, nudge him/her with your heels. , Keep your back straight, your heels lower than your toes, and the balls of your feet on the stirrup irons (toes to the nose as well).
Your elbow and hand should be creating a straight line to the bit.
Always aim to sit back instead of leaning forward, Leaning will cause you to lose your balance.
Make sure that you are putting all your pressure into your heels and not pressing down on the reins, as this can hurt the horse's mouth. , If the horse doesn't respond, tap the horse lightly with your crop.
Try not to kick your horse, because this only dulls him/her.
Squeeze tightly with your legs and give your horse a couple of kicks until you can feel that you are going in a 1, 2, 1, 2 rhythm.
Trotting can be very uncomfortable, as it bounces a lot, and makes you move around in the saddle.
To make you feel more in control and balanced, gently rise up and down to the rhythm of the horse. , Diagonal is when you go up the horse's shoulder closest to the wall should go forward then when you go down the horse's shoulder should go back.
An easy way to remember this: "Rise and fall with the leg on the wall." While this is the extreme basics of posting, you might want to know why you do it.
Not only are you raising yourself up when the outside shoulder-blade comes forward, but you are lifting yourself off of their back when the inside hind leg comes forward.
Hence 'diagonal.' This allows their inside leg to extend farther and the horse can use itself more efficiently.
A lot of people blindly post and have no idea why they do it. , Your horse should always be moving forward, but remain collected in your hands.
His energy should be powered by your legs and caught in your hands, not by jerking on his mouth or kicking.
Don't choose to whack your horse or to kick him/her as your very first option for changing speed.
Use good horsemanship instead:
If your horse starts to slow down, squeeze or nudge slightly with your heels and lower calves while you are coming down from the post to keep them in a consistent trot.
If your horse starts to want to walk, squeeze with your calves and heels.
If your horse starts to want to canter, sit up straighter and give them a nub with the reins (don't pull though).
Keep your hands low to their neck and the reins loose at all times.
If your horse starts going too fast, you might want to give the horse a little nub with the reins.
Sometimes horses stumble after going so fast.
If you want to go into a canter, slightly tighten the reins and squeeze with your outside leg.
Finally, if you want to go even faster, or your horse won't listen, use a whip, this gives them the boost they may need. , Or, gently pull, if necessary. ,
About the Author
Jacqueline Sanders
Brings years of experience writing about lifestyle and related subjects.
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