Tiffany’s Place

Saddleseat

Saddleseat is one of the fancier and flashier of the showing disciplines, with riders decked out in brightly colored suits and sharp derby hats. The horses are equally flashy with their ribboned manes, full bridles, and carrousel-horse animation. Saddleseat is considered one of the English disciplines, although the saddle used in the sport is quite different from the hunt-seat or dressage saddle. The cutback, or show, saddle, is flatter than other English saddles and places the rider far behind the horse’s withers. The purpose of this saddle is to take the rider’s weight off the front of the horse, allowing the animal to show off his movement.

Gaited horses, such as American Saddlebreds, Tennessee Walking Horses and Racking Horses, are commonly ridden in Saddleseat classes. Arabians and Morgans are shown Saddleseat style in country pleasure, English pleasure and park classes, depending on the horse’s training and “action.” Therefore, for a horse to be successful in this discipline, he must be a flashy animal with animated gaits.

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