Lesson 6: Basics of the Trot
Two-point: What it is, and what it's used for
Two-point is the position used to jump fences, and it is also a ‘safety’ position if the horse is going too fast. Why? Because only two points of the rider’s body, the legs, are against the horse. As long as the rider has his heels below the stirrup iron, his eyes up, and perhaps a little mane in one hand along with the reins, it is relatively safe because the extreme movement of the horse’s back at a very fast speed cannot bump the rider’s buttocks off the saddle.
How to ride in two-point
First, be sure you are stretching the backs of your legs down so that your heels drop below the stirrup irons.
Next, get your eyes lifted to scan the horizon.
Reach out with both hands, retaining the reins, and grab some mane with one or both about five inches in front of the withers.
Keep your back flat and your heels down.
Next, square your shoulders, tighten your abdominal muscles, tilt the top of your hips forward while lifting your buttocks out of the saddle without straightening your legs. You may have to scoot your buttocks backward just slightly to lift them without straightening your legs.
Keep your calves firmly against the saddle as you do this.
Now, you should feel exactly as if you were going to leap another player in a child’s game of leapfrog. You should feel as if you could push yourself off over the back of the leapfrog player you’re leaping….if you only brought your buttocks forward a bit. But don’t. The position you are seeking is the one you would be in at the ‘moment of perfect perch’ with your hands on the other player’s back in a game of leapfrog. If your torso is so stretched out, and your arms and legs so straight that you wouldn’t have enough leverage to ‘leapfrog,’ bring your hands a bit closer to your body.
If, on the other hand, your hands are so far under your torso that a stiff breeze could topple you right over them, they are too close to the saddle; move them out a bit.
Everyone’s anatomy is different. Some of us have short torsos and long arms, or vice versa. So you may have to experiment a bit to find that perfect leapfrog position. You’ll know when you’ve found it because, once your legs are stable—and they probably are not yet—you’ll be able to take your hands off the horse’s mane completely, even hold them out to your sides, without losing your two-point position.
The next trick is asking the horse to walk forward while you are in two-point. No problem. Just squeeze with your legs as you would at the seated walk, keep hold of the mane and your eyes on the horizon, and walk. Your reins are probably looping down and not useful to halt the horse. That’s all right. You can either shorten them so you could halt the horse in two-point, or simply sit back down—gently—if you want him to stop.
Practice the two-point position first while halted and then while walking until you are comfortable and effective in it. You may need it when you begin to trot.
