# Any tips for the Gallop?



## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

do you ride english or western ?

when you gallop your butt should be out of the tack. if you are sitting down on their back you interfere with their movement & will make it harder for them to gallop. also make sure you are giving them some extra rein & maybe grab the mane to make sure you arent accidentally pulling back on them.


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## ilovemyPhillip (Apr 4, 2009)

_^Agreed^

I ride English, and usually gallop on my pony. I go into two-point/jumping position. I still grab mane and try to perfect my position at this faster gait. It's hard to nail, don't expect to get it right away.
_


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## Cowgirl140ty (Jan 7, 2010)

My horses will not gallop unless im "off their back". In other words... Standing in my stirrups, leaning foward. 
And depending on how the horse is trained.... my horses move off leg pressure... so you cant just grip them with your legs.


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## IheartPheobe (Feb 15, 2009)

You're not supposed to stay in your tack  get into two point (not jumping position, two point/half seat  ) and yeah, grab some mane!! Good luck!


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## ilovemyPhillip (Apr 4, 2009)

_My trainer just calls it "jumping position". My old trainer called it two-point... So I figured it was the same, or close-to the same thing. (;_


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## Rute (Jan 21, 2010)

Aaah, I see, I see. o.o Thanks everyone for their advice.

By the way, I ride English. *nod*

But now I'm wondering if what we call gallop is what you consider gallop.
Because well, you either call gallop something different, or my teacher is waaay off. 

I know the jumping position, we've trained it a few times at a trot to get us to it, but what my teacher tells me to do is definitely NOT the jumping position. o.o
She tells me I MUST be sitting, with my shoulders back.
x.x Perhaps it's what you call the canter? I said gallop because we call it "galope", I kind of...assumed.

But after looking it up on google and looking at a webpage talking about the canter...I think THAT's what we're doing...

D: Sorry for the mix up, everyone! Difference in languages can be a pain.


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## Lonestar22 (May 22, 2009)

I'm pretty sur e you mean the canter. It's like a rocking horse motion. A 3 beat gait. You would reman sitting at the canter. You'll lean slightly foward. Keep your butt firm and dont grip alot with your legs. They should be more relaxed.


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## Rute (Jan 21, 2010)

Yeah, I think that's it!
Again, sorry for the mix up. (Hey, on the bright side, I won't forget the tips you gave me for the actual gallop. xD I'll be a bit more prepared when that comes along.)

So I should try to keep my legs relaxed. *nod* Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks! :3


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Sitting the canter can be quite difficult to learn, especially depending on the gaits of your horse. I've been riding my entire 24 years of life, and I still have difficulty with it when I'm riding English on a choppier horse.

The tips for galloping can actually extend to the canter as well - you need strong legs, but it's typically quite easier to do jumping position/two-point the first few times you canter just so you can get used to the feeling of it without fighting to keep from bouncing. Obviously you need a very strong jumping position at the walk and trot first, but this is the advice I extend to most beginner riders and they seem to find it easier in the beginning to be out of the saddle.

Good luck!


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## Becca93 (Jan 22, 2009)

Depending on the horse, I come out of the saddle when I canter. For the sake of the horse and my backside. The horse I ride quite regularly is actually very difficult to stay in the saddle, so I generally lift my butt every so slightly out of the saddle if its only a short canter.


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## Rute (Jan 21, 2010)

Thanks very much for the tips, everyone. :3

I had a class about an hour age, and...well, I couldn't stay at canter for more than a few seconds at a time, but I think it went a little bit better than last time. xDD


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## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

Rute
You are writing to an American Forum - where let us say half of the readers ride Western and half "English". Your choice of words doesn't indicate whether your are Portuguese or a native English speaker living in Portugal.
Portuguesse riding traditions are slightly different from those in Northern Europe and the gait of Lusitano horses is somewhat exagerated. Portuguese dressage follows slightly different traditions. I have ridden in Spain but never in Portugal but I believe the traditions are very similar - both having connections to the bull ring. 

I see that in Iberia, the rider is taught to sit to the canter with back upright - I have watched Spainish riders gallop ie fast canter in the same seating position. To an Englishman, the Iberian way is known here as "The Classical" way. As an older Englishman I was not taught that way. 
I was taught to gallop in the "forward" seat - ie I sit at the canter but I rise at the gallop and lean forwards with my weight in the stirrups and ideally focussed over the horse's centre of gravity. But as others have said maybe "galope" is to canter not to gallop.
If you are riding in a riding centre then you must listen to your instructor and ask him or her as to what is the correct position for you and your locally trained horse. We can perhaps advise you how to do it our way - but you must first learn to do it the local way - there are many systems of riding.

In America Clint Eastwood rode in his Western films in a style very similar to what I have seen in Spain. To my eye he was a very stylish rider - no doubt he still is.

Maybe you could tells us about what it is like to ride in Portugal!
How long have you been riding?
What is the breed and description of the horse?
What does the saddle look like?
How are you taught?
Where do you ride?
Do you go to the bull fight?
Have you ever heard of Snr D'Oliveira?

Barry G


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## HorseWhisperer (Feb 4, 2010)

*get your balance*

Before you try to gallop concentrate on your sitting trot and canter to improve your seat and balance as balance is very important in the gallop. when you try your sitting trot don't grip with your knees or tense your hips just stretch down your legs and look forward if you still feel like your going to slide off then with one hand hold onto the mane or neck strap to help balance yourself. When you try to gallop again be like a jockey stand up in your stirrups and leap forward but not to much or you may fall over your horses ears. If it helps hold onto the horses mane to help your balance and let your arms go with the horses neck and make sure that your legs don't stiffen up to much or you wont be able to go with the horses movements. Don't look down just look forward and have fun don't be scared to stand up i n your stirrups in gallop i was but when i did it it was fantastic !!


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## Diamond (Feb 7, 2010)

sometimes so that i can stay sitting i adjust my sturrups lower so my legs can be pully able to grip the saddle.


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