Basic Horsemanship [antikvár]

Foreword by William Steinkraus It is a common fault among riders, especially novice riders, to be too "seat-conscious." The victims of this preoccupation become so interested in riding a particular seat that they forget to ride the horse, and sacrifice most of the pleasures of riding to the futile search for the perfect seat. The search is futile because there is, of course, no such thing. The only perfect seat is a perfectly adaptable one, capable of readily assuming the particular attitude and balance that is most appropriate to the situation at hand. In this sense, anyone who is interested in Tiding well must seek to acquire not so much a perfect seat as a useful collection of seats, one large enough to include something appropriate for most ordinary types of horses and riding problems. In the days when the great cavalry schools of the world were the main fonts of equestrian wisdom, major emphasis used to be placed on the benefits to be derived from sampling a variety of riding experiences. Young officers were urged if not obliged to supplement their "duty" riding with fox hunting, 'chasing, polo, and eventing, and the best of them emerged with an ability to ride just about anything on four legs and make a pretty decent job of it. I think they proved the point. In my own case, I happen to have spent most of my riding career in some form of what is customarily termed the hunter seat, but I've spent a lot of time in other ones, too. I've galloped race horses, shown saddle horses, "ponied" horses from a western saddle, and dropped my stirrups down to ride dressage, and I'm certain that each of these experiences has contributed something to my overall technique. Hence, I could hardly be more sympathetic to the basic approach of this fine new book. I agree with Eleanor Prince and Gay Collier that it is not only possible, but advantageous to learn and teach both