Drama Riding

Introduction

Drama Riding, a term coined by George Morris, is a new form of jumping position to fool the judge to think the rider's horse has a powerful jump. Drama Riders severely jump ahead, swing their legs back, duck, look down and throw the reins too far up the horse's neck. It is seen in the Hunter Ring and it is very, very ugly. Some professional hunter riders/trainers Drama Ride instead of riding in the classical form. Drama Riding is very dangerous because it makes the horse unbalanced and possibly fall or stop at a fence.

Some riders believe it's because Hunters is all about the horse and the rider's position shouldn't matter. This is a very poor excuse because it is seen by younger, inexperienced riders, and amateurs who copy the style. This is not a passing fad and you can look into a any equine magazine and see Drama Riding.

It has been discussed at length by George Morris. Morris starts one article "Last month (and long before) I was thumbing through issues of The Chronicle, and I was truly appalled by the style-or lack of style-of the top professional hunter riders in this country. Yes, I'm sure they have great feel, sense of pace, and eye for distance, but, my fellow horsemen, that is not enough."

Drama Riding Faults

The major faults of Drama riding are:

severely jumping ahead: It can be so severe that the rider's torso and pelvis is laying on the horse's neck. If the horse would stumble or stop, the rider would fly over the horse's head and hit the ground. Sometimes the horse is so unbalanced that it crashes through the fence, destroying it's confidence.

Incorrect release: Instead of using the classical Automatic Release, Drama Riders throw the reins to the horse's ears. This is due to severely jumping ahead. When you throw the reins away, you do not provide any support for the horse and ultimately lose control.

Incorrect Leg Position: Correct leg position provided support for your lower body which in turn keeps you balanced and put you in correct jumping position. Drama riders, due to riding with incorrect stirrup length (Their leg is at 110 degree angle, rather then the correct 90 degree angle) swing their legs back to the horse's flank, which in turn makes their upper body swing forward onto the neck. It irritates the horse as the leg touches the flank and may make the horse buck or even stop at a fence.

Ducking: Another severe fault is ducking. Instead of looking up, in between the horse's ear at the next fence, the rider ducks down onto the horse's neck and look down. When the rider is looking down, it makes them very unbalanced.

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