Saddleseat is a form of riding that is found in the United States, and to a lesser extent in Canada and Europe. The goal is to show off the horse's extravagant gaits, and the discipline is especially flashy and showy. All saddleseat riding is done on the flat (jumping is not involved).

History

Saddleseat riding began in the United States, when smooth-moving, high-steeping horses were used by plantation owners to travel across their fields. These horses had to be comfortable enough to spend hours on while overseeing the plantation, but their rider also wanted a showy animal for riding in town.

Type of Horse Required

Certain breeds are best at saddleseat, with the most well-known being the American Saddlebred. Other breeds commonly seen in saddleseat riding are the National Show Horse, Tennessee Walking Horses, Morgans, and Arabians. Andalusians, Hackneys, Friesians, and Rocky Mountain Horses are also seen on occassion, although typically they are rare. The American saddlebred is a breed of horse that was developed in Kentucky by plantation owners. ... The National Show Horse, founded in the 1980s, is a cross between an American Saddlebred and an Arabian. ... The Tennessee Walker, otherwise known as the Tennessee Walking Horse, Garrett Horse, and other variations upon these themes, is a singularly tractable and comfortable riding horse. ... The Morgan is thought to be the first documented horse breed in the United States. ... The Arabian horse first appeared in the Arabian Peninsula at least 2,500 years B.C.E. They were carefully bred to maintain desirable features (e. ... Andalusian horse The Andalusian horse is one of the purest breeds of horses in the world today. ... The Hackney Horse is a recognized breed that was developed in Great Britain. ... Friesian horse The Friesian horse is a breed of horse from Friesland, a province of the Netherlands. ...

These breeds naturally have an upright neck with high head carriage, as well as animated gaits and high action. They should be very energetic, but still remain responsive to the rider's aids.

Turn-out of the Saddleseat Horse

The Mane and Forelock

Horses shown saddleseat generally are left with a long, flowing mane and forelock, that is not trimmed or pulled. The first lock of the mane and the forelock my also be braided with satin ribbon, which is color-coordinated with the browband of the bridle and the rider's outfit. The bridlepath is usually left quite long, 6-8 inches opposed to the 1-3 inches of most other disciplines.

Some 3-gaited horses may also have a roached (shaved off) mane and forelock, to accentuate the lines of the neck and head.

The Set Tail

The tail should also be kept as long as possible. Some breeds (such as the American Saddlebred), are shown with a "set tail" in certain classes. The breed naturally carries the tail very high, however to artificially set an operation is performed in which the retractor muscles on the underside of the dock are nicked (the tail is not broken, as some people believe). When healed, they do not allow the tail to go down quite as far. The tail must then be kept in a "tail set," which holds the tail upright and trains the muscles that hold the tail up, to prevent the tail from gradually sinking down. This requires a horse to stay in a stall, as the tail set has straps that loop from the chest of the horse to the back of the tail using a crupper, and it would be dangerous to turn a horse out in it. Tail setting is a controversial subject, and set tails require much effort on the part of the groom. If the set tail is not taken care of appropriately, it will drop down to its normal position in a few months. It is also possible to ride the horse in a humane tail brace, a device which will keep the tail up without the horse having to go through the nicking proceedure. Set tails are not allowed in pleasure classes. The American saddlebred is a breed of horse that was developed in Kentucky by plantation owners. ... A crupper is a piece of tack used on horses to keep a saddle or surcingle from sliding forward. ...

Some set tails require a false tail to be added, as the upright tailbone shortens the length of the rest of the tail by several inches. False tails should match the horse's natural hair color, and flow into the natural tail.

The dock of set-tail horse may be left long, "feathered" (pulled hairs at the base of the tail), or partly roached (usually shaved only a few inches). This is a matter of style and current fashion - look to see what the best showmen/women are doing.

The Legs and Head

The horse's legs should be trimmed,and the chestnut cut close to the skin. This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ...

The head should be trimmed well, paying special attention to the jaw, muzzle, ears (including the inside), and eyes. The whole face may be clipped on a horse with a winter coat, to give him a finer appearance.

Show Classes

• Three-Gaited: horse must show the walk, trot, and canter in the class (performance class)
• Five-gaited: horse must show the walk, trot, canter, rack (a fast, showy gait), and slow-gait (four-beat gait with great suspension)(performance class)
• Age Divisions: may be devided by age of horse or rider
• Experience: devided by the experience of the horse or rider (Maiden - never having won before in the division, Novice - never having won over 3 classes in the division)
• Equitation: judges the rider's form and use of aids
• Breeds: classes vary between breeds. For example, Saddlebreds may be shown Classic Pleasure or Country Pleasure, Morgans the Park, English Pleasure, or Classic Pleasure, and Tennessee Walkers in Plantation Pleasure or Performance. Each class may ask for different variations of the gaits, and for any special gaits the horse has.

Equitation classes are classes at horse shows that judge the riders performance, as opposed to the performance of the horse. ...

Tack

Saddleseat riders use a special saddle not seen in other riding disciplines. These saddles have a cut-back pommel, which has a pommel that is four inches further back to allow for the high withers of the horse. The saddle has little padding, with a very shallow seat, and are placed further back on the horse to allow the extravagent movement of the horse. This saddle also places the rider slightly "behind the motion," which makes it easier to influence both the headset of the horse and the animal's gaits.

The size of the saddles are usually a few inches bigger than other English saddles.

The horse wears a double bridle (full bridle), with both a curb bit and a snaffle. This allows more fine-tuning of the horse's head set. The shanks of the curb bit are often longer than those found in dressage, with shanks averaging at 7 inches in length. The browband is commonly leather with a colored strip, usually red. A double bridle or Weymouth bridle is a piece of horse tack. ... A curb bit is a type of bit used for riding that uses leverage. ... // The Basics of the Snaffle A snaffle bit is the most common type of bit used while riding horses. ... The fundamental purpose of dressage (a French term meaning training) is to develop, through standardized progressive training methods, a horses natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, thereby maximizing its potential as a riding horse. ...

Running martingales are also sometimes used in practice but not in the show ring. A martingale is a piece of tack used on horses to control head carriage. ...

Shoeing

Many horses used in saddleseat are shod with pads and heavy shoes, so they pick their feet up higher. The shoes are often held in place with a metal band, as well as with clinches, because of their weight. Pads should not change the hoof angle more than 3 degrees. Built up shoes and pads are not allowed in pleasure classes.

Many also wear certain devices while practicing, such as lightweight chains (these do not hurt the horse), to increase their action.

Clothing

Rider's clothing not only varies from that of both the English and Western disciplines but it also depends on the type of class you are participating in. In general, Riders wear Kentucky jodphurs (jods), which have bellbottoms and a strap that goes under the boot, as well as jodphur boots, a derby hat, a vest, tie, gloaves, and a long coat. In performance classes the coat color is often flashier than those seen in other English disciplines and not the same color as the jods, this is called a Day Coat. In equitation classes the coat and jods should be made from the same material. Riders usually carry a whip, although it should not be white before 6:00 p.m.

In special classes after 6:00p.m., the rider can wear formal attire, with consists of a long coat & statin lapels (can be of any color, if in a performance class - if in an equitation class it must be the same color as the jods), top hat, cummerbund/bow tie, and jodphur pants with satin strip on outside of pant leg. A white whip may be carried in formal classes. No formal attire can be worn in pleasure or pleasure equitation classes

Spurs are generally not worn by saddleseat riders.