Alright, so I know what a diagonal is and how to describe what the rider should look for in the horse's shoulder to know if they have the right one or not BUT I've hit a road block.
I was going over the concept with some of my students yesterday (they are in 2nd and 3rd grade, but both great riders) and while they totally grasped it we hit a snag when I asked them to look down and tell me if they were on the correct diagonal or not. They're former trainer (this is my second week with them, former trainer quit) told them to never look down when riding. I totally get this, but what is a good way to explain to these girls that in this instance it's ok to glance down? Is there another way to check for a rider to be sure they're on the correct diagonal without looking down that I never learned about? I was always taught to just glance downward.
They both are great about not staring down while riding and I don't want to ruin this by asking them to check for diagonals if there is another way.
I was going over the concept with some of my students yesterday (they are in 2nd and 3rd grade, but both great riders) and while they totally grasped it we hit a snag when I asked them to look down and tell me if they were on the correct diagonal or not. They're former trainer (this is my second week with them, former trainer quit) told them to never look down when riding. I totally get this, but what is a good way to explain to these girls that in this instance it's ok to glance down? Is there another way to check for a rider to be sure they're on the correct diagonal without looking down that I never learned about? I was always taught to just glance downward.
They both are great about not staring down while riding and I don't want to ruin this by asking them to check for diagonals if there is another way.