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[RC] Endurance Equitation: The Rising Trot Part 1 - Duncan McLaughlin

Introduction

No-one wants to be an imposition to their horse. A
good, effective riding position is especially
important for endurance riders. Not because we are
worried about striking a pose and looking fabulous.
But because we want to minimize our riding burden and
allow our horses to travel cleanly and efficiently,
with the senses and reflexes of both horse and rider
intimately connected. 

This is what a good riding position allows. To improve
our riding, it is not enough to just try harder, no
matter how determined we are. Instead we should try
and understand some of the physical and biological
forces at work, and learn to harness these forces to
our advantage. So, let?s consider the rising trot; why
we do it, how we do it, and what we can do to make the
trot work to our advantage in training and in
competition.

The Trot

The trot is a diagonal gait in two-time: The left hind
and right fore (the right diagonal) move forward
together, then the right hind and left fore (the left
diagonal) move forward together. Between the passing
of each diagonal there is a moment of suspension where
all four feet are off the ground. 

Actually, the trot is not always strictly in two-time.
Superior performance horses display what is called
?positive dissociation?, where the movement of the
hind-leg precedes slightly the movement of the
diagonal foreleg. This is difficult to see with the
naked eye but is often apparent in photos and slow
motion video. We rise in the trot to cope with the
strong vertical forces produced during the moment of
suspension. For example, on the right diagonal we rise
as the right diagonal leaves the ground. We are at the
top of the rise and coming down as the left diagonal
leaves the ground. We sit briefly as the right
diagonal hits the ground and begin to rise again as it
leaves the ground. 

....



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