Selecting a Riding Discipline

 In This Chapter

• Getting to know the most common riding disciplines
• Looking at other interesting riding styles

One of the coolest things about horseback riding is that you can ride in so many different ways. Humans have been riding horses for thousands of years, so they’ve had plenty of time to create a whole bunch of different styles (disciplines in horse lingo), many of which still are in use today.

Before you buy a horse or even take riding lessons, you have to figure out which discipline is for you. Don’t, however, confuse discipline with sport. One discipline can cover several sports. For example, cutting is just one of many sports within the western riding discipline. For a rundown of different equine sports, see Chapter Competing on Horseback.

In this chapter, we describe the most common forms of riding to help you get a handle on the style you want to pursue.

Scoping Out the Most Popular Ways to Ride

Nearly everyone who rides has a favorite riding discipline. As a budding equestrian, you need to find one, too, so you know in advance exactly how you’ll be riding your horse. You don’t have to be married to a discipline forever, but you need to at least start with a commitment to riding in it. You can always switch to another discipline later on.

Remember

Your choice of a riding style is a very personal one. You need to choose a discipline that you find attractive and with which you feel comfortable. The style you choose may be one that you’ve always admired from afar or one that your friends participate in. Realize, however, that each discipline calls for different skills. You may have more talent for one than another.

Tip

Before you choose your riding discipline, do some research. Read up on the history of the discipline and the equine sports that ride in the discipline. Be sure to take some lessons in the discipline before you make the serious commitment of buying a horse trained in that style — and the tack (equipment) to go with it (see Chapter Getting into Gear with Horse Equipment for more about tack). What looks good to you from the ground may not feel comfortable when you’re in the saddle.

The most popular riding styles in the United States and Canada today are hunt seat, dressage, saddle seat, and western. The following sections tell you a bit about the history of each style, the sports that utilize them, and some basics about riding in the different styles.

Showing off with hunt seat

Few feelings are more exhilarating than the sensation of cantering along on a horse in a hunt-seat saddle. Checking out this discipline, you discover that wonderful sensation. The English discipline of hunt seat gets its name from the British sport of fox hunting. Unlike fox hunting, most hunt-seat riding takes place in an arena, although plenty of hunt-seat riders also hack (ride on the trail). Hunt seat is probably the most popular discipline in the world.

The uses

Hunt seat is the style of choice for many people who participate in horse shows. In hunt-seat competitions, judges rate riders over fences (evaluating the horse and/or rider for their skill over a course of jumps) and on the flat (judging horse and/or rider in the arena at the walk, trot, and canter). Competitive hunt-seat class competition is conducted within different divisions determined by age and expertise of either the horse or rider.

Some riders who master hunt seat eventually move on to a sport called show jumping. Show jumping is similar to hunt-seat competition, but it isn’t for the faint of heart, because the jumps are higher, and time and speed are of the essence. (See Chapter Competing on Horseback for more about show jumping.)

People ride many different breeds in hunt seat, but Thoroughbreds are the horses you see most often in this discipline (see Chapter Perusing Popular Horse Breeds for details on different breeds).

The tack

Logically enough, hunt-seat riding uses hunt-seat saddles. Varying only slightly in style from one to another (you more commonly see all-purpose saddles and show jumping saddles), these saddles enable the rider to maintain close contact with the horse’s body. The seat is rather shallow, and the stirrups are kept relatively short.

Hunt-seat headgear usually consists of a single-rein bridle with a bit that offers direct contact with the horse’s mouth. One exception is the pelham bit, which uses two reins (see Chapter Getting into Gear with Horse Equipment for more about the tack that riders use in hunt seat).

The ride

Hunt seat is an excellent discipline to practice if you want to develop good balance on horseback. Hunt-seat saddles are small, and you have to learn to ride well to ride hunt seat.

