Riding Theory Flashcards
Safest riding idea over fences
Forward riding in motion with the horse
Xenophon
Greek warrior - earliest known writers to map out a theory of riding
Xenophon battle theory
methods and advice focused on developing a relationship based on mutual respect, rather than on domination by the rider over the horse
William Cavendish
Brought school riding to England
François Robichon de la Guerinière’s Ecole de Cavalerie (1733)
most influential
manual in tracing continuity between classical equitation and forward riding equitation
James Fillis
horse must be correctly balanced in forward movement with impulsion, even though his system still called for a deep seat.
Created the stirrup weighted heavier at the bottom that is popular in hunter/jumper riding today.
Federico Caprilli
began practicing a completely new system of riding off the stirrups, rather than off a deep, central seat.
Shorter stirrups create angles in the rider’s hips, knees and ankles that act as springs.
Caprilli’s system pioneered sitting lighter and more forward in the saddle, using shorter stirrups to rise out of saddle and softer arms to follow the forward motion of a horse’s head and neck, especially over jumps.
American Horse Shows Assocation foundation
AHSA 1917
Year jumping was in Olympics
1912
Last US military team to compete at Olympics
1948
Why was the USET founded?
1950 to recruit and train civilian riders
Vladimir S. Littaue
directly set out to influence the quality of pleasure and competitive riding since there was no national system of instruction in the US as there was in European countries.
Jane Marshall Dillon
influential in writing equitation guidelines for Virginia horse shows that were adapted for the AHSA (now USEF) hunt seat rules from the 1950s to the 1970s
Full seat
The entire seat is in the saddle.
Three point contact
Generally collecting for control (shift balance to rear)
Half seat
Seat bones are out of the saddle
Two points of contact (two legs)
Jumping or galloping
Light seat
The position between the half-seat and full-seat.
The horse has less freedom and the rider has more security than in the half-seat.
Driving seat
The rider deliberately rides behind the horse’s motion to more effectively influence the horse’s balance. The seat is used to drive a spooky or balky horse forward.
Order of aids
Least to most severe
Ask, Allow, Tell, Demand
Urging leg
Applied at the girth to encourage impulsion
Holding leg
Applied at the girth to keep a horse from falling in. May also be used to move a horse laterally
Displacing leg
Applied slightly behind the girth. Used to move or displace the horse’s haunch on turns and lateral maneuvers.
Direct rein
The rider’s hands move forward or backward but do not move laterally
Opening rein
Gives direction without taking away from the forward movement of the horse.
The rider’s hand opens
away from the horse’s body and leads the horse in the desired direction
One hand at a time
Bearing/neck rein
Both hands move in the direction of the desired turn
Pulley rein
Firmly fixing the inside hand on the horse’s withers or neck and strongly pulling up and back with the outside
hand.
It is a tool for correcting runaways or for an emergency stop.
Lifting rein
Used to correct horses that bear down heavily on the bit or overflex at the poll in avoidance.
Both hands are
raised higher than normal and the rider uses a series of bumps or nips that cease as soon as the horse corrects the behavior
Indirect rein
Controls lateral movements including bending and turning. The rider’s hand does not cross the mane line
Indirect rein in front of the withers
Displaces the horse’s weight from one shoulder to the other.
In a right indirect rein in front of the withers, the rider’s right hand moves toward the rider’s left hip.
Indirect rein behind withers
Displaces the horse’s weight from one shoulder to the opposite hind leg.
In a right indirect rein behind the withers, the rider’s right hand moves toward the horse’s left hip
Walk
Four beat gait with no moment of suspension
Sequence of walk footfalls
Left hind, left fore, right hind, right fore
Speed of walk
Shortened: 3 mph
Ordinary: 4 mph
Lengthened: 5-6 mph
Trot
A two-beat gait with a moment of suspension
Sequence of trot footfalls
In pairs
Left hind and right fore, then right hind and left fore
Speed of trot
Shortened: 5-6 mph
Ordinary: 8 mph
Lengthened: 10 mph
Canter
A three-beat gait with a moment of suspension
Sequence of canter footfalls
Right lead
Left hind leg; right hind leg and left foreleg as a pair; right foreleg
Speed of canter
Shortened: 6 mph
Ordinary: 10 mph
Lengthened: 12 mph
Gallop
A four-beat gait with a moment of suspension
Sequence of gallop footfalls
left hind, right hind, left fore, right fore
Speed of gallop
14 to 18 mph
Impulsion
Educated reserve energy or impulse, which is created by the rider’s leg
Flexion
Softening and relaxing of the jaw and poll, which allows for softer, more precise control.
