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Elizabeth Roden
Prof. Peter Blair
Assignment #3 Final Draft
November 27, 2014
A Stable Relationship
Horseback riding is the kind of hobby where you feel a sense of power. The power comes
from the animal underneath the rider, and the rider must trust the horse to be cooperative. Two
beings are joined as one, both with different perspectives, yet working in harmony. This is the
ultimate mastery, which I started working towards when I fell in love with the sport at a very
young age. I went through a process of learning how to connect myself and the horse together
such as taking lessons in both the English and western discipline, learning techniques of both
disciplines, learning how to dress appropriately, and by becoming literate in the language of
riding. When I became more competitive, I learned about show culture and the politics involved.
Throughout the years, I have become a more serious rider through learning the discipline with
determination, hard work, and a positive attitude.
I acquired my first horse when I was in kindergarten when my dad had bought him in our
school's annual auction. He was a brown and white painted horse, named Sockett, with kind eyes
and a loving personality. We had a hard time at first finding a decent place to board him, but
finally, my mom found an ad in the paper for horse boarding and lessons. At this stable, we met
the trainer, named Mr. Bell. Mr. Bell was a short, stocky older man that always wore a white,
button down shirt with black slacks and black shoes. I never saw him wear anything else. I took
lessons with him and I quickly learned that he was easy to disappoint. He wasn't the kind of
trainer that merely scolded when I did something wrong. He raged, and he raged hard. Put your

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God D- heel down! Dont be a f-ing idiot! He was aggressive too. Once I had a crop, which is
essentially a whip to control a horses behavior and pace, and the horse was acting up. I couldnt
control the horse so Mr. Bell snatched the crop from my hands, jerked the bit farther into the
horses mouth, and whipped the hell out of that horse until it decided to calm down. Even though
Mr. Bell was harsh, he had the best intentions. He was an excellent trainer and wanted his
students to succeed, so if being harsh is what produced results, that is what he had to do.
Sockett was an American Paint horse, which is more suited for western because he was
bred for a laid-back personality, slow movement, and he keeps his head low to the ground.
Western wear is typically relaxed, with only jeans, and heeled boots. Helmets are usually never
worn. Most western saddles are similar, except barrel racing saddles and cutting saddles have a
different cut for aerodynamics. The bridles usually have only a headband and the reins are split.
Western riders typically ride with one hand only, using neck reining as their guide for the
horse. Neck reining is when the rider can move their rein arm to the left or the right, depending
on the direction they want the horse to move. The horse is usually trained for this at a young age.
The rider usually sits deep into the saddle, on their butt, and they wear a long stirrup. The gaits
for western is similar to English, however western moves at a slower pace. Instead of a trot for
English, in western it is known as a jog, and instead of a canter, western riders use lope.
(Dictionary of Horse Terms)
I participated in my first horse show with Sockett in a juniors western pleasure division.
Western pleasure is a type of discipline that judges the horse on its conformation, performance,
and the condition of the horse. (Cirelli p. 1) The horse moves in the basic three gaits: walk, jog,
and lope. The horse should smoothly transition through the gaits, seeming relaxed and
effortless. The rider should seem as they are not cuing the horse at all. (Cirelli p. 2) About thirty
minutes outside of where we lived, there was a rodeo arena that held events for western riders

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almost every weekend. The show was held here, with about twenty other riders competing in one
ring at the same time. I remember going into the ring feeling nervous. Although it was a big ring,
the horses seemed pretty packed inside, with only a few feet between each horse. If one horse
was going slower than another, they were passed. I was passed several times, and it made me
lose focus on what I was doing with my horse. When they called Transition to a lope, I was
pinned against the metal railing, too squished and claustrophobic to ask my horse to move up a
gait. Then suddenly, all of the horses were moving faster than me, and I panicked because I was
moving slower than everyone else. Frustrated, I kicked and pushed, forgetting that I was being
obvious with my cues, but Sockett never budged. He could tell that I was uncomfortable in that
ring, so he hardly ever went faster than a walk. At the end of the contest, I didnt earn a ribbon.
That wasnt surprising, but still disappointing. I learned that when in showing it easy to get
nervous, but it is important to keep focus on yourself and the horse.
When we moved to a house that accommodated horses, Mr. Bell was hired by my parents
to live on site and train Sockett and I together. Along with him, he brought his horse named
Thunder, which was an Arabian breed meant for the English discipline. Arabian breeds are
known for being hot tempered, which means they are known for their speed and have a skittish
personality. (Hot-Blooded Horses p. 3) This was much different from Socketts laid-back
attitude, so when I got on Thunder for the first time, I learned that he wasnt an easy horse to
ride. Mr. Bell put me on Thunder to balance out my knowledge of the English and western
discipline. Many of the times that I rode Thunder ended up in a fall. I got to the point to where I
hated riding him because all I did was end up on the ground. Sometimes when Mr. Bell told me it
was Thunders turn to be ridden, I would hide in the bathroom until Mr. Bell yelled at me. Get
your ass out here and get on this horse! I did what I was told, and ended up on the ground again.
There was one time where I was riding him in the small round-pin arena that we had outside the

