Changing Diagonal?

Question

During lessons after we change direction in the arena she asks a coulpe of people to trot..When i trot shes always saying to "change my diagonal"i know it means the leg you post on but i dont understand how to change legs..my instructor tells me to sit a beat then rise again,but it doesnt help that much.any tips?

Answer 1

Look at your horses's front outside shoulder (closest to the rail or wall). When his/her outside leg rises ahead of the inside leg, you should be posting up. When the outside leg reaches back, you should sit. If the outside leg is reaching back when you are posting up, then you are on the wrong diagonal.

Over time, it will come naturally to you and you wont even have to think about it. And eventually you will be able to feel which diagonal you are on.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Well you know how you always go up down up down up ect. when you're posting? Well to change diagonals you just go up down down up down up down up down ect. There. You just changed diagonals. That's all you have to do.

Answer 3

When searching for the correct diagonal, look to your rail side and as the horse's rail foreleg moves forward, YOU post up.

A trot is actually a 3 beated gait, but in your case you're going to have to look down on your horse's left shoulder and as you see it moving forward, you move up.

When your trainer says "Sit a beat", she means just that so you're posting along on the WRONG diagonal and you hear, SIT a beat, so you go to post up, wait a moment then, post up.  That's sitting a beat.

Answer 4

Instead of just up, down, up, down, up, down do this:

Up, down, up, down, down, up, down, up...

Answer 5

well to change ur diagonal, go:

up, down, up, down, up, up, down, up, down, up, down, etc.

u could also go:

up, down, up, down, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, etc.

Answer 6

just when you sit then go up you just sit then sit again so you stand up when you used to sit. Stand when the leg closest to the fence is forward

Answer 7

My instructor always tells me "Rise and fall with the shoulder at the wall" I hope this helps its a little confusing though! And to change your diagonal sit for to beats, or go into two point for two beats [stand]

          Hope it helps!

Answer 8

its when you sit 2 beats...or think of it this way..."up down, up down, down up, down up"

or if you're on the wrong one, then you should be "up" when the outside foreleg is forward...just glance down and you'll get the hang of it

Answer 9

To change diagonals, you need to sit for two beats not one. So, if you are trotting: up, down, up down, up down

change: up, down, down, up, down

back to normal: up, down, up, down

You can also change by staying up for two beats.

change: up, down, up, up, down

but the sitting for two beats is usually preferred.

Answer 10

sit twice when they say change you diagonal. . . they are refering to:

up down up down. . . up when the outside front leg goes out and forward and down when the outside leg goes down and back. . .

so your posting along. . . up down up down. . . your instructor tells you to change diagonals you go : up, down down, up down up down. . . and your changed to the correct one.

you can also (it's harder but the same idea) go up down up down ..."change diagonal" up, up down. . . staying up for two bets of the horse's gate.  

to tell on your own, if you cant feel it, then glance down at the outside leg, when it goes forward you go up. . . now in shows you wont place if the judge sees you doing this because you should beable to tell with out looking. . . i'm not the greatest at it, but it just takes pratice.

Answer 11

when you change your diagonal, I would count 1,2 before you start posting again. this ensure you come up on the correct leg because you need to sit 2 strides of trot in order to change your rising.

Answer 12

So you want to be sitting when the front leg closest to the wall is on the ground, but when you change direction you will end up on the wrong diagonal unless you change it.  To change your diagonal, think of sitting for two beats then rising again.  Or think of sitting one beat longer that usual if that works better.  

Hope that helps!