In 2015 I started riding at a barn in Plainville Ma. At the point in time I really wasn't sure about the whole thing and had only taken a few lessons prior. knowing basically nothing I started training to start in horse shows. as I learned more I was moved up to different horses to learn how to ride and as I progressed I learned so much.
These are pictures of a few different shows I attended over the summer one being a championship. I compete In two different classes. one of them is English saddle seat pleasure which is judged on how the horse behaves and how the horse shows off its skills. The second class I compete in is saddle seat equitation. this class is based off how the rider rides and how the rider works with the horse.
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Pleasure at a trot
Classic at a trot
Park at a trot
Another thing to be cautious about in show riding is the leads you take when you walk or trot. For the Trot lead you have to focus more on yourself. You focus on the outside leg, when the horses outside leg goes up you bounce, if you miss it you sit a bounce and retry on the correct lead. For the canter you pull the horses bridle to the outside and slightly put your heel on the inside leg on the horses belly and clearly say the command. Most horses are very voice affected and don't even need leg necessary. when cantering you always want to know what the horse prefers if they like the feel of the bit in their mouth or if they prefer feeling loose. by learning this about a horse you tend to get along a lot better.. and the ride is also much better. never be sure to have to loose of a bottom rein for this control the way the horse takes corners and once a horse starts cutting corners it turns sour pretty quickly. whenever you want to stop you use your voice and pull back a tad.
Every horse has a different preference for their Bridle Bit. My horses at my house that are use for just riding around for fun in the backyard use the least amount of "pull" or force, am EggBut Snaffle. The show horses use slightly more pull or forced bits such as the Saw or Double Twist, but don't be scared of their names this is what the horse prefers and what makes them ride the best they can, it doesn't harm the horse as long as you know what you're doing. the tongue of the horse goes under the bit and the circular pieces are attached to the bridle.