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barn. Somewhere, a tractor backfired and Thunder bolted to the side and bucked, throwing me
against one of the poles that made the round-pin. I remember being sprawled on the ground and
watching Thunder bolt around the round pin until he ran over me. I dont remember anything
until I was sitting in a hospital bed, and my eyes were being blinded by a flashlight a doctor was
using. Even after this incident, I continued to ride Thunder. Eventually, I learned how to control
him better. I learned the power of the bit, and how making him do tight circles would straighten
up his act. I also learned that when the feeling of him under me became tenser, it was time to
brace myself. I learned to be more confident with Thunder and know when to act to keep myself
in the saddle.
Thunder was the horse that I learned the English discipline on. His breed was suited more
for English riding because he is more upbeat and is naturally collected, which means that he
keeps both his head and his hindquarters closer together to have a more compacted frame, and
he will move lighter on his hooves. (Sutor p. 1) These are essential in all English disciplines.
For English riding, we used a typical jumping style saddle known as a close-contact saddle. This
gives the rider the most contact as they can with the horse, hence the name. The bridle has a
noseband, and the reins are connected. Most English riders wear breeches (which are a type of
English riding pant), gloves, a helmet, and either paddock boots with half chaps or tall, leather
boots. I was taught to ride English two-handed, with the slack in the reins on the side of the horse
that is closest to the wall of the ring. Sitting in the saddle, I learned that is best to have a
forward position, which means to essentially sit on your crotch and not your butt. With any
discipline, everyone is taught to keep their heels down, with the balls of their feet on the base of
the stirrup.
The basic English gaits are walk, trot, and canter. A canter looks a lot like a gallop,
but it is slower, and more controlled. There are more advanced gaits, when schooling deeper into

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a specific discipline. For instance, a half-pass in dressage is when the horse moves sideways
and forward at the same time. A hand gallop is not quite a full gallop, but an extension of the
canter. When I would transition between gaits with Thunder, I would use a technique called a
half-halt, which is not at all a halt, but a motion to ask the horse to pay attention, because a
new cue is about to be made. (Foster and Smith)
When I grew older, we had moved to North Carolina and were unable to take Sockett and
Thunder with us. They were sold to a nice family that planned to use Thunder in an endurance
division of English and Sockett as a western pleasure horse. To quench my passion for riding, I
found a hunter-jumper stable in the mountain area I was living. The stable was called Carolina
Hill Hunters, and they showed horses with their riders regularly. We met the trainer named
Julianna and her twenty year-old daughter, Jennifer. Julianna and Jennifer were both down to
earth, and didnt give the first impression of snobbiness like most English riders would.
Juliannas stable was fairly large, with twenty stalls and a large tack room. Behind the barn was
the riding arena, standard competition size, and equipped with jumps.
I hadnt had much experience jumping, since Mr. Bell taught me mostly flat ground
English. The new experience taught me a lot about jumping. Carolina Hill was a hunter stable,
which is different from show jumping, even though both disciplines are over fences. Show
jumping is timed, and the jumps are much larger. In Grand Prix jumping, the highest rails are
55, and are brightly colored. In hunter jumping, or hunt seat, the tallest rails are 36, and
colors are neutral. The horse is judged on both style and performance, rather than speed. The
horse must have a smooth and effortless performance when jumping fences. (Hunter Seat
Equition, p. 1) Also, the rider must be able to count strides from jump to jump. This means that
there is a set number of strides the horse must take between each jump. Its up to the rider to be
able to judge the distance and control the horse to fit the number of strides. Points are knocked

