|
BY MOODY
This month we are
focusing in on a discipline that came straight out of
the deep south of the United States of America, Saddle Seat riding.
History
Saddle Seat has been
around for hundreds of years in the United States
and was developed by two main sources. One source was from plantation
owners that wanted a smooth moving, high-stepping horse to ride on to
oversee their plantations and workers. A second influence was the
Europeans who developed a flatter English saddle that would show off
their flashy, high-stepping horses when they rode them to the parks on
Sunday. Hence, the term “park” or “park-action” is still used to
describe the event where the action of the horse is the most important
part of the competition.
Type of Horse
Required
Saddle Seat is a form
of English riding that uses horses with animated
gaits, high necks and energy. Although the horses should be very
energetic, they also have to be responsive to the rider’s aids. Several
breeds do well in this discipline, the most known being the American
Saddlebred. Other breeds that are common as well include the National
Show Horse, Tennessee Walking Horse, Racking Horses, Spotted Saddle
Horses, Morgan horses and Arabians. Less common breeds include
Friesians, Andalusians, Hackneys, Paso Finos, Missouri Fox Trotters,
and Rocky Mountain Horses. Saddle Seat horses give the audience a
thrilling performance as they are well trained and look as they are
about to burst with excitement.
About the Discipline
This discipline is
performed “on flat” which means there is no jumping
involved. The horses generally perform at three gaits (the walk, trot,
and canter), but there are some classes for the five gaited horses
(walk, trot, canter, slow gait and the rack). The rack is a smooth four
beat gait performed “at speed”. Saddle Seat riding is all about
animation. It is about long arched necks, a high head and a slow and
collected canter. Sometimes it is said at the canter, these horses
appear to look like a rocking horse.
Show Classes
In the United States,
the United States Equestrian Federation creates
and maintains the rules for most breeds shown in Saddle Seat
competitions.
Classes include:
• Three Gaited: Open to American Saddlebreds shown at the walk, trot
and canter
• Five Gaited: Open to American Saddlebreds shown at the walk, trot,
canter, rack, and slow gait
• Plantation Walker: Open to Tennessee Walking horses shown at a walk,
running walk, and canter
• Park: A class designation used in both Arabian and Morgan
competition, where horses are shown at a walk, trot, and canter, judged
on their brilliant, high action.
• Pleasure: An English
pleasure class designation used in almost every
breed, designated classes where
good manners and smooth performance are
more
|
important than brilliant action. Most pleasure
classes require
horses to show at a walk, trot and canter, often calling for extended
gaits.
• Equitation: judges the rider's form and use of aids.
In any competition,
sometimes classes are broken down by Age Divisions as well as
Experience.
Tack
Saddle Seat riders use
a special saddle not seen in other English
riding disciplines. These saddles have a cut-back pommel, which is set
back usually four inches to allow for the higher withers and neck set
of the horse. The saddle has little padding, a very flat seat, and is
placed further back on the horse to allow the extravagant movement of
the horse. This saddle also deliberately places the rider slightly
"behind the motion," which makes it easier to influence both the
headset of the horse and their gaits. Along with the unique saddle the
horse wears a double (full) bridle, with both a curb bit and a bradoon.
A Pelham bit is also legal for pleasure classes, though not common. A
single curb bit is used for gaited horses such as the Tennessee Walker
and Missouri Fox Trotter. The double bridle is preferred (and mandatory
in equitation) because it allows more fine-tuning of the horse's head
and neck position. The browband is commonly brightly colored leather or
vinyl, red being the most common color. The cavesson is sometimes plain
leather, and sometimes colored to match the browband, depending on
breed and fashion trends in tack.
PHOTOS
BY KHOLRAN
Saddle Seat attire differs from that of
western or hunt seat
disciplines. For both men and women, it is closely modeled on men's
business suits and/or the tuxedo, with variations in styling designed
to improve the rider's appearance on horseback. Fashion in saddle seat
disciplines changes with the changes in menswear fashions, reflected in
collar styles, shirt and tie designs, and sometimes in length of coat
and color of linings. Conservative solid colors must be worn, such as
black, navy blue, brown, dark green or gray. However, in some classes,
it is also legal to wear a "day coat," which is a coat that is of a
contrasting color from the rider's pants. In all classes, riders wear
jodhpurs, which are close-fitting pants with knee patches and
bell-bottoms that go over the boots. A long, fitted coat is also
required. For men, the coat length usually stops just above the knee.
For women, depending on height, the coat may be below the knee, though
exact length varies from year to year. The outfit is complete with the
addition of jodhpur boots that come just over the ankle, a hat, a vest,
tie, and dark gloves. In equitation classes, where the rider is judged,
the coat and jodhpurs must match. In performance classes, where the
horse is judged, a matching equitation-style suit is appropriate.
Riders usually carry a long whip, usually black, that is similar to
that used by dressage riders. |
BY
DRAGONWINGS
Its about that time
lol. Everyone else run! Run while you still can!!.
