I'd love to hear from some equitation folks on 'why' this posture is considered so bad. They're not trotting, they're cantering. no jumping, no lateral movements, very little leg contact. They're going in a straight line, at a canter. the weight of the rider pivots off the center of the saddle as the horse 'rocks'.

One sees a LOT of riders riding like this in the middle east desert rides. It's a very different riding pace there, pretty much a canter the entire way with constant lead changes, but very little variety of gait.  I know there are a few top rider/trainers that think this is actually better for the canter/gallop endurance horse and less tiring for the rider than a more 'classical' form of having the legs directly under the rider's torso and much of the weight in the stirrups.

Also the argentine gauchos all ride like this. the stirrups are hung from the pommel of the saddle, rather than below the center of the seat. they have a classic 'chair seat' - and these are the guys that rode 100's of miles at a lope (they rarely trotted their horses) across the flat pampas...

comments?

Steph



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