Rising high

Rising in trot and canter is all about lifting yourself out of the saddle in a rhythm to help your pony perform at his best. But how can it affect a pony’s way of going and how do you get it right? 

It can be tricky to get to grips with the skill of rising to the trot and canter because it requires lots of strength and balance, so you’ll need to put in plenty of practice. If you’re not used to it, you might feel like your leg muscles get tired and achy quickly, but keep working on it and you’ll soon develop the strength to ace it!

Top tip

Be careful not to hang onto your pony’s mouth and pull at the bit when rising out of the saddle as this will hurt him. If you’re feeling a bit wobbly, hold onto a neckstrap.

How to do rising trot?

As you rise, think about pushing up from your heels and through your legs to stand tall. Try to avoid tipping forward as this will put your pony off balance – keep your shoulders back and eyes up! 

Remember, when you sit down into the saddle do it as gently as possible so you don’t bump your pony’s back – you’ll need to keep the muscles in your legs and tummy engaged to help with this, rather than just flopping back down!  

Top tip

When getting used to the rhythm of trot, don’t worry about diagonals! It’ll become much easier to understand once you’ve nailed the basics of rising.

Did you know?

In the USA, rising trot is known as posting trot. 

Top tip

If you’re struggling to establish a good rhythm in your rising trot, try counting ‘one-two’ or saying ‘up-down’ out loud as you do it. 

Rising trot on the correct diagonal

Rising trot is something you learn at the very start of your riding journey. It requires you to move up and down out of the saddle in time with the pony’s two-beat trot rhythm. 

Ponies trot in diagonal pairs, which is where the term ‘correct diagonal’ comes from. If you’re on the correct diagonal, your pony will be able to stay in better balance, especially around turns and corners – when trotting, most of his power comes from his hindlegs and, on a corner, he takes more weight on his inside hindleg because his outside hindleg has to stretch further. So, to help your pony, you can take the weight off his inside hindleg by rising when he’s using it. 

Sound complicated? Don’t worry, it’s not as confusing as you might think! All you have to remember when you’re rising in trot is that your pony’s outside shoulder should be back as you sit in the saddle.  

If his outside shoulder is forward when you sit, you’re on the wrong diagonal and to correct it you simply need to sit for two beats – easy peasy! 

Top tip

When you don’t have to ride on a specific diagonal, such as when hacking along a bridleway, make sure you change up your diagonal to keep your pony’s muscles working evenly. 

Rising canter

Rising canter isn’t used as often, but it can be super helpful when establishing a good showjumping rhythm. Why not give it a go in your next jumping session and see if it makes a difference? 

When you rise to the canter, you stay seated in the saddle for one full stride, then stand for the next full stride and repeat – it’s that easy! 

If a pony is prone to rushing, rising canter is a great technique that you can use to help him settle into a more consistent rhythm. Plus, it can actually make your aids more effective – bonus! 

Did you know?

Lots of polo players like to use rising canter to help with their rhythm when aiming to hit a ball!