When riding hunt seat for show, judges expect you to sit in the saddle - maintaining correct body position — as the horse walks. Figure 14-1 shows a hunt-seat rider in correct position. An imaginary line can be drawn up through the back of the heel and through the hip, shoulder, and ear. At the trot, you have to sit the trot, which means to sit firmly in the saddle. You must also post the trot, which is the action of lifting your rear end up out of the saddle and bringing it back down again, all to the rhythm of the horse’s gait. At the canter, you lean slightly forward and move with the horse’s body, with your seat firmly in the saddle. (See Chapter Understanding Horses from Head to Hoof for more details on how horses move.)

Figure 14-1: A rider in correct hunt-seat position sits tall in the saddle.

If you plan to jump on horseback (and most hunt-seat riders do), you have to master, or maintain, the two-point position (also known as the half-seat) while the horse actually negotiates the jump. The position requires you to position your torso forward over the horse’s neck while lifting your bottom off the saddle.

Staying natural with dressage

Dressage, an English discipline, is one of the oldest riding styles in the world. Its roots lie in ancient European military maneuvers. Consequently, this type of riding has long been popular in Europe. Over the past three decades, dressage has become rather popular in North America, too.

Remember

You can apply many of the skills you learn in dressage to other riding disciplines, including hunt seat, western, and saddle seat.

The uses

Dressage is primarily a competitive discipline, although not in the same sense as other equine sports such as reining and show jumping. Dressage competitors strive to achieve different skill levels that are measured by tests. The dressage levels of mastery are called Introductory Level, Training Level, First Level, Second Level, Third Level, Fourth Level, and Olympic Level. At dressage events, the riders with the highest scores receive ribbons, but most dressage riders care more about the quality of their own test scores rather than those of the other competitors.

The discipline of dressage focuses on and emphasizes the horse’s natural movements. For horse and for rider, this discipline is one of the most difficult to master. Riders trained in dressage work very hard, which ultimately ranks them among the best riders in the world.

Warmbloods are the most popular breed for upper-level dressage, and yet plenty of riders compete in regional and local events on Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, Appaloosas, Morgans, Saddlebreds, and many other breeds (see Chapter Perusing Popular Horse Breeds).

The tack

The discipline of dressage calls for a dressage saddle, which looks much like a hunt-seat saddle to the untrained eye. Closer scrutiny reveals that the seat of a dressage saddle is deeper than that of a hunt-seat saddle. The flaps of a dressage saddle also are wider and at a greater angle to the seat. Finally, you wear the stirrups lower in dressage than in hunt seat.

As far as bridles go, dressage bridles don’t vary too much from the bridles you see in hunt seat. See Chapter Getting into Gear with Horse Equipment for the complete scoop on dressage saddles and bridles.

The ride

To master dressage, you and your horse must be pretty athletic. Many people compare dressage to ballet because it calls for the same kind of grace and discipline from the horse. You likewise have to become a very good rider to exact that sort of bearing from your horse.

If you pursue dressage, you practice riding at the walk, trot, and canter. At the trot, you’re taught to post (move up and down in the saddle to the rhythm of the horse’s movement) and to sit firmly in the saddle at the trot. Figure 14-2 shows a dressage rider in correct position in the saddle at the canter. The rider sits deep in the saddle, and an imaginary line comes behind the heel and goes up through the hip, shoulder, and ear.

Figure 14-2: A dressage rider in correct position at the canter.

Riding high with saddle seat

Saddle seat is considered an English discipline, although it has become uniquely American. You don’t see as much saddle seat as the other English disciplines in most parts of the country, but this riding style nonetheless has its very dedicated followers. The roots of saddle-seat riding lie in the American South, where the discipline still is popular today.

The uses

Competition is the main purpose of the saddle-seat discipline, although many saddle-seat riders also enjoy trail riding. Shows for American gaited breeds always contain saddle-seat classes, and so do many shows for Morgans and Arabians. Saddle-seat classes are judged either on the horse’s action or the rider’s position in the saddle (equitation). For a horse to be successful in saddle-seat competition, he must be a very flashy animal.

