[Serendipity Zip]

I'm going to be showing Hunter Under Saddle with Tex. He is ready to be shown in it. I can do figure 8's, sit two beats to change my diagonal and be right every time.

My problem is on the rail, when I go from the walk to the trot, I have a real hard time picking up because its really hard for me to tell when his outside shoulder is coming up. It's also hard for me to match it.

[i_luv_wildfire]

Oh c.rap, there's a way to tell based on your hips and when they rise and fall but I can never remember what it is...I believe you rise when your inside hip comes up? Or is it outside...

[faroutfax]

I learned by lots of transitions and feeling how the horse moves. The horse should sort of lift you out of the saddle. LOL sorry I'm not too much help

[Xiphias]

Try this, while you are walking, watch the shoulders, then post to the walk, when the inside shoulder goes forward, you are down, and when the horse's outside shoulder swings forward you should be posting up....it takes a few trys, but that is how I used to teach kids to post, and learn their diagonals....Cathy

then do a sitting trot, and watch the shoulders, you should be able to figure out when to post to the proper diagonal....when asking for the posting trot, sit a step or 2 before posting, to make sure that you are rising on the proper diagonal...

[Cheeky Monkey]

Practice, practice, practice. Thats the only way to get it everytime. Try walking and trotting with your eyes closed. ON the lunge is best. Have someone there to help you out. Walk or trot for as long as it takes you to figure out which foot/leg is going where and what it feels like to your body. DO lots of transitions walk to trot with your eyes closed and keep trying to figure out which leg is moving forward. IF you take away your eyes, you will be able to use your feel much better.

[giddybiddy]

it's a little hard to explain....it's justs kinda something you get used to doing, but i'll try and help as much as possible.

when a horse is trotting, as you know, one shoulder goes up, and then one goes down. practice at home as many transitions you can do before you shoot yourself from boredom. if you can, try and do a few canter to trot transitions, because those make you a little more aware, i find.

while yes, looking down to check your diagonal is a horrible habit that i (and many other riders) have, but it really is helpful at first. when you're trotting, just start posting. post post post. after posting for like, half a lap, glance (safely!!) down at your horse's outside shoulder and post at least 2 times while looking. when your butt comes out of the saddle you should see a little.......lump may we call it of leg muscle that comes forward. if you see that you are, in fact, out of the saddle as his shoulder is out, you are on the correct diagonal. if when you rise out of the saddle you can't see his shoulder, sit for 2 beats and you're set.

maybe try doing it on a lunge line first if possible? that way you can focus on perfecting your diagonal skills without having to worry that while looking down, you'll hit another horse (trust me, it's NOT fun....because that's happened to me lol)

oh and to make horseback riding even trickier for us riders, posting on the correct diagonal and posting on the incorrect diagonal feel the exact same....unless you're horse is special lol

hope i could help!

good luck and tell us how you do! with pics!!!

[JKetsche]

Put a piece of tape on the horse's shoulder. That'll help define the movement of the shoulder if you're having trouble seeing it. If you can see leads, look at the inside shoulder--you should be able to see when it goes forward. It's the same idea at the trot--the shoulder indicates the leg goes forward. Once you can identify the motion, you just need to remember to go up when the outside leg goes forward.

[sirius-dressage]

My thing was to watch someone else riding the correct diagonal, watch the way the shoulder moved on the outside, then look down at your own horse's shoulder. I was always wrong because I was coming up when the outside shoulder was foreward, but the shoulder is swinging foreward as you are going up. So that's how I visualized it.

I just know now that I ALWAYS pick up the wrong diagonal to the left and ALWAYS pick up the right one to the right so if I'm going to the left I just automatically switch. I'm usually correct 99.9% of the time but I don't recommend that as a system unless your'e like me and for some reason it always works like that every single time.

[cherazam]

I had tons of troubles with this when I was younger. The little saying I learned was "rise and Fall with the leg on the wall" Dont try to get the diagonal as soon as he trots, wait..sit a few bounces pushing him into the trot and then glance down with your eyes to make sure your correct..if not then switch. Get your trainers to stand in the middle and have you practice feeling out and looking for your diagonals that way she can tell you when your right and when your wrong. Ive gotten to the point to where I can just feel it. And with the stride that Tex has you should be able to see his front outside leg come forward when you rise up/.

The Key is to just practice. I had them drilled into me when I couldnt get them... and once you do get them youll be wondering why you didnt grapse the concept alot early...at least I did.

[jackiesbabyjet]

All It takes to learn diagonals are practice,practice and practice. My trainer said when you cue for your trot don't aotomaticly start posting sit unstill you feel you diagonal and then post. I hope you guys can understand this.