#5 - Smelly Pitts?
Singe Them Off!
I have a few fun allergies. Coconut,
walnuts, almonds. And something in Secret Ocean Fresh clear gel.
So last week instead
of using my Degree Shower clean I opted for
something new. They had a nice smelling Brazilian Cherry from Secret
that smelled really good, but I grabbed a thingy of the Ocean, and
tossed it in my cart.
So I use it for a few
days, works great. I woke up the other
day, walked in to take a shower...and it looks like my armpits were
washed with steel wool. And they HHHHUUUURRRRTTTT!
So of course I flip
out ( and now that I’m back to living by
myself I actually have to call people to flip out, and cant just run
down the hallway )
So, this is just a teeny reminder to all of you ladies who think
of switching shampoos/deodorants/soaps etc. If they have it in a trial
size, buy it first and test it on your arm.
So Gross.
#4 - SOOOO Many
Happy People.
Yes my friends,
ignorance is bliss. Even here in VHR. That’s why
there’s so many happy people. Here’s just a quick heads up for those of
you who are piggybacking on your happiness.
- Sometimes a horses stats roll during maxing. Claiming that you
can make all the stats roll all the time when you max and say that its
a wonderful thing because your horse will stay young....yeah, that’s
crapola. Some of a horses stats may roll during maxing...but it doesn’t
happen to all of the stats all the time. Wanna make sure your horse
rolls the right way? Send it to someone who knows what they’re
doing...and please...if you do this? Leave them the bloody hell alone
so they can train for you. Don't badger them, don't annoy them, and
please. Don't be rude to them. The people who are nice enough to max
and roll for me know that I appreciate the hell out of them. They are
the reason my breeding programs are top notch, and why I have amazing
statted foals to event train.
- Before you breed your mare to any stud on the market, CHECK
THE HORSE’S STUD FEE. It is not my job to hold your hand and walk you
through my stud account and help you figure out how many 0's is too
much for you to afford. I’ve had 3 people in the last week message me
demanding for refunds because they weren’t paying attention to how much
a horse's stud fee is. It is YOUR job to make sure that you know what
you're spending. People know that I give discounts, and often send my
horses to great breeders free of charge. You not covering your bases is
no fault of mine.
|
BY
BROODMARE_PAINT
|
- You spamming me
with your BUY MY HORSE ads only gets you put
on ignore. Except from my Op ranch, then you get a polite "Please do
not send me spam ads" message.
Please don’t be rude,
be nice and don’t do it again...spam is bad.
#3 - Have you hugged
your trainer today?
Honestly. How many
times do you tell the people that work their
asses off for you that they're doing a great job? I brag about the
horses Bewt maxes and rolls for me all the time, Bewt’s work is simply
perfection. I am amazed at how well Jelly events my Jousters for me,
she's a wonderful hard working person, with a great sense of pride, and
humor. Aku accepts every bizarre art commission I give her with a
smile, and always creates a masterpiece that I could have never dreamed
of.
Don't just shove money
at the people who are part of your VHR
game experience. Let them know how much you appreciate them. Send them
a cfg from your collection. Give them a foal from their favorite breed.
Ask them to work on a project with you. Make them a banner. Or just
send them a message and let them know how much what they do for you
means to you. I complain and whine as much as anyone in my vents. But
my friends know how awesome they are.
Do yours?
#2 - Price
Check...Leashes...Isle 7
I've ranted on this
before. I'm only going to say this one more
time. I'm bloody tired of seeing a woman and her 5 kids, ages 5-7
running up and down the grocery store isles while I’m trying to grocery
shop. If you’re going to let your kids throw things at little old
ladies and drop glass jars of dill pickles on the floor, you new a
fricken reality check.
Go to the pet isle and
get your monsters on a choke chain.
#1 - Give The Phone
To Mommy!
So I’m sleeping for a
change...and my bloody phone rings...at 5 am in the morning. I answer
it.
"Hi KK!" Oh hells
bells. Its my 3 year old niece, Moira.
"Monkey....Hi monkey,
how are you?"
"Hi KK...how you?"
"I’m good...Monkey its
really early...where’s Mommy?" And
then...she’s just started rattling off...about her new kitty, her
stuffed puppy, about her blocks, coloring, and didn’t shut up once.
So about half an hour
into it, I hear her set the phone
down...and she comes back a minute later and says "KK I got juice!"
That means her mother is up. I'll be rescued!!!
No. I couldn’t just
hang up on her. She’s having some major
adjustment issues...and if I don’t spend a good amount of time on the
phone with her every once in a while she spends the day wandering
around her new plays looking for me, and crying "Where KK?" SO no, no
rescue. So we talk about juice, and the new kitty, and I ask her if
she’s hungry. "I hungy!" So she disappears again.
"KK I have cereal!"
Which means mom fed her...so sooner or later
someone’s going to notice that there’s a phone glued to the kids ear.
So...about 45 minutes later I finally hear.... "Moira...who are you
talking to?"
