English: Requesting a canter in .NET framework

Printer QR in .NET framework English: Requesting a canter

When riding hunt seat or dressage, ask a horse to canter by moving the inside rein (the rein closest to the center of the arena) slightly up, back, and out, all at the same time In hunt seat, your outside rein (the rein closest to the rail) should be slightly slack and the inside rein should be slightly taut As you move the inside rein, squeeze the horse with the calf of your outside leg, and maintain this pressure until the horse begins cantering After the horse responds, relax your leg You want to maintain some contact with your legs, so don t take your legs completely off the horse

In hunt seat riding but not in dressage you can also use your voice to encourage the horse to canter if you don t get an immediate response to your leg You do so by making a kissing noise

In Western riding, the lope is a slow, collected gait (well, it s slow compared to a faster English canter or a gallop, but it s still the second-fastest gait) In highly trained Western pleasure horses, the lope is almost as slow as a jog In the show ring, the lope is used in pleasure and horsemanship classes (see 22 for info on shows) It s also the gait of choice for riders competing in reining classes, where collection and sensitivity to the rider are paramount Figure 15-1 shows riding the lope in Western In correct position, riders have relaxed arms and a straight back, and they sit deep in the saddle The legs are relaxed as well, and the rider holds the rein hand just above the withers Read the following sections to discover how to position yourself correctly

You get some speed with the lope, but you should still be relaxed Maintain the following position (and refer back to Figure 15-1), but avoid becoming stiff If you stiffen up, you may bounce in the saddle instead of moving with the horse (if you really want to bounce, the jog may be your ideal gait see 14): When riding Western at the lope, sit deep in the saddle while also sitting tall Your weight should be on your seat bones Allow your body to rock gently with the movement of the horse Sit up straight but not straight as a ramrod 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 lopes Sit squarely in the saddle, using the saddle horn as a guide The horn should be directly in front of you Keep your elbows relaxed but at your sides Don t let your elbows stick out and flap in the wind Because the horse is going faster than he would at the trot, you may find yourself looking at the back of the horse s head Doing so affects your balance, so instead get in the habit of looking straight ahead at where you re going

At the walk or jog, you hold the reins about an inch or two over the horse s withers; however, when loping, you hold the reins even lower (refer to Figure 15-1) Your rein hand should be just in front of the pommel This placement gives the horse s head the freedom of movement it needs at the lope Regardless of whether you hold the reins in California or traditional style (see 13 for the scoop on holding reins), keep your other hand on the same-side thigh or hanging alongside your leg, completely relaxed, as you do at the slower gaits