I've been doing some research lately into the etymology of words. I think there's a lot to be learned from studying the roots and origins of some everyday words. Looking at words through their roots is like making a pot of coffee with a filter- it's not absolutely necessary, but it does produce a purer result. Etymology removes the modern-day preconceptions that shroud the meaning of the word and helps you look at it in a clearer light.
Take trot, for instance. Trot is a grandson of the Old High German trotton, meaning "to tread". The verb was adopted by the Frankish and later evolved into the Old French verb troter, meaning "to go" and eventually "to trot". Eventually, the verb was shortened to become the noun form, trot.
I find that thinking of a trot in terms of a "tread" helps to remember the essential impulsion of the gait. The trot is so often neglected (except in dressage, where they take the trot very seriously), and I've seen so many horses who drag their feet or get lazy at the trot. This is almost always the rider's fault; they're too busy checking diagonals, looking toward cavaletta, and adjusting equitation to truly focus on the trot. It's a gait that's often treated as a "gimme" (especially on the lower levels) and when the rider stops paying attention, the horse almost always stops trying.
Whether you're trotting over ground poles, practicing the sitting trot, or simply warming up with a trot circle, your trot should be just as its root word implies; your horse should be literally treading the ground, not dragging their hooves or fighting to break into a canter. So take your trots seriously and let your horse tread. Because that's what a trot should be.
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A dressage trot. (Why yes, they do take their gaits seriously!)
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Ah, yes, we dressage riders are very particular about the trot--but I was also when I rode my hunter jumpers. As a matter of fact, I routinely jumped up to 3' fences from the trot, and often we used trotting poles to set the horse up for whatever gymnastic exercises we were doing.
ReplyDeleteThe trot is a great gait because it builds the horse's muscle. Canter is more for stamina.
I doubt my horse could make it over a 2 foot fence at the trot, much less a three footer, which further proves my point that (at least around here), we tend to overlook the gait. I might have to set a new goal for my training.
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