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Commentary on "A Judge's Impression of the Ride" By Gretchen Patterson The growth and expansion of the Frank Hopkins website has been astounding, and I was privileged to have my observation of this great horseman included on the Tributes page. In perusing the other pages, I read all the articles and was very impressed with the story written by Frank about the Vermont Green Mountains Sixth Annual 100 Mile Ride which he judged in 1941. He wanted the readers to understand that good horsemanship enabled the riders to complete the ride and that the horses were not 'used up', over ridden or neglected. He talked briefly about several topics including natural gait, balanced shoeing and foot care, saddle and bridle fit, and well-adjusted tack as well as traveling up and down hills. This short piece whetted my curiosity for more of Mr. Hopkins' observations on distance riding. When climbing up hills, Frank observes that if a rider "flops back in the saddle to rest himself, thus putting all his weight in one spot, digging the cantle into the horse's back—and there you have a sore back for the horse—even though you cannot understand how it came there." As a competitive trail rider and judge, one of the usual equitation points judged is how a rider sits the horse when going up an incline. Riders should be light and balanced in the saddle with the weight centered over the horse's withers, not back against the cantle. "Sitting heavy" in the saddle is a point deduction on the Horsemanship Card. Points can also be deducted for riders with slumped shoulders and poor posture. Although many distance riders use bits successfully, the seasoned trail or endurance horse travels best with a hackamore or bitless bridle. I have seen some horses that ride with only a set of reins attached to the halter. This easy going headgear allows a horse to drink and or graze on the trail (when allowed), keeping him energized and refreshed for the long miles ahead. Mr. Hopkins states, "don't ride on the bit. A fairly loose line makes a happy horse and contented rider." As a judge, I observe many breeds of horses and many styles of saddles. I have listened to different makers expound upon proper saddle fit and just how to accomplish same, but I will have to agree with Frank that the only way to tell if a saddle works with a horse is to ride some long miles. The truth of a well fitted saddle will out when the day's ride is done and the horse's back is uniformly wet with no dry spots or pressure spots, no heat or heat bumps and no pain. These gems of horsemanship from Frank Hopkins, gained from many hours "polishing the saddle seat" give us a unique look back at the beginnings of endurance and competitive distance riding sports. Even if most riders today don't know who he was, his knowledge and experiences have been the basis for established concepts and proper horse keeping in the world of modern distance riding. "He always took care of his horses first." Gretchen Patterson is a judge for the North American Trail Ride Conference Horsemanship, Region 4 http://www.horsemassage.com |
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this site sponsored by The Horse of the Americas Registry, & IRAM - the Institute of Range and the American Mustang email:info@frankhopkins.com |
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