Has your heritage determined your riding style?
Taking part in riding holidays with The Riding Company gives a rider a unique insight into the equestrian culture of a country.
In Portugal, it appears that men dominate the sport.
Fit, athletic men with an appreciation of spending time under the sun, in the fresh air and at one with their horse. Dressage is particularly popular but also evidently masculine. Is it that the heritage of training horses for the bull-fighting ring has earned the rider the ability to perform modern-day movements with both a sense of strength and sensitivity?
In South Africa there’s a definate response to carriage driving – something often viewed as a rarity in Britain for instance. But rewind just a couple of hundred years and trade relied upon the ability to drive wagon trains of oxen and horses across the mountains.
In Britain, hunting is the predominant equestrian sport, giving riders there a reputation for being somewhat gung-ho with bravery celebrated over riding style.
Can you tell us your country’s equestrian heritage and if it has influenced your riding style?
And, in a riding holiday are you therefore seeking something to match that style or using the experience to sample a different culture, a new outlook from the saddle?
We look forward to your comments.
