I was glad to see this article. I began riding saddleseat three years ago and was thrilled to learn that these horses simply move this way naturally and are so animated, but not frightened. I love going to the shows and watching these beautiful horses show off.
AMEN!!!!! U said it. I hate it when people come up to me and they r lyk saddlseat is just posing. It totally isnt. I have been doing saddleseat for 4 years and i love it even tho it is sometimes difficult. I love saddleseat and i love to show saddleseat
I agree somewhat to what has been written, but am not a fan of saddleseat. What I've seen at local shows has been far from pleasing and more than frusterating. However I agree with most of Caroles comments, except for the first one. While these horses do have stunning gaits and beautiful movement and carriage, it is exagerated by the weighted shoes. If the shoes weren't weighted, I would not have so much against the sport. I also do not like the chains around the front legs prior to shows, once again I feel that it makes the carriage much more fake instead of allowing the horse to move the way it will naturally, which as I previously mentioned looks beautiful. We have a horse at our ranch who was used for saddleseat prior to her arriving at the ranch. She had weighted shoes when we first got her and now has normal shoes. She still moves beautifully, but not quite as snappy/high as she did prior.
Thank you so much for the "Secrets To Saddleseat Success" article in the May 2007 issue and for the "Saddleseat Miconceptions" article online. I have been riding saddleseat for two years now and I love it! I used to think that it was abusive to the horses and that they didn't like it, but now I realize that they really enjoy it, and love to show off! I am very passionate about saddleseat, and I would love to see you saddleseat articles in the future! Thanks again!
I've never thought any of that stuff about saddleseat. I don't compete in it or even really watch to much of it. The only thing I don't like about saddle seat is the heavy shoes and soring with the wieghts around there fetlocks. I don't know if they still do alot of other stuff and I know they have different devisions that they do different things for. So why not write an article about that because I've never thought the horses were out of control or the people just sat there. And I know there conformation gives them very high action if it didn't then they wouldn't show them that way.
Some - but not all, saddleseat riders ARE out of control. Some of these young riders are put on horses they have little control over. Put them in the ring with Hunt seat riders in a mixed English Pleasure class, and I've seen some of these riders ram their horse into a slower horse's behinds just to stop them! Parents need to make SURE they put their child on the horse that right for them - not just the one that always wins the blue ribbons!
Thank you for the saddleseat article. I have a Morgan horse that I ride saddleseat and would never do anything that would hurt her, including soring her feet. I've only heard of Tennessee Walkers being sored. It takes practice and skill to ride in a saddleseat saddle because it doesn't come up around you to hold you in the saddle like a western saddle does. I do agree that in the show ring kids don't need to ride a horse they cannot control. It puts others in danger. I think the saddleseat discipline is very misunderstood and would like to see more articles on this topic. Thanks again!
wow, thanks so much for clearing that up. i ride saddleseat and people always ask why i can't control my horse, now i can show this to them, please keep writing about saddleseat so more people can see what a great thing it really is!!
first i would like to say thank you for the article, next though, one of u said that only tennessee walkers were sored, well i ride walkers and that is very rude, i think, to only point out one breed of horse, the horse i ride does not get sored, and 4 those of u that said the horses have heavy shoes on, well U R WRONG! my horse wears normal shoes and still steps up high and showy, we don't put anything on the horses hooves, also those chains around the fetlocks r not harmful, don't u know there r rules 2 the weight of them?? they can't be more than 3 ounces, 3 ounces do u think 3 ounces is "hurting the horse??" so 4 any one that thought any thing i covered here u r stupid, u know what is really abusing the horse?? western, western sores the horses neck so it hangs low 2 the ground, i've seen it done. so please don't think saddleseat is hurting the horse because it takes the most amount of work than anything i have ever seen, saddleseat riders r the best riders. if u aren't riding sadlleseat don't try 2 tell me that we r hurting our horses. that just shows me u don't know anything, so stick 2 ur own riding. IF IT'Z NOT A GAITED HORSE, IT'Z JUST A HORSE!
Lydia you are totally right about if it is not a gaited horse than it is just a horse. I have ridden paints, quarters, and friesians, but none of them add up to the racking horse I lease now. the person I lease from also has a tennessee walker and a spotted saddle horse. she definetley does notsore her horse. People need to learn that anyone can sore their horses. i am sure that sme people that show saddleseat on a stock type horse might be soreing them to give them more action. The horse I ride, Rusty, naturally has a great action and I bet your tennessee walkers do to. Rusty doesn't even wear shoes and yet he still out shines horses with really heavy shoes. Why put heavy shoes on a saddleseat horse unless you are trying to make thm a saddleseat horse. Thank you so much for writing this article to show that people actually care about our kind of englsh riding. If peope believe that saddleset riding is so bad then they should give a try before they actually start to judge us. Besides gaited horses aren't allowed to ride in huntseat because we are to different for the "regular" horse. Please keep writing about saddleseat so then we do not go unoticed. Thanx!!!!!!!1