Читать книгу Geoff Teall on Riding Hunters, Jumpers and Equitation - Geoff Teall - Страница 14

Which should take precedence: form or function?

In other words, should you ride in a correct position, knowing your horse might not have the training or the talent to respond correctly? Or, should you sacrifice position to make sure that the horse gets the job done? When you are not yet competing at the top levels, this can be a real dilemma.

This topic is a tricky part of judging. As a judge, my instinct is to favor function over form, if I must choose. But, it often depends on the individual riders in the class in question.

When I have a hard time deciding where I will lower my standards (as when pinning a lower-level equitation class), I consider everything in relation to the horse. Let’s say I must choose between two contestants:

 One rider has excellent position but is stiff as a board and consequently annoys and bothers the horse.

 The other rider has poorer position but is going with the flow and not irritating the horse.

I would let the horse be the deciding factor in this situation. I would pin the rider who is less offensive to the horse. To me, the horse is the best judge of a rider’s ability.

The ideal I am always looking for, however, is the rider with good style who isn’t so stiff and artificial that he affects the horse in an unnatural way.