From: Doug
Dear Jessica, I have been wondering this for quite some time now and thought that you might be willing to explain it to me. I am fascinated by Western horses and Western riding. Can you tell me please, what exactly does a cutting horse DO? And why do you say that it is so difficult to ride one? I should perhaps mention that I live in Scotland, where we don't see many Western horses or competitions. I have always been curious about the cutting horses, however, because they appear to be so independent. At least, on the films where I have seen them, they appear to be working without direction from their riders, or is it that their riders are using only leg signals?
Thank you for helping me to understand this. Doug
Hi Doug! The difficulty involved in riding a cutting horse exists because the rider needs a relaxed, supple body, a strong hold of the saddle horn, and the ability to keep his or her eyes on the cow at all times -- that's the only way to know which way the horse will move. All of this demands good muscle tone and balance, and the ability to allow the horse to move the rider here and there. For riders who are less than fit, and for those who want to be the controlling, directing force, riding a cutting horse can be a painful -- or a brief -- experience. If the rider stiffens and tries to shift his own or the horse's balance in one direction or another, the next moment is likely to involve the rider hitting the ground.
The rider of a cutting horse has a simple job: to indicate to the horse precisely which animal is wanted, and then to stay out of the horse's way until the time is up. At that point, the rider indicates to the horse that its job is done, and the horse stops working. But, as with so much of riding, "simple" is not at all the same as "easy".
Riding a cutting horse will exercise muscles that you didn't even know you had. You're from Scotland -- think of a sheepdog in action -- a Border Collie, say. If you've ever watched sheepdog trials and seen the way a collie separates one particular sheep from the rest of the bunch, then mirrors the sheep's movements to keep it separated from the bunch, then directs its movements to make it go somewhere else entirely, you've got a good idea of how a cutting horse works. Its job is very similar to the job performed by a sheepdog.
Now that you have the picture of the sheepdog in your mind, imagine that the Border Collie is 15 hands high and 1000 pounds, and moving in exactly the same way: head and shoulders low, eyes and ears utterly focused on the sheep, body jumping, stopping, shifting instantly in all directions to prevent the sheep escaping back to the group. NOW, imagine that you are sitting on this extra-large Border Collie, trying not to interfere with its movement, and trying not to fall off!
THAT is what it feels like to ride a cutting horse in action. A rider who doesn't flow with the horse's motion will end up on the ground, or will become the proud owner of huge, painful bruises to the inner thighs.
Jessica
Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE is a free, subscriber-supported electronic Q&A email newsletter which deals with all aspects of horses, their management, riding, and training. For more information, please visit www.horse-sense.org
Please visit Jessica Jahiel: Holistic Horsemanship® [www.jessicajahiel.com] for more information on Jessica Jahiel's clinics, video lessons, phone consultations, books, articles, columns, and expert witness and litigation consultant services.