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How to ridea saddle seat horse

2K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  waresbear 
#1 ·
I just recently started training horses for a barn owner in my area. She is a saddle seat rider and I am a dressage and jumping (I did 3-day events) rider. Most of her horses are general riding horses or ex-saddle seat horses that she doesn't mind how I ride them, but she has one that she plans to continue riding saddle seat on and wants me to ride her saddle-seat style.

She's explained a little to me how their headset should look and what position the rider should be in but it feels really unnatural. I'm used to keeping a relaxed headset with the neck inline with the spine and a natural tuck with the head perpendicular to the ground. I also ride with very gentle hands and only tighten my reins for correction so they hold their headset on an almost loose rein.
However, she was telling me that the horse's head should be held very high and then tucked. She is a saddlebred horse so her head is naturally high, but I can't get her to hold a tuck without keeping my reins very tight. She also says that the trot should be posted, but I naturally sit the trot when asking for collection so I can maintain steady impulsion, which is harder when I ride out of the saddle.
Is this how they are normally ridden, or am I doing something wrong? On top of that, when I keep my reins tight enough to bring her head in, she loses impulsion and won't hold extended gaits, but she is normally very forward so I don't think using a crop and/or spurs is a good idea.

Does anyone have experience riding saddle-seat horses who could lend some pointers? I'm trying all of my dressage tricks to get her to reach up into the canter, hold an extended trot, etc., but the horse seems to have no understanding of what I'm trying to ask and I'm worried I might be undoing her saddle seat training.
 
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#3 ·
Exactly what Jaydee said... I ride my boy very "dressage" like, but on my friends saddleseat mare.. There is a lot of inside leg taps, outside rein pulls, clucks, whoas, and a whole bunch more. Could you ask the owner for an actual lesson on one of them?
 
#4 ·
My riding instructor, many years ago, had an Arabian stallion that her daughter was showing at Nationals. She could coach her on every class they were entering, even driving, but she sent her daughter & the stallion to a saddle seat trainer, she told me that was a whole different ballgame. By the way, they won everything!
 
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