Saddleseat Equitation: Calm on the surface

My favorite class as a youth was definitely Saddleseat Equitation. To me, it was everything. Challenging, exciting, fun, and prestigious. I loved putting on my tux, loading my face with show make-up, and sticking my nose in the air like I would never do in real life. It was almost like living a dress up fantasy where I acted like the best rider with the best horse, someone who wasn't going to let anything get in the way of a rose garland. It's a class where attitude, position, and poise mean everything, and these are the things that make it one of the toughest classes of a horse show. Saddleseat Equitation seems glamorous and effortless, but the flawless picture it paints is far different than the pain and difficulty that the position presents. The old saying: Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath is a perfect description of what Saddleseat is like. An Eq. rider keeps their head up,actively looking around the ring, shoulders cranked back, arms soft looking, yet straining in their horse's heavy mouth, seat acting as a shock absorber in order to keep the appearance of ease, knees glued to the saddle (hence the appearance of oh-so glamorous saddle sores), lower leg behind the knee and away from the horse, feet pointed forward and on the inside of the stirrup, heels down, and hey, they can't forget to keep a pleasant look on their face!

 

Just think about these things when you sit up in the stands, judging Saddleseat Equitation riders. They work their tails off to present a picture-perfect Saddleseat position, and they deserve appreciation. What you see is beautiful, but they didn't achieve that beauty without a bit of pain.

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