You primarily see saddle seat on horses with high leg action, most often gaited horses like American Saddlebreds, Tennessee Walking Horses, and Racking Horses (see Chapter Perusing Popular Horse Breeds for more information on gaited horses).

The tack

Saddle-seat riding uses a show saddle, which is a type of English saddle, although it’s quite different from hunt-seat and dressage saddles. Show saddles are flatter than other English saddles, have a shallower seat, and feature a design that enables the horse’s shoulders to move freely as the animal demonstrates high, front-end action. This design causes the rider to sit far behind the horse’s withers, taking the rider’s weight off the front part of the horse. The stirrups are worn rather long, similar to the length of the dressage rider’s stirrups.

The bridle that saddle seat typically uses varies considerably from other English bridles. Called a double bridle, this piece of equipment features two bits and two sets of reins (as opposed to one bit and one set of reins used in conventional bridles). One set of reins controls the curb bit, which you use to establish and maintain the set of the horse’s head (the position in which the horse holds his head relative to his neck). The other set of reins controls a snaffle bit, which helps keep the horse’s head and neck up high. Riders need considerable dexterity and skill because they must use each set of reins separately rather than together, which is the usual tendency. See Chapter Getting into Gear with Horse Equipment for more details on show saddles and double bridles.

The ride

If you choose to ride saddle seat on a gaited horse, you’ll notice the four-beat gaits of breeds such as the American Saddlebred, the Tennessee Walking Horse, and the Racking Horse provide a completely different experience than riding a so-called “trotting horse.” The fact that you’re sitting in a saddle that puts your legs out in front of you instead of beneath you like most other disciplines (see Figure 14-3) makes the ride even more unrivaled in feeling.

The most exciting aspect of the saddle-seat discipline is the way that it better enables you to show off the horse you’re riding. Sitting astride an animal who commands the attention of spectators with his flashy style and assertive presence is an exhilarating benefit of the saddle seat discipline.

Taking it easy with western

Thanks to Hollywood, almost everyone is familiar with the discipline of western riding. Every cowboy movie showcases western riding, but it isn’t the best execution of the style that we’ve seen.

Western riding and the saddle used with it are creations that arose in the American West and have become the most popular style of riding in the United States. This relatively large saddle was the perfect invention for the men who worked cattle on the range from dawn to dusk and traveled long distances on horseback.

Figure 14-3: A saddle-seat rider in the correct position keeps her legs out in front.

The uses

Cowhands who work cattle in the West still use western riding, but its biggest function is as a form of pleasure and show riding. Western shows and rodeos take place around the country by the thousands every year, sporting classes such as western pleasure, trail, gymkhana, reining, roping, and cutting. In each of these sports, the western saddle and the style of riding associated with it is the only discipline permitted.

The discipline of western riding is also a favorite of equestrians who ride for the sheer joy of it. Trail riders throughout North America ride in western saddles, primarily because of the saddle’s comfort and the discipline’s relaxed style.

The Quarter Horse has nearly cornered the western riding market, although breeds like the Appaloosa and Paint are popular western horses, too. Because of the western saddle’s design, you don’t often see rangy Thoroughbreds and other high-withered breeds that aren’t suited to wearing the saddle in this discipline.

The tack

The tack you use in western riding is one of the neatest things about the discipline. The western saddle, with its high pommel and cantle (see Chapter Getting into Gear with Horse Equipment) and its very distinct horn, differs considerably from the English saddle. This difference isn’t surprising because the primary influences for the Western saddle came from Spain and Mexico, not Britain.

The western saddle’s stirrups are also different in that they consist of large fenders and are sewn directly onto the saddle’s body. Unlike English saddles, the stirrups themselves are not made of iron, but instead are wooden with a leather covering.

