Holding the reins in .NET

Generation QR-Code in .NET Holding the reins

In hunt seat, you hold the reins in two hands Close your fingers in a relaxed fist, with the reins going between your thumb and your index finger and coming out between your pinky and ring fingers before going to the bit Hold your hands 2 to 3 inches apart from each other, about 2 inches above the horse s withers, which is a bit lower than where you d hold them at the walk This position gives the horse more room to extend her neck as she trots Your hands are also forward on the horse s neck to allow freedom of movement for the horse s head Keep slight tension in the reins

When riding the trot, your leg position is the same as at the walk In other words, the calf should rest just behind the girth (see 8 for saddle info) The balls of your feet should rest in the stirrup, and your heels should be down Your toes should point forward so each foot is at a slight outward angle of about 15 degrees As with the walk at hunt seat, a good way to judge how much pressure your knees should apply is to imagine a sponge between the inside of your knee and the saddle You want to keep the sponge in place without squeezing any water out of it Your calves should have contact with the horse s sides as they do at the walk, with just slight pressure to support the horse at the trot This pressure also helps you keep your legs in position, which can be more difficult to do at the trot

When the horse is trotting in hunt seat, you can either post or sit, as I explain in the following sections Posting to move with the horse is easier, and it s best used when you re asking the horse for an extended (longer-strided) trot You can sit the trot when you re asking the horse for a more collected (shorter-strided) trot

Whether you re posting or sitting the trot, pay attention to your legs Make sure they don t slide forward or backward They should stay just behind the girth

When you re posting the trot, bouncing does have its advantages With each trotting stride, one side of the horse s back rounds as the other flattens As one front leg moves forward and that side of the horse s back rises, you can get a nice lift right out of the saddle When that side flattens out, you make your (gentle) landing To post, follow these steps (see Figure 14-2): 1 Place your weight in the stirrup irons and let yourself to be lifted up out of the saddle as one side of the horse s back rounds As the horse trots, the sides of the horse s back alternately round and flatten, and the movement can help push you up out of the saddle Allow yourself to rise in rhythm with the horse s gait 2 On the next stride, lower your seat back into the saddle as that side of the horse s back flattens Don t drop your weight; rather, gently lower yourself until the horse s back rounds again and pushes you up

Knowing when to rise and when to sit when posting takes practice You can learn the basics of knowing your diagonals by looking down at the horse s shoulders to see which front leg is moving forward and which is moving back (the term diagonal comes from the fact that at the trot, the horse s legs move in diagonal pairs) When the horse s outside foreleg, the one along the rail, is forward (you know because the shoulder appears forward from your vantage point in the saddle), that side of the horse s back is rounded That s when you should rise If you need help, count out one-two, one-two as you ride in rhythm with the trot Sit down on the one, when the inside leg is forward, and allow yourself to be lifted out of the saddle on the two In arena riding, you should rise out of the saddle only on the correct diagonal, when the outside leg is forward Posting on the correct diagonal helps the horse balance as she turns around the corners of the arena; she can bear your weight better when moving on a curve or while circling If you rise out of the saddle when the horse s outside leg is forward, your weight is off the horse s back when her inside hind leg pushes all her weight forward, and that s a good thing When showing in certain hunt seat classes (and in dressage as well), the judge will mark you down if you re on the wrong diagonal