October Newsletter ~ equitation for gaited horse riders

Equitation for Gaited Horse Riders
Ariel Kent

Good equitation is based, not on a set of arbitrary "handed down" rules, but on time- tested effective methods riders have discovered work best to stay in balance with a horse to accomplish whatever job the two of them must do. For most gaited horses riders they are riding “on the flat” What most people don’t understand is that when you ride a trotting horse you have a very forward seat and your heels and back are vertical with each other. In gaited horses when you ride you still want to have a vertical line but you can sit about 5 to 10 degrees back. When you ride a trotting horse you should be leaning your torso forward slightly; when riding gaited horses you relax your torso and sit deeper in the saddle.
It was described by Xenophon on how to have an ideal seat was to have a vertical line running through your back but with a slight curve at the torso and a upright straight chest. Xenophon wrote this at a time when most ridden horses were gaited. While staying on is a "good thing," staying in balance with your horse, with your weight over the strongest part of his back is even more important. This position, if used in a well-designed saddle that is placed correctly on the horse's back, puts the rider's weight just behind the withers at the strongest part of the horse's back, the place where he is most able to carry weight without effort, and it also aligns the rider's center of gravity with that of the horse, so that the two can work together as one unit. With your weight and body carried in this "equitation sweet spot" you can stay with your horse, and influence the way he carries himself and uses his back, critical aspects of helping him work at his best in gait.
What you will often see on gaited horse riders is the “chair seat” The chair seat is exactly what the name implies, the sort of seat you have when you are sitting on a chair, knees bent, feet well in front of your hips. If the chair vanished, you would fall on your behind on the floor! This unbalanced seat can happen for several reasons - the rider does not have enough elasticity in her hip sockets to reach down and back with her upper leg, her saddle throws her into that position, her stirrups are a tad short, she is trying to force her heels down, or she is sitting that way on purpose in the mistaken belief that she must do so to get her horse to work in gait. People use the “chair seat” because its easy. A person with poor body condition, tight leg muscles, and stiff hips will find it much easier to sit in a chair seat than to stretch his legs down around his horse's back. - It makes it easy to put your heels down, a precept that is often pounded into rider's heads with explanation other than it is just "done that way". - Many saddles are built to encourage this seat and are often bought because they are comfortable for the rider. Lane Fox cut back saddles, western saddles with build up pommels, some plantation style saddles, some "all purpose" English saddles are designed to put the rider's legs in front of his hips, feet on the "dashboard" and practically guarantee a chair seat. - It throws the rider's weight toward the loin of the horse's back, encouraging ventroflexion and making a horse more likely to work in one of the ventroflexed gaits, such as the rack, saddle rack or stepping pace, or incline him to high action in the front legs in other gaits, a desirable trait in some trotting horses.

You can sometimes see people riding in "equitation" classes, on horses with relatively low head carriage, madly "equitating" with their hands held high, well above belt level. You will also often see this high hand position in performance classes, for all breeds, not just those shown in saddle seat style. Sometimes you see the "begging puppy" look, where the hands are dropped down from a high held wrist, further interfering with the straight line from elbow to mouth. This is wrong because it breaks the straight line of communication between the horse's mouth and the rider's hand, puts stress on the rider's elbow and wrist, and can encourage the horse to lug on the rein or become heavy in hand. In addition, frankly, it looks ridiculous, and is not much use in asking the horse to raise his head (if that is the goal) or in presenting a finished appearance for the rider on a low headed horse. A hand and forearm, held in a straight line between the elbow and the horse's mouth, offers the best alternative. Again, this position provides a direct, simple, and less fatiguing means of communication with the horse's mouth. If the horse's head and neck need to be held higher to enhance his gait, the better method for achieving that position is not by trying to lift them somehow with exaggeratedly high hands, but through light upward vibrations of the fingers on the reins, while pushing the horse's entire body into a position that favors a higher head carriage. The head and neck will rise as the hindquarters lower and the front legs become lighter.


Hope you enjoyed this months article!

I have started a channel on YouTube. You can find me as HorseReprt and I have start making videos on gaited horse training and handling.

http://www.youtube.com/user/HorseReport
http://gaitedrides.blogspot.com/