Summer Shows

I hope you all enjoyed reading my first blog. Since the last one, I seem to have had a very busy run of clinics and judging.

It’s always an honour to be asked to judge and for me, none more so than at The Side Saddle Association National Championships. Over the year’s, I’ve attended most Nationals, either as a competitor, coach or judge and the thrill of the show never really goes away. Even the rain and unseasonal weather at this year’s show couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of everyone and it’s always lovely to see a real sense of camaraderie within the side saddle community, with new riders being welcomed alongside the long established riders and there really is a class for everyone!

I had the pleasure of judging quite a variety of classes from the Intermediate Equitation Championships, to Mountain and Moorlands, Working Hunter and Arabs. The biggest honour though was to be asked to be one of 4 judges for the highly prestigious Side Saddle Rider of the Year Final, which, if you’ve never seen it, is a real must to watch as it follows a unique format… The top four riders from the combined results of the Open Equitation and Open Equitation Jumping are invited to come forward into the evening performance where they take it in turns to ride each other’s horses.

Each of the 4 judges is asked to assess and judge the riders on one of the four horses and place the riders from 1st to 4th as they complete a 2 minute display to include walk, trot, canter and lengthened strides. The ideal is for the rider to be able to clearly get a good tune from each horse and to do so whilst maintaining an elegant and effective position.

It’s a huge accomplishment for any rider to make it into this ultimate test of side saddle riding and preparation is key, as it is for competing at every level and this is my blog theme this time.

We have all had to start somewhere and in many cases we have to learn from our mistakes along the way, but I think, irrespective of what level you want to compete at or what your individual goals are, it’s essential to try to cover as many eventualities as you can in your preparation.

It goes without saying that at the top level attention to detail is a must if you’re going to succeed, but maintaining the same level of professionalism and attention to detail can set you apart at all levels.

Horses should be sufficiently schooled to meet the expectations of the class. Both horse and rider need to be side saddle fit. I have always liked to build up my horses’ level of side saddle fitness by hacking them out side saddle as well as practising in an arena or schooling area. Riding little and often is generally, in my opinion, the best way to build up that fitness. We have to remember that for the horse, the saddle is heavier than an astride one and sits a little further back, so the horse has to get used to this additional weight. A good tip is to harden the skin of the horse’s back with surgical spirits or salt water.

Caledonia hacking out side saddle as part of his side saddle fittening programme.

Tack and equipment should be immaculate and I’ll be doing future You Tube tutorials on how to achieve the perfect look with your saddle and bridle, but it’s impossible to do a quick fix on tack- it needs to be well maintained and treated over a sustained period of time, which will undoubtedly include checking and rebalancing by a side saddle specialist side saddler from time to time to tweak the saddle as needed.

Rules for side saddle turnout are all detailed on the Side Saddle Association (SSA) website for classes held within the UK. It can however still be quite daunting and confusing for a newcomer to the world of side saddle as to what to wear and when- shirt and tie or a stock, safety hat/ bowler or silk top hat, what colour gloves and whether to ride in a snaffle or double… the list of questions I get asked regularly on the subject of turnout is endless, but a very key part of the preparation. Don’t be afraid to ask any SSA instructor for advice on these matters or better still, go and watch at some of the top shows or your local SSA Area shows where there will be plenty of people to help and advise you.

On the day of competing, organisation and allowing plenty of time to get ready are key factors to help ensure the day goes to plan. Work out your detailed timings from what time you anticipate your class will be going in, to how much working in you need to do and whether you plan to do that astride earlier on or side saddle. Allow yourself plenty of time to make sure you can perfect your horse’s turnout, whilst making sure you’ve got time to get yourself dressed up in your show clothes and ready for the class- there’s nothing worse than being in a panic to get everything done before getting to the ring! Then it’s time to go and enjoy your time in the ring- remember there can only be one winner but every outing gives you the opportunity to learn and gain experience for another day. Good luck!

Week Orchard Royal Russett winning a class at a SSA National Championships