How To Position Your Horse To A Gallop

We're now going to look at how you get your
horse to move up a transition from canter to gallop. Now, gallop is something that should
not be done by novice riders, and can be incredibly dangerous if not done in a controlled way.
If you are in any way unsure about your canter, you should not move up into a gallop. Galloping should also never be done in an
arena. A horse needs a lot of room to get up to speed, but he also needs a lot of room
to slow down.

So, it should be done, maybe on a slight hill or in a field. First of all, you ask the horse to canter.
Then, when you're in the canter position, you need to come off the horse's back to enable
him to move faster. Jennifer is now going to show us a light seat, or a jumping position,
that is necessary for the horse to go forward into a gallop. From this position, she is holding her own
weight off the back of the horse, her arms are in a position where she can move them
forwards and backwards with the horse's head's movements, because in the gallop, he needs
to stretch his head and neck forwards.

In this position she is perfectly in balance.
She's shortened up the reigns so she still in control. If in an emergency, she needs to slow down,
she then can use her body weight to sit back down on the horse and ask him to slow down.
Galloping, as I've already said, is not recommended for novices. It's not something that should
be done often, as it puts a lot of stress and strain on a horse's legs. Galloping should only be done on sensible
horses in a place where you know that you can be in control.

Another good tip is never
to gallop towards home. This can teach a horse bad manners, and if you do become out of control,
they will take you home all on their own. Jennifer is now showing us, in the canter,
the position you need to be in when galloping a horse. As we are in the arena, we are not
going to ask Chester to go any faster, as this would become unsafe and he may damage
himself.

So Jennifer is just showing us the light seat, two point, or jumping position
needed to encourage a horse to go faster in the gallop. As you can see, she is still keeping the reign
contact. She is looking up and keeping her body posture. She is perfectly in balance
with the horse, and she is not impeding his natural balance, so Chester is free to move
forward.

If she wanted to make him to go any faster,
she is in the perfect position to do so. ..