Even the girth of a western saddle — more correctly called a cinch — is different. Unlike the English version, a part of the saddle called a latigo strap holds the western saddle on the horse. You must loop the strap through the girth and knot it high on the cinch ring.

Western bridles also differ considerably from their English counterparts. Typically, western bridles consist of a leather headstall and not much else. Some bridles bear brow bands and throatlatches, but many don’t. The bit almost always is a curb bit — although snaffles are becoming more popular and usually are used without curb shanks for training. A curb chain is present on every western bridle that bears curb shanks. See Chapter Getting into Gear with Horse Equipment for a complete explanation of the different parts of a western saddle and bridle.

The ride

If you like the idea of relaxing when you ride, western riding may be the discipline for you. You wear western stirrups long, and as you ride, you find that leaning back slightly and keeping a loose rein enable you and your horse to travel comfortably for hours. Figure 14-4 shows a western rider in correct position. Western riders sit back more than hunt-seat riders but still maintain an upright position with an imaginary line that runs behind the heel up through the hip, shoulder, and ear.

Figure 14-4: A western rider in correct position has a relaxed but upright position.

In the western discipline, the horse’s gaits are known as the walk, jog, and lope, as opposed to walk, trot, and canter in the English disciplines. These gaits are considerably slower than what you experience when riding English. Generally speaking, if you ride a western horse, you experience an animal that has been trained to have quiet, leisurely gaits. The exception is a competitive rodeo horse trained to sprint around barrels and chase down cows.

Getting the Scoop on Other Cool Riding Styles

Hunt seat, dressage, western, and saddle seat are the four most popular riding styles in the United States and Canada. However, they’re certainly not the only styles of riding. Equestrians around the country use other riding forms, each with its own unique history and particular usage. Some of these styles are actual disciplines, but others don’t require formal training.

Remember

If you want to pursue one of the actual disciplines we discuss here, you need to do some work finding a riding instructor who can teach them. Finding an instructor for a less-popular discipline isn’t as easy as finding someone who gives western riding lessons, but the trouble with ferreting out an instructor may just be worth it to you when you come to appreciate the uniqueness of each type of riding. Contact a riding instructor association (check out the Appendix to get started) for a referral to a discipline specialist in your area.

Endurance

Several decades ago, North Americans discovered the wonders of the Australian stock saddle, a piece of tack that looks like a cross between a dressage saddle and a western saddle. Created by Australian riders who needed a light saddle with an easy seat for long rides through the outback, the Australian stock saddle became the saddle of choice for many trail and endurance riders.

The Australian stock saddle has since morphed into what is commonly known as an endurance saddle. Endurance saddles come in a few different styles, but each has two things in common: a comfortable seat for the rider and a comfortable fit for the horse. Those who ride many hours on the trail in endurance and competitive trail riding competitions describe endurance saddles as ideal for their sport.

In North America, riders — depending on their preference — use English or western bridles with endurance saddles. The use of a bridle isn’t terribly important in this instance because riding in an endurance saddle doesn’t call for the mastery of a new discipline. Riders who are experienced in hunt seat and dressage disciplines are most comfortable in an endurance saddle, although western riders may have little trouble adapting to it. (See Chapter Getting into Gear with Horse Equipment for more about this saddle.)

Peruvian

Despite the fact that several American gaited breeds exist, Americans haven’t cornered the market on gaited horses. The Peruvian Paso is a gaited breed that is becoming more popular in the United States of late (see Chapter Perusing Popular Horse Breeds for more information about gaited horses).

Although you can also ride them in the more common disciplines, Peruvian Pasos have a discipline that’s unique to the breed. Tradition dictates that you show these horses in their native discipline. Some purists insist on riding Peruvian Pasos in the breed’s native tack at all times, even when merely going for a jaunt on the trail.

In Peru, people ride the Peruvian Paso in an incredibly comfortable saddle that has wide, flat skirts, a high pommel and cantle, and a leather-hooded stirrup. The traditional Peruvian Paso bridle is quite elaborate, featuring a bosal type halter, a piece called a gamarilla that holds the bit, and a wide brow band known as a tapa ojo.

