Sitting at walk, balancing on the stirrups, rising trot and canter

At Galop 1, you learn three ways of sitting on a horse: sitting at walk, balanced on your stirrups, and at rising trot. They will take you all the way to your first strides of canter.

In the exam programme

Sit in a good position at the walk.Specific part
Stay balanced on the stirrups for a few strides at the walk and the trot.Specific part
Rise to the trot in rhythm on a simple track.Specific part
Canter a few strides.Specific part

Sitting at the walk

Upright, legs long, looking ahead.

In balance on the stirrups

Seat just above the saddle, leaning a little forward, stirrup leathers vertical, heels down, hands on the neck.

Rising trot

Lifted out of the saddle every other beat, hands low in front of the withers.

Fig. 1.14Sitting, balanced, rising trot

Sitting at walk

Sit in the middle of the saddle, on both seat bones, your weight shared equally left and right.
Sit tall: upper body upright but not stiff, shoulders relaxed, head up, eyes looking well ahead.
Let your legs hang down along the pony, calves in contact without gripping, heels a little lower than your toes.
Keep your hands in front of you, above the withers, elbows soft and close to your body.
Follow the movement: at walk, your pelvis is rocked from front to back. Don’t block it; let it go with the pony.

Balanced on the stirrups

This position — some instructors call it the light seat — takes weight off the pony’s back and prepares you for trot and canter. Push down into your stirrups to lift your seat slightly above the saddle, upper body leaning a little forward, back straight and your weight down in your heels. Knees and ankles stay supple, like springs. You are in the right place when your stirrup leathers stay vertical. Your hands rest on the neck, or hold a handful of mane or the neck strap, a strap round the neck for holding on to. Hold the position for a few strides at walk, then at trot.

Rising trot

At trot, the pony lifts you at every beat. At rising trot, you go with it only one beat in two: you let yourself be lifted out of the saddle, then sit gently on the next beat — up, down, up, down. It is more comfortable for you, and for his back.

Go into trotAt walk, use your legs and let your hands go forward. Wait until the pony is really trotting before you start to rise.
Let yourself be liftedLet the movement lift you, your weight on your stirrups, without hauling yourself up by the reins or the mane. A few centimetres are enough.
Keep the rhythmCount “one, two” under your breath and stay regular, over your feet, on the track as on wide curves.
Back to walkSit for a stride or two, sit tall and close your fingers.

Common mistake

Rising by pulling on the reins. They connect your hands to the pony’s mouth: if you hang on to them, it is his mouth that lifts you. Hold the neck strap or the mane instead while you find your balance.

In Galop 3, you will learn which diagonal to rise on, and why you change it.

Cantering a few strides

Canter comes once you are steady at rising trot and balanced on your stirrups. Usually your instructor has you canter on the track, somewhere safe, sometimes behind a quiet pony who leads the way, and explains how to ask for it. Get balanced on your stirrups, close to the saddle, one hand on the neck strap or in the mane, and look well ahead: let the rocking motion carry you. After a few strides, come back to trot by sitting tall and closing your fingers, then to walk.

Striking off into canter and keeping it going will be the work of Galop 2.

A word from the instructor

At first, rising trot feels like a conversation in which you always answer one beat too late. Take heart: the pony never loses the rhythm — all you have to do is follow him.

Ekidemy

The Galops^®, from the first step to Galop 7