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?

Master the skill

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!

How?

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!

Did you know?

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

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.

Discover more tips on how  to ace rising trot and canter in September PONY – out now!