Is gray tack acceptable for lower levels

[yaya]

Actually, DR117.7 does define the correct diagonal in rising trot.

7. When rising trot is permitted in a test or class, the rider should change the diagonal when changing directions, except during a lengthening. The correct diagonal is considered to be when the rider is sitting when the outside front foot and inside hind foot are on the ground. In general, rising on the outside diagonal correctly influences the horse’s balance in movements other than straight lines. A change of direction in rising trot implies a change of diag- onal, but it is up to the rider to determine where that change should occur. If no change is made, there is no error and no deduction is made unless the balance of the horse is adversely affected, as it might be, for example, in a turn, circle or leg yield. In that case, the movement is judged accordingly and the collective marks for “Submission (Willing Cooperation)” and “Effective Use of the Aids” could be negatively impacted.

[poltroon]

Biothane is legal for a dressage bridle but I can’t think of a case where I’ve ever seen a dressage legal biothane bridle in any color but brown or black. The other colors they usually sell to trail and endurance riders, and those riders usually prefer a less traditional bridle style. So, you might have a grey one, but I would expect a judge to look at it funny if it’s a legal style and to potentially disqualify you if it is the style with a halter or has any components attached with snaps rather than buckles.

[Posting_Trot]

Based on the rule cited above, does that mean that the “correct” diagonal in dressage is different from the correct diagonal in H-J?

[poltroon]

@Posting_Trot

Based on the rule cited above, does that mean that the “correct” diagonal in dressage is different from the correct diagonal in H-J?

No, it’s exactly the same.

[Posting_Trot]

okay, I just misread it.

[alibi_18]

@yaya

there is no error and no deduction is made unless the balance of the horse is adversely affected,

Like Janet says, there are two schools of thought which one is described in the US rule book.

Yet, as long as the rider is not affecting the horse’s way of going, it doesn’t matter what diagonal the rider is posting on.

[Scribbler]

I understand that the diagonal does affect the trot on a circle or corner. Obviously when you are going in a straight line, not. I’ve also been told to post on the “wrong” diagonal for teaching shoulder in, but always preferred to sit.

I would be very surprised to see someone showing dressage who was not able to post the “correct” diagonal. Of course you only post in Training and First Level. After that you have to sit.

Being conscious and deliberate about posting diagonal and being able to feel it is a very basic building block in feeling much more subtle things under saddle.

[soloudinhere]

Worth noting though that you must post when the movement calls for it, eg you cannot sit the stretchy circle. A lot of green horses do much better if you post the lengthenings as well.

[Dutchmare433]

@soloudinhere

Worth noting though that you must post when the movement calls for it, eg you cannot sit the stretchy circle. A lot of green horses do much better if you post the lengthenings as well.

Correct. And really, if you’re sitting the trot at training (and first) you’d better be darn good at it and helping the horse by doing so. You will get comments suggesting posting if not.

[eightpondfarm]

50 years of riding, and a solid 20 of them were mostly just jump-on-and-ride-bareback have given me a pretty decent seat. Which is sort of why i am rusty and uncertain about posting. In my formative years i took lessons and showed equitation. It’s been years since i’ve practiced in a ring…and out on the farm, well…frankly, there is no such thing as ‘correct diagonal’, lol. You switch a beat when you feel they’ve been going long enough on the current one. (Or up-it to a canter which is more likely to occur, esp bareback.)

[Scribbler]

If you want to learn a specific discipline there will be many, many things that are different from how we ride when we just jump on bareback. I agree that riding bareback while young gives you a great foundation of balance and confidence. However it can also create posture habits that don’t translate well to riding in a saddle.

If you want to do dressage, listen to your coach and practice what your coach tells you. And yes you need to post the correct diagonal in lower level dressage tests. If that’s challenging for you go practice on your own. Practice until you can feel which diagonal you are on.

This is just the start of the precision of feel you will need. Soon you will need to be able to feel which leg is on the ground and which is lifting to give correct aids for all kinds of moves at all gaits. If you can’t feel which diagonal you are on, I doubt you can feel when to give the correct aid for say trot shoulder in.

You are in dressage lessons because you want a challenge, hopefully, and you want to refine your riding as much as possible. Dressage is much more fine tuned than hunt seat equitation.

No point saying “but I didn’t do it this way when I was fearless and 15!” That was then this is now and this is dressage.

Learn to feel the diagonal. It’s just the very start of what you need to be able to feel.

