Our mission is to teach you how to gallop. I've prefected a method with which I've taught everybody so far, in 30 minutes, the basics of sitting gallop. When I remember the method I was taught to gallop, which I never managed to understand (not the gallop but the method itself). I'd love to describe it here, but I'm kinda jealous of that method...
To briefly explain, there is an exercise during which the hips move properly on their own. The rider's task is to notice those movements and learns to perform them in all body positions. When you are tilted back, the hips move just the right way and you just need to feel that. By tilting your body forward, you need to move your hips actively so there wouldn't be a second of detachment from the saddle. When you learn that and keep your heels down at the same time, you've learned to gallop on a horse. We stick to the horse, like a centaur…
When riders learn the basics of sitting gallop, the proverbial light bulb goes on, it's a true Zen-moment. We are all proud, they for managing to stay alive and being so smart to pick me as their riding instructor, and I for writing the web-pages the way the sheepish people decided to go to other riding schools.
After a few classes of galloping on the meadow, we move on to galloping on different terrains. Everybody's favorite is „the snake“, when I ride in constant short turns ane they follow me and manage to shift their position in every turn. For the more advanced, there is a forest trail, long and spiry with many little up and downslopes, where we gallop at a meter of distance from the trees. For the most advanced riders, there's a forest where we gallop, at a slow pace, between centennial oaks.
Altough you believe you know how to gallop after the first few classes, to truly understand sitting gallop, you must know how to gallop different horses. While riding arab horses, hips form a circle. To ride ahkal-teke or an english thoroughbred, your hips must form more of an ellipse. Every horse is special that way.
The girl in a photo is riding her first gallop, with heels raised which is a mistake, but there will be time to correct that later because, for now, it's important to notice the right hip movements.
And a note in the end. Too many riders reach a certain riding level and stop bothering with little things. Don't forget that man has yet to invent a vehicle that could outmatch a horse in the first 10-20 meters. In some situations, it's necessary to have everything on your side to avoid the fall. Regular riding movements and boy position, optimum body weight and fitness.
