Part III: Settling into the Saddle and Easing into Riding in .NET framework

Draw QR Code JIS X 0510 in .NET framework Part III: Settling into the Saddle and Easing into Riding

The horse typically moves from the walk into the jog or trot You can also ask your horse to jog or trot from the lope or canter when you begin more advanced riding, but in this chapter, I discuss only taking your horse from a walk to a jog or trot As I explain in the following sections, the way you cue the horse to speed up depends on your riding discipline, although the difference are subtle When you give cues, ask quietly first and increase the intensity if you don t get a response Each horse is different, and some are more responsive than others You may find that your cues to ask one horse to jog or trot may need to be louder than the same cue on another horse

When riding Western, you ask a horse to jog by gently squeezing the horse with your calves to go forward Maintain this pressure until she breaks into a jog After you feel the horse respond, relax your calves If the horse doesn t respond at first and continues to walk instead of jog, increase the pressure with your legs until you get a response, being careful not to lean forward as you do so continue to sit up straight You may need to use your voice to encourage the horse to jog For horses, clucking with your tongue is a signal to increase speed When asking the horse to jog, be sure your reins are loose and keep your body position in mind as the horse starts to move forward I describe correct body position at the jog later in this chapter

English riders ask a horse to trot using leg pressure Squeeze the horse into a trot with your calves and maintain this pressure until the horse begins trotting After the horse responds, relax your calves Be careful not to take your calves completely off the horse because you want to maintain some contact with your legs When asking the horse to trot in hunt seat or dressage, you should have some contact with the bit, which means you maintain a slight tension in the reins You can move your hands forward slightly to allow the horse to move on, but you don t want any swing in the reins Be careful not to pull back on the reins or raise your hands, which sends mixed messages if you re asking the horse to go forward

In hunt seat riding but not in dressage you can also use your voice to encourage the horse to trot if you don t get an immediate response to your leg You do this by clucking

In Western riding, the jog is a slow, collected (controlled) gait that shouldn t be too bouncy The slower the jog, the less bounce you get Figure 14-1 shows the jog in Western In correct position, riders are relaxed and sit deep in the saddle The reins are loose and the legs are relaxed at the horse s sides Read the following sections to discover how to position yourself correctly

Before you can tackle more speed and master the lope (see 15), you need to develop your body position at the jog Here s how to hold your body (refer to Figure 14-1): Even though the horse is moving faster than she is at a walk, your body should stay relaxed Keep yourself in the proper position without being stiff or unnatural Remember to sit deep Keep your weight on your seat bones and your pelvis relaxed Sit up straight, but don t sit like you have a board in your back Your shoulders should be relaxed, but don t slouch Make sure you aren t leaning to one side of the horse or another as the horse jogs Sit square in the saddle, using the saddle horn as a guide; the horn should be directly in front of you if you re sitting in the right spot Have your elbows relaxed at your sides, not sticking out and bouncing off your body Proper elbow position lets you remain balanced and gives you sufficient control of your hands Keeping your shoulders relaxed can help keep your elbows in the right place Because the horse is going faster, you may find yourself wanting to look down toward her ears To avoid losing your balance, keep your chin up and your eyes directed on where you re going