a go n a l s at the TROT Di by Janeen S. DeBoard, Understanding the diagonals at the trot is a simple but important skill for the rider to learn. To read more click to purchase this issue or subscribe. M any riders learn to rise (posting) easily enough, but never bother to learn the diagonals. They are either unaware that there is such a concept or else they think it is not important. This is unfortunate, for there are several reasons why learning to rise on the desired diagonal is a skill that should be acquired by every rider. When a horse trots, the diagonal legs move together in pairs. The right front and left hind legs strike the ground together for the first beat; the left front and right hind strike the ground together for the second beat. One-two, with a moment of suspension in between - ‘suspension’ being the time when all four of the horse’s feet are in the air. It is this moment of suspension that makes the trot a relatively rough gait. At the flat walk the horse merely steps from one foot to the next and has either two or three feet on the ground at all times. At the trot, however, the right diagonal comes down as the left diagonal rises. As the horse makes this change from one diagonal to the other, all four feet are off the ground. Rising (or posting) was developed as a way of avoiding the bounces at the trot. The rider does not simply jump up and down as the horse trots along, but rises with one diagonal or the other. If the rider is rising on the left diagonal, they rise when the left diagonal (left front and right hind) rises, and sit as it strikes the ground. As the rider reaches the peak of the rise the horse’s weight is on the near fore. A lighter seat as the rider starts the upward motion of the rise. The rider sits deep while the horse’s weight is on its off fore. The rider starts the downward movement in the suspension phase of the trot. August September 2013 - Page 46