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Days in Horse Country – Saddleseat Riding
The English
discipline of saddleseat riding has its roots in the Southern United States
where it was first developed in the 1700s for its comfortable seat over long
distances. Based on the English park
seat, saddle seat was most often used by plantation owners who relied on gaited
horses to help the, oversee their land.
Saddleseat differs from other types of English riding in several ways. The saddle is very flat, completely lacking in the deep seat seen in dressage saddles or even the shallow seat of a hunt saddles. The way the rider sits in the saddleseat differs from that of dressage and hunt seat as well.
In the saddleseat, the ride’s legs extend in front of the torso as opposed to being in line with it, almost as if sitting on a chair.
The idea behind saddle seat is to allow the horse the greatest freedom of movement in the forehand. High-stepping horses such as Saddlebreds and National Show Horses, as well as gaited breeds like the Tennessee Walking Horse, are often ridden saddleseat, especially in the show ring. Other breeds are shown saddleseat as well, including Arabians and Morgans that have been trained for a high-stepping gait.
Michael