[outerbanks77]

Everything Scribbler says. Posting is very relevant, because it influences the horse, including which diagonal you are on, how you sit down into the saddle, your balance as you rise, and how you apply the aids in combination with the posting. Being aware of your diagonal really is the start of understanding where the feet are, so you can influence the correct leg at the correct time (in the air or on the ground). This all applies even though there is not a technically “right” or “wrong” diagonal in dressage. However, the outside diagonal is generally the default; it can be useful to use the inside diagonal to help with timing of applying the leg yield aids, or preparing for a canter transition, for example (but I wouldn’t change for these reasons in a test).

[eightpondfarm]

had another lesson and my diagonals weren’t wrong. I asked my coach each time and she got exasperated and said that when i did something wrong, i’d hear about it. so, lol…i had to just shut up about asking. What i do is sit the first couple of beats until it seems right to go up and then i do. Perhaps it’s just muscle memory? Perhaps all those very strict riding instructors i had as a child pounded it deep into my brain…dunno. Hoping other intricacies will appear out of the woodwork for me.

[Scribbler]

I am not surprised that you can pick up the correct diagonal, and my guess is that the moment you start focusing on it, you will be able to feel the lead in canter as well (or maybe that’s not an issue at all!).

It’s not so much being able to pick up the “correct” diagonal or lead, but rather being able to pick up the desired diagonal or lead. Later on you will train your horse to counter canter (outside lead, bent to outside) as well as take the “true” canter on an inside bend. And you may post the inside diagonal when you start trot shoulder in. Etc.

IME it’s standard in dressage to sit the first few trot steps then post. When I did hunter jumper lessons they wanted me posting on the correct diagonal on the first step of trot. I can do either, but the dressage model focuses on getting a good trot first before posting.

[endlessclimb]

I can post immediately on one diagonal, the other I have to sit a few to get the swing of the hips then I can get it. I bet I could whittle that down to just one step if I really tried. I never knew it mattered in HJ land, honestly.

[eightpondfarm]

@Scribbler

and my guess is that the moment you start focusing on it, you will be able to feel the lead in canter as well (or maybe that’s not an issue at all!).

i’m not cantering yet. we JUST started trotting actually. my mare (who was just green broke) and i worked only at a walk for many many lessons. I’m happy concentrating at a walk though. First, i can hear coach’s instructions in time to implement…and even then i am sometimes slow understanding what she wants me to do. And then, my mare is also slow at understanding what i am asking. So walk works great for us. We are not doing shoulder in. But we ARE doing that thing where we walk down a quarter-line and laterally walk to the rail. My mare LOVES to do that …she just loves it. We are doing turn on the fore and haunch also. All at walk. Our trots are maybe only 1/3 of a 20m circle than transition to walk. Coach says our transitions are spot0n. So are our stops. we get nice square stops. LOL…i’ve begun practicing a salute. OH!!! i have a question about that. I almost always ride with my whip in my right hand… Can you salute with your whip? Or should i be practicing holding reins in right hand and dropping down my left. (my mare is always impatient to GO!!!, so stops need practicing as much as any other maneuver it seems lol(

[Scribbler]

I don’t typically ride with a whip these days.

I have been taught to switch the whip into the inside hand when you change direction, but I don’t think people do that in a dressage test! There is however a kind of baton drum majorette move you can do to flip the whip from hand to hand.

You can just salute the judge by nodding or bowing deeply, both hands can stay on the reins.

It makes sense you aren’t cantering yet in dressage training and lessons. Do you not canter outside of lessons on one of your other horses? No big deal if you don’t.

[joiedevie99]

You should salute with whichever hand isn’t holding the whip. Judge won’t care whether it’s left or right. The hand that is holding the whip should stay on the reins. If you absolutely need to keep both hands on the reins for some reason, you can just bow your head.

Some people have it so ingrained that they salute with the right, that when they are riding with the whip in the right, they will pinch the top of the whip with the left thumb and pointer finger, drop the right hand to salute, and then take back the reins and the whip. But no reason to learn this complicated way from the get go.

[SillyHorse]

@Scribbler

You can just salute the judge by nodding or bowing deeply, both hands can stay on the reins.

@joiedevie99

If you absolutely need to keep both hands on the reins for some reason, you can just bow your head.

The rules state otherwise. “Apart from the halt and salute, where the athlete must take the reins in one hand, riding with the reins in both hands is obligatory in Dressage classes…” You are risking an error if you salute with both hands on the reins.

[joiedevie99]

@SillyHorse

You are risking an error if you salute with both hands on the reins

Thanks! I never knew that. I’ve seen my trainer do it on babies and she never gets penalized - but she’s obviously just lucky!