Diagonals

lillyem

lillyem

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29 September 2013
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Could someone please tell me what diagonals are and how to do them? I am very old fasioned when it comes to riding therefore I am not used modern terms. Sorry if I'm coming across inexperienced. And please be gentle with me, new to horse&hound :-)
 
i think u are supposed to rise with the outside shoulder but i could never never do it...i would just change when my instructor says "have u checked ur diagonal"...
and this works almost half of times...
:) :) :)
 
Your diagonal is when the horses outside leg is going forward in trott you should be rising, when the inside leg is going forward you should be sitting.
 
Horses trot two beat so when the front leg is forward the right hind follows it, front right left hind and so on, when you do rising trot in a menage you rise when the outside front leg is forward, look at the horses shoulder when your rising to make sure your rising on the correct diagonal, as you get more of an experienced rider you learn to feel when your on the correct diagonal.

Although saying that I ride my horse on both diagonals on each rein as I think it makes them more supple and can prevent them getting a stiff rein I also alternate my diagonals when I hack.
 
I was always taught that the reason for the 'rise' on a circle is to enable the outer hind (so to step under as you are enabling the back to lift.
 
Pinkvboots said:
Horses trot two beat so when the front leg is forward the right hind follows it, front right left hind and so on, when you do rising trot in a menage you rise when the outside front leg is forward, look at the horses shoulder when your rising to make sure your rising on the correct diagonal, as you get more of an experienced rider you learn to feel when your on the correct diagonal.

Although saying that I ride my horse on both diagonals on each rein as I think it makes them more supple and can prevent them getting a stiff rein I also alternate my diagonals when I hack.
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I don't ride in a school but I change my diagonals every 20 or so paces (not sure how many really, but several times per trot) I feel you make them one sided otherwise. If I have a horse who has a very bad diaganol I ride on that most of the time, with the odd break for them.
 
You can always tell if an owner bothers to change the diagonal when you try horses to buy. So many owners accept which diagonal the horse puts them on. I have tried many that become square wheeled wheelbarrows when the diagonal is changed, even had a vendor tell me I had lamed the horse.

The last one I bought was so bad the saddle would slip very badly to the right until she had evened her muscle and stride pattern up. I rarely trot on tarmac but if there is a gentle hill I might and I count 10 or 12 strides and then change, they soon improve and become comfortable and much more balanced.
 
AdorableAlice said:
You can always tell if an owner bothers to change the diagonal when you try horses to buy. So many owners accept which diagonal the horse puts them on. I have tried many that become square wheeled wheelbarrows when the diagonal is changed, even had a vendor tell me I had lamed the horse.

The last one I bought was so bad the saddle would slip very badly to the right until she had evened her muscle and stride pattern up. I rarely trot on tarmac but if there is a gentle hill I might and I count 10 or 12 strides and then change, they soon improve and become comfortable and much more balanced.
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And some horses are great at organising you!
 
If your horse feels uncomforable to ride on one diagonal in a straight line then the horse is crooked. It is good practice to change diagonals regulary when hacking etc, but I doubt that by not doing it you would actually cause the crookedness. They should feel comfortable to ride on both, that said every horse is like humans left or right sided.
 
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