Riding a Peruvian Paso in his traditional tack is very fun, although you must specifically learn the Peruvian discipline. Many of the skills you learn in English and western riding aren’t applicable in this discipline. Saddle-seat riding probably bears the closest resemblance to the Peruvian discipline.

Sidesaddle

It’s hard to imagine in this day and age that people used to consider it improper for a woman to sit astride a horse. Until the 20th century, however, this belief was essentially the social custom when it came to riding.

For women, the answer to this expectation was something called the sidesaddle, a piece of equipment that provided female riders a secure seat while keeping both legs on one side of the horse. In the sidesaddle, the left leg fits in the stirrup as it would in a conventional saddle, while the right leg rests over a fixed pommel situated on the left side of the saddle.

At first, society women simply rode sidesaddle when they needed to get from one place to another on horseback. Eventually, women were able to ride along on fox hunts, thanks to the invention of something called the leapers horn, which made them secure enough to sit on a jumping horse.

Today, a relatively small group of female equestrians are keeping the tradition of sidesaddle alive, praising its elegance and historical significance. Using modern sidesaddles in either English or western design with corresponding bridles, they ride in arenas and on the trail in this discipline. They also show in antique saddles, most from the 1800s, while wearing period costumes appropriate to the saddle’s age. Some sidesaddle riders even compete in barrel racing and other daring events.

Sidesaddle calls for a skilled rider and an obedient horse. Unlike astride disciplines, the aside discipline of sidesaddle doesn’t permit the rider to give leg cues from the right. Sidesaddle riders must use a sidesaddle crop to direct the horse on the right side, while using standard leg pressure on the left. To learn this discipline, you need an instructor who is well versed in this form of riding.

Bareback

Before the invention of saddles, human beings rode bareback. This riding method worked well for transportation purposes. Humans didn’t decide they needed saddles until they figured out they could wage war on horseback.

Today, many equestrians ride bareback. Bareback riding is not a discipline per se, but actually just another way of enjoying your horse. Riders who indulge in bareback riding don’t usually ride only bareback, but do so for an occasional change of pace. Some even show in bareback riding classes, usually seen only at western shows.

Bareback riding makes you feel closer to your horse. When cantering along without a saddle, you almost feel as though you are one with the animal. Our ancient ancestors must have savored this exciting feeling.

Bareback riding is good for beginners because it helps create a secure and confident riding seat. You can’t rely on the confines of a saddle to keep you on the horse when you are riding bareback. Instead, you must learn to keep your balance to stay on. Another bonus of bareback riding is that it saves you time: You don’t need to spend an extra 5 to 10 minutes saddling up your horse on the days you plan to ride bareback.

Warning!

Although bareback riding can help you develop a good seat, the downside is that falling off a horse is much easier when you’re riding bareback. Gripping the mane can help, but if your horse is bucking, spinning, or pulling some other athletic stunt, chances are you’re going to eat some dirt.

Driving

Humans have been putting the cart after the horse for millennia, and still do so today. For many elderly and physically challenged equestrians who are physically unable to ride — and for those who simply don’t like to ride - driving is the equine sport of choice.

Many people hitch up their horses to carts and drive for the sheer joy of it, although others are serious competitors in the driving show ring. Several breed shows have driving classes that feature one or two horses pulling different types of vehicles, as well as events with six- to eight-horse draft teams hauling wagons the way they did before the advent of the automotive engine.

Horses must be specially trained to drive; some learn the style in their early preriding training. Horses who are trained to drive are taught to pull weight (instead of carry it), and they can be steered in a completely different way than when they’re ridden. Drivers also must train the horses for this discipline. This training includes learning to handle the reins used in driving, which are quite different from riding reins.

by Audrey Pavia with Janice Posnikoff,DVM