# Help with diagonals



## VelvetsAB (Aug 11, 2010)

_When you are riding in an arena, the leg closest to the fence or wall is the outside leg. So when the left side of the horse is against the fence/wall, its your left, and when the right side of the horse is against the wall, its your right. _


_Do you mean you are just riding around the middle of nowhere, and not in a ring at all? Then it doesn't matter what side you make the outside. _

_But if you are in a ring and riding a straight line, you still have an outside leg._


_Diagonals are for the posting trot. You want to rise when your horses outside leg goes forward, and sit down when it comes back._


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## Sapphire (May 31, 2011)

Diagonals come into play when doing a rising trot. In short, you should sit in the saddle as the horse's inside leg (the one furthest from the outside of the arena) goes forward and rise when the inside leg comes back.


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## serafina (May 5, 2011)

+1 on both of the above, but maybe a little addendum to Velvet. I think the diagonal comes in whenever you're doing rising trot and you turn - so you don't need to be in a ring, as soon as you start making loops, circles, or turns you need to be concerned about your diagonal. 

If you are not on the proper diagonal going through a turn at the rising trot, it does something a little funky to your balance and makes it harder for the horse to turn the corner. That is why it is important to be on the "right" one.

I have been learning the rising trot and working a lot with diagonals lately - and I can feel that I'm on the right or wrong one as soon as I go into a turn. At first, it just felt kind of unbalanced. Now I understand it better - with the help of the Happy Horse Forum people and some input from my trainer and a good amount of practice. When you're on the wrong diagonal going through a turn, you'll find yourself bouncing a little to the outside of the turn - if you are on the proper diagonal, you'll bounce a little to the inside of the turn. So if you are making a turn to the left, and you find yourself bobbling a little to the right as you come up into the rising trot, you're on the wrong diagonal.

PS I think it is better to learn to feel them, because as soon as you look down to check whether you're coming up at the same time as the outside leg, you've taken your eyes off what's going on in front of you. It's like needing to look at the steering wheel of the car instead of just feeling it and steering the way you want to go.


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## Ozilbaz (Jun 18, 2011)

oh now i understand  thanks a lot guys  

yeah serafina you are right  i do feel when its wrong or right  if i do a circle im okay with the diagonals  but when i do serpentine sometime its no good then i feel kind of unbalanced  

but i'll work on that  

thank you


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## serafina (May 5, 2011)

It sounds like I am just one step ahead of you - learning serpentines as well.

The key with the serpentine is to remember to change your diagonals half-way across the ring. So...assuming you pick up the correct diagonal for the first curve, now you're headed back in the same direction you just came for the second curve, right? When you get to the middle of the ring - BEFORE - you look around the curve to start it - you sit for a stride and start posting again so you are now on the proper diagonal for the upcoming curve. I do a serpentine that has 3 curves to it (like an "S" with an extra turn at the bottom) and need to change diagonals 2 times during that process.

I think this is an important reason why we *do* serpentines - it's partly control of the horse at the trot, but it seems to be at least as much about ingraining the need to change diagonals when you change direction.


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## Ozilbaz (Jun 18, 2011)

yeah i think we are doing the same thing  koz my serpentine i like an 8 with a zero added under it so you get something like a three circles koz i do it both way at the same go  
but i havent tried what you told me  i'll sit for a stride and see what it gives  

i have even started sitting trot without the stirrups  but it was hard :/


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## serafina (May 5, 2011)

Yeah - we're definitely at the same place... I sit the trot now for a few paces before asking my horse to down-shift into a walk. And I've sat the trot around the ring, but that was one bumpy ride! I am sure there is a way to do it that is more comfortable, because I think that dressage riders have to sit the trot instead of posting it - and they look GOOD doing it. Much better than I do!

Is your trainer teaching you how to go into half-seat? (Some people call this 2-point)


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## Ozilbaz (Jun 18, 2011)

yeah i can trot pretty well sitting with stirrups  it depends on the horse also there is one horse i can do it much better  but the sitting trot without stirrups thats hard i feel like i'll fall 

hmmmm never heard of that :S my teacher does not use the technical words too much with me maybe if you explain me i'll know lol


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## serafina (May 5, 2011)

On the half-seat, you get your weight out of the saddle - your seat is hovering above the saddle, but not touching it. It really challenges your balance on the horse, because you're having to keep your center of gravity over the horse's center of gravity, but without the assistance of the saddle. 

It's the position that you would be in if you wanted to take a jump, but you can do it at any pace - trotting in the half-seat is actually a lot of fun.


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## Ozilbaz (Jun 18, 2011)

oh no i havent do that yet  but im going to try even if my teacher dont ask me  i hope she doesnt notice  

i want to canterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :'(


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

There is an old saying and I am sure most have heard it "Rise & fall with the leg to the wall". When I first starting riding english a few decades ago, and the instructor said this, it was like "huh, which leg to the wall, and I gotta fall somewhere?" I learned to cheat, look down at the horse's outside shoulder, when it goes forward, you rise up. Even after all these years, I have to slightly cheat for the right diagonal, left one I can tell.


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## Ozilbaz (Jun 18, 2011)

ooooh i see  im going to experience that this saturday  and i'll give a feedback  thanks for the saying


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## jinxremoving (Apr 6, 2009)

I've seen that YouTube video posted a few times around here, it's an excellent example of posting on the correct diagonal complete with slow motion.


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## Ozilbaz (Jun 18, 2011)

yeah i got it now  geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee what a beautiful horse


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## JustAwesome (Jun 22, 2011)

Would love to see a video where the rider doesn't out rise the trot.. but anyway!

When you rise the outside leg goes forward, when you sit the inside leg goes forward, When you change direction you sit two and start rising again 

Which leg you rise up to effects your weight, if a young horse is drifting to the outside if you change your rising (so when you rise up the inside leg goes forward) it actually changes your weight to the inside helping the horse balance, once balanced and not drifting you simply change back!

Very useful tip, works absolute wonders! This is where riding with your seat and legs comes into effect!


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## Ozilbaz (Jun 18, 2011)

how about my own video??? see if my diagonals is right????


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## JustAwesome (Jun 22, 2011)

I only watched you go one way and then the other and it was correct both ways


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## Ozilbaz (Jun 18, 2011)

oh yyessssssssss  but my problem is with the serpentine however now i know that i should sit for two beats then start rising again


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