Collection
The hindquarters are under the horse and the forehand is much freer than when in a connected forward
balance
Longitudinal flatwork
Focuses on extending and shortening the length of the horse’s stride and upward and downward transitions.
Lateral flatwork
Focuses on bending, turning and moving to the side off the rider’s hands or legs
Leg Yielding
The horse travels both forward and sideways, crossing its legs.
The eye is slightly away from the direction of travel and the horse moves on four tracks.
Turn on the forehand
The hind legs move around the nearly stationary forehand on a circular track in a pivoting motion
Shoulder-in
The head and neck are softly bent to the inside, with the horse looking away the direction of travel.
The shoulder is brought to the inside track at a 30 degree angle.
Shoulder fore
Similar to shoulder-in but with less angle
Haunches-in or travers
The head and neck are slightly positioned to the inside while the haunch is displaced 30 degrees to the inside.
The horse is bent around the rider’s inside leg and looks in toward the direction of travel
Haunches-out or renvers
This is considered a counter movement and is, in essence, the opposite of haunches-in
With the horse slightly off the track
and the head and neck slightly positioned to the perimeter of the ring, the haunch is
displaced 30 degrees toward the perimeter of the ring
Half-pass
The horse is bent in the direction of travel,
moving forward and sideways at the same time, with
the front and back feet making two sets of tracks
Bascule
The natural arc the horse’s body makes as it
jumps.
Ground line
A pole at the base of the obstacle that helps a horse to judge distance and the height of a jump. It is incorrect to
jump an obstacle with the ground line on the landing side only
Trot pole
A line of poles or cavalletti that are set 4’0” to 4’9” apart for the horse to trot through.
When placing a jump after the last trotting pole, the distance to the jump should be double that of the distance between the poles.
Cavaletti
A pole that is horizontally elevated by supports that can be changed to several different heights. Cavalletti are used for gymnastic exercises
Cavaletti distances walk, trot, canter
Walk 2’8” to 3’3”
Trot 4’0” to 4’9”
Canter 9’0” to 12’0”
Vertical jump
Height, no spread
Clearing it requires a short, high jump with balance and accuracy.
A horse tends to have a steep arc over a vertical.
Oxer
The horse’s arc is longer and
less steep than that for a vertical.
Fan jump
A spread jump made with one standard on one side and multiple standards on the other
Hogs back
A spread obstacle made with three sets of standards where the front and back rails are lower than the middle rail
Small pony distances
9 to 10 foot stride
Med pony distances
10 to 11 foot stride
Large pony distances
11 to 11’6’’ foot stride
Mane release
The rider holds the mane halfway up the crest. The reins remain loose throughout the jump.
Long or crest release
The rider’s hands slide one-third to one-half way up the horse’s crest and rest one on each side of it
Automatic release
The rider’s hands maintain a soft, passive contact and follow the horse’s mouth through the air, maintaining a direct line from bit to elbow.
Short release
The rider’s hands rest on either side of the base of the crest. The rider is afforded a greater degree of control while restricting the horse’s independence and freedom
Broken line release fault
The hands are below the level of the mouth, forming a broken line from the elbow to the bit. This puts pressures on the bars and interferes with the horse’s forward movement
Hands above the neck release fault
This compromises a rider’s balance in the air
Fixed hands or no release
Hands that are fixed cause a rider to hit the horse in the mouth.
Over release
Hands that are thrown up the neck almost to the ears in an exaggerated manner. This is unattractive and
quick hands create a quick horse
Backward release
Hands that rotate backwards on takeoff.