"I talk KK?"
"OMG YOU WOKE UP
KK!!!!" *fights for the phone* "Dragon I am
SOOOOO sorry, I had no idea she called you!” (Child doesn’t know her
phone number but she knows mine.)
Meanwhile MJ, pissed
that the phone was taken away from her,
starts screaming at the top of her lungs " MYYYYYYYYYYYY KKKKK KKKKK!"
Jolie sets the phone
down to get the milk out of the
fridge...and MJ grabs it and runs down the hallway. Then, a minute
later, I hear her whispering in the phone.... "Shhh KK we hide mommy"
Ohhhhh lordy.
So about this time I
hear "MJ....you come out here RIGHT NOW!"
Little Monkey has wedged herself in the corner of her room under her
bed, and out of moms reach.
"MJ...give the phone
to Mommy."
"NOOOOOOOO"
"MJ...give Mommy the
phone."
"NO KK!"
"..............................................................Okay
KK."
I guess she threw the
phone out from under the bed...but stayed
under there because she KNEW she was in trouble LOL. And no. I didn’t
get back to sleep.
Kids. Cant life with
them, cant give them back to the stork.
BY
BOLIVIA
|
This story is captivating story unlike other
fantasy books I've ever read. It is revolved around the idea of a
Unicorn, but has scales and is like a dragon as well. It is well
written and the plot is amazing. The mystery will unfold for you as you
become enchanted and take flight into this story---
I interviewed Shekeira
and asked her what made her write the story. Her
response was, "Well, it was after I'd read "The Firebringer Trilogy" by
Meredith Ann Pierce for the fourth or fifth time. I don't mind unicorns
being tough, but I wanted to work with kirin instead. Horses with
scales and horns ... awesome concept!" She was also asked how she got
inspired to write it, and she replied "Music, mostly pop, the 80's
variety and what ever is popular on the radio , and a need to write
something other than dragons and Phoenixes. " I also questioned her on
if she lived to write. Her answer was, " Yes. And I mean that with all
seriousness!" As a last word for the readers' she said," Keep reading
and writing. It will take you somewhere amazing."
Guardians in Exile
A short story by Shekeira
Prologue: Khura’hejn
“Khura. Hey, Khura.”
Bleary, pupil-less
emerald eyes looked up through a thick forelock at
this midnight annoyance. “What is it, Sayr?” he grumbled with more
force than was necessary. Alas, these were trying times.
Khura’hejn’s lieutenant
Sayr stepped back, his silver horn glinting in
the full light of the moon. His hooves would have, as well, had they
not been muffled by the thickness of the deep summer grasses. “Rhenka
moved the band.” Sayr gave a toss of his light blue mane, forgiving his
friend’s irritation and knowing that it was pale in comparison to the
anger that burned within.
News of his father’s
usurper brought Khura’hejn to his full height, a
mighty movement from the wallow where he had been stretched. Freed from
the confines of his forelock, Khura’s sun-golden, battle-honed horn
gleamed. “And my mother?”
|
Sayr’s blue-dappled skin shivered as he sighed in
resignation. Stamping
one pearl-scaled foreleg, he lifted his head, gazing over the hummock
and trees that shielded their small band from the rest of the valley.
“Rhenka keeps her close, as always.”
Twitching dark bay
shoulders, Khura’hejn tossed his head, settling his
substantial grey mane more comfortably over the right side of his
muscled neck. Inclining his head, he used the grooming of his grey
chest-hair as an excuse for thought – it calmed his blood, keeping him
from jumping the hummock and racing unattended to his dam’s side. Sayr
waited – dearly trying to appear patient, but failing in the quick
snapping of his tufted tail.
That the traitor to his
father’s trust was on the move meant only one
thing: he knew of their presence and was trying to get his stolen herd
to the safety of the nearby White Mountains. Khura’hejn and his exiles
had not tracked them this far to let them go so easily.
Spitting out a few
strands of grass, Khura blinked. “Rally the band,” he said at last.
“The same as the last
time?” Sayr asked, sliding into step with his
friend as Khura crested the hummock; the bay stallion planted his
golden hooves atop the rise, staring down at the shadows that milled
beneath, glad for the stillness in the air and the cover of the trees.
“No,” he said at last.
He peered down, his night-honed eyes having
little trouble discerning the shadows from the bold bodies of his kin.
“Does there seem to be more? I count at least five more than the last
time.”
“Sirras said as much
before he left,” Sayr replied, trying to draw his friend away. “I heard
that …”
Khura let his friend wander where his conjectures led him; he was too
busy scanning the large herd for a familiar form, one whose horn
gleamed with diamond radiance. High above, the moon winked, casting
silver over the valley. But Rhenka was an old campaigner, despite his
youth; he kept his prize to the deepest shadows and planted his
warriors around the tight ring, so that their own serrated horns caught
the light of the moon.
To read Guardians in Exile, please contact Shekeira on the VHR
Forums. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