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off for rubbing or knocking over a rail, adding a stride, incorrect form, and disobedience
of the horse. (HU Hunter Division)
Julianna allowed me and a few other girls to work in the barn for lessons. This way,
lessons were essentially free, and all I really had to do was feed the horses, muck stalls, give
showers, and turn the horses out into the pasture. I did lessons at least every other day, and I
became attached to a certain horse named Elmo. He was a gray Arabian/Thoroughbred cross, and
he had the kind of puppy dog personality that people instantly fell in love with. When someone
would walk by, he would instantly get excited and start prancing around his stall. Then when
someone pet him, he would nuzzle his head into that person's hands. He listened well for his
breed, yet was still peppy. Every time I would go to the barn, I was excited just to see Elmo, and
he seemed just as excited to see me, as well. We trained together, and I hardly had any trouble at
all handling him. Elmo and I made a connection unlike the previous horses I had owned, and we
became an inseparable pair.
One day, I ended up showing Elmo at a hunt seat competition dubbed the Harmon
Classic. We were entered into the walk, trot, canter cross rails division. This division is novice
and simple. The first step is to create a circle at a walk in front of the entrance, and then create
another circle at a trot. When I ended the trot, I created a third circle at a canter, and then
cantered my course over the eighteen inch cross rails. It was an easy course, with only four tiny
jumps positioned to make a circle in the dirt arena. Elmo and I moved through the course
smoothly, without any major blunders. We were used to practicing on at least two foot jumps, in
a more complicated pattern, so this course seemed too easy for me. I felt silly, because it was just
me and another girl my age showing against twelve year olds. Not to mention that I felt really
bad when I won the champion ribbon from this division. However, I was new to hunt seat, so this

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division was appropriate for me. Don't worry about what people think of you, Julianna told
me. Everyone has to start somewhere.
Later on in my hunt seat career, I worked myself up to the short stirrup division, which
was a much more intensive course, with jumps reaching a height of 26. The course was done
completely at a canter, and the rider had to memorize the course before entering the arena. I
found that this one was a lot more nerve-wracking than the walk/trot/canter course because I had
to really focus on strides, where I was going, how my horse was behaving, and my form, all at
the same time. Also, there was a lot of pressure from a hundred or so people watching me. I
competed against thirty other riders and received third place in this division. Honestly, when it
comes to horseback riding, I am a perfectionist, so I was a little disappointed with receiving a
third place ribbon. I shouldnt have been, because I was third out of thirty. I learned later from
Julianna that a lot of people who know the judges show in these competitions, so there are some
politics that come into play. Some stables who have a bad reputation have a tendency to not
receive ribbons regardless of how well they did in the ring. This taught me to not be so uptight
about my score because a lot of the judging is based on who the judges know, and vice versa.
Slowly, I learned how to connect with the horse I was riding. It is hard to learn at first. In
fact, connecting with your horse on a personal level can only be done when you ride the horse
for an extensive amount of time. Jumping from horse to horse wont give you results. I learned
from the each discipline that it is important to recognize the power in the horse. I had a personal
connection with Elmo, Sockett, and Thunder. All of them were different in personalities, and I
get to know each of them over time. They were a big part in my advancement in my riding
discourse. I learned a lot about the English and western discipline, how to get over a fear, and
how to keep myself from feeling pressured by outside sources. To this day, I use what I learned
even outside of the riding culture. For example, I keep myself focused on school work and

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prevent myself from being distracted various outside-of-class sources. I learned to try my best,
but to also remember to not stress over being imperfect. My riding passion is a hobby that I will
carry far into my future, as well as the lessons that I have learned from it.

Works Cited
Cirelli, Al. "Judging the Western Pleasure Horse." Cooperative Extension. University of Nevada,
Reno. Web. 27 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/ag/other/fs9610.pdf>.

"Dictionary of Horse Terms." Horses and Horse Information. American Horse Rider and Horses

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and Horse Information, 14 Aug. 2011. Web. 27 Nov. 2014. <http://www.horses-andhorse-information.com/horsedictionary.shtml>.

Foster, and Smith. "Riding Terms." Doctors Foster & Smith. Foster and Smith, Inc. Web. 27
Nov. 2014. <http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?articleid=1627>.

"Hot-blooded Horses." Horses and Horse Information. American Horse Rider and Horses and
Horse Information. Web. 27 Nov. 2014. <http://www.horses-and-horseinformation.com/articles/horses-hotbloods.shtml>.

"HU Hunter Division." USEF Rule Book. USEF. Web. 27 Nov. 2014.
<https://www.usef.org/documents/ruleBook/2013/17-HU.pdf>.

"Hunter Seat Equitition." United States Equestrian Federation. USEF. Web. 27 Nov. 2014.
<https://www.usef.org/_IFrames/breedsDisciplines/discipline/allhse.aspx>.

Sutor, Cheryl. "What Is Collection?" Equusite. Web. 27 Nov. 2014.

<http://www.equusite.com/articles/riding/ridingCollection.shtml>.