Horseback Riding 101

Lesson 5: Where Do I Go From Here?

Theory

Hunt seat has been advanced, in modern times, by two great names, Captain Vladimir Littauer and Federico Caprilli.

Littauer was a Russian officer who founded a riding academy in the U.S. in the 1930s that has influenced many of today’s top riders, including George Morris and Bernie Traurig. Littauer believed that fundamental to good riding were just four things: unity of horse and rider, security of the rider on his or her mount, non-abuse of the horse, and efficient use of the aids.

To review, the natural aids are the legs, hands and seat; some would also include the eyes, and some the voice as well. The artificial aids are spurs and whips/crops/bats.

Beyond that, of course, are individual theories concerning each request we make of a horse, the way we make it and why we think it works.

A lot of what Littauer gave to the sport would not have been possible without the earlier work of Federico Caprilli.

Caprilli, an Italian cavalry officer (1868-1907) became renowned for his most unusual, for the time, method of jumping fences on horseback. At the time, most people, soldiers included, jumped the way the British jumped when riding to hounds. That is, they had rather long stirrups and they sat in the saddle while the horse jumped. Because the horse uses his head and neck for balanced in jumping, swinging them in a rising, peaking and then descending arc, the rider had to reach out to the end of his reins on landing. This was very uncomfortable for both horse and rider (but amazingly, one can still see this kind of ‘seat’ in some hunts in the U.S., Great Britain and Ireland). What Caprilli did was invent the forward seat, the seat ridden over fences in competition worldwide, and the basis for all hunt seat (English) equitation training that’s worth a dime. He shortened the stirrups and got into a crouch when the horse leaped. Rider’s back mimicked the arc of the horse’s neck, while the deep S-curve created through thighs, calves and ankles helped keep the rider still above, not on, the horse’s back as he arced. No longer did the horse get tugged in the mouth when the jump was big and rider’s arms short. No longer did a horse have to change his balance to accommodate the weight and ungainly position of the rider.

There’s every reason to believe that the invention of the forward seat helped horses live longer, healthier lives, even when in competition. And it has certainly helped riders to jump higher fences at greater speeds with less risk than when they sat on the horse’s back and were at the mercy of any motions, good or bad, he made.

Forward seat is also the seat favored by George Morris, one of today’s most influential hunter riders and trainers. Morris, a Maclay medal winner, member of the U.S. Equestrian Team, and chef d’equip to U.S. Olympic teams, as well as a highly regarded rider/trainer overall, has built on the legacy of Littauer, primarily. But he has, in recent years, come to appreciate the uses of the balanced seat, another way to ride English style.

Balanced seat is one in which the stirrups are left a hole or two longer for flatwork—walking, trotting and cantering—and raised for jumping. The theory is that the longer stirrups on the flat will give a better, deeper seat and allow better influencing of the horse’s way of going, that is, the smoothness of his gaits and the way he uses his body to cover ground. Raising them for jumping allows for the seat to be comfortably away from the saddle in two-point, the jumping position Caprilli invented that allows the rider’s body to follow the arc of the horse’s body as the horse jumps over a fence or other obstacle.

Balanced seat is something of a hybrid between the dressage position and forward seat, looking and acting a bit more like the dressage seat on the flat, and mimicking the forward seat exactly during jumps. It is the seat favored by Sally Swift, although she says, “Any good seat is a balanced seat.”

Still, some of her exercises will help you gain the deeper seat, ‘longer’ legs and strong/relaxed posture you will need to move on through a good walking position, to trotting, to cantering.

She proposes that the idea of soft eyes is the most important exercise, and it is true that one needs to have a good idea of what is going on in one’s whole field of vision. Focusing on just one thing will cause your body to stiffen. By letting your eyes take in your whole field of vision, you will allow your horse to move through that field of vision freely. Sounds like voodoo? It does. But it works. Horse, remember are highly sensitive, and some would say spiritual, animals.

The second of her essentials is the breath. To me, it might even be first. If you hold your breath while you ride, your body will stiffen. Your legs will either become ineffective, or bang on the horse’s sides, annoying him. Your arms will stiffen. If your arms stiffen, your elbows will stiffen. Since you are using your elbows in a back and forth motion as the horse’s mouth pulls them, stiffening them will cause a tug on his mouth and slow him down. Then you’ll have to kick him. Then you’ll have to adjust yourself. Well, you get the picture. So breath. Let the breath go deep down into your diaphragm. Think of your lungs like bellows, and think of them needing to be full of air to work your ‘furnace.’ When you do this, tension is released and you will sink down into the saddle and your legs will drop down the sides of the horse. Your horse will become more responsive, because he can feel you relax. And, you won’t get tired as easily.

Swift’s last two essentials are Centering and Building Blocks. Begin with page 17 and read through page 23. Then apply the soft eyes, deep and rhythmic breathing, centering and building blocks to the exercises at the walk, below.

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