Jineta saddles and jineta style riding is balanced riding where the saddle has stirrups more centered, which allows for the rider to be balanced and in alignment from shoulder, hip, heel. "The jineta saddle promotes loin coiling in the horse, ensuring his comfort and mobility including that of his rider." (Quote from the Conquerors.)
Brida saddles and brida style riding is heavy to the rear, feet forward, riding the horse's face. "Brida" is short for "riding from the hand". "The rider's weight pressing down on the tabs crushed the horse's loins, ensuring that he maintain a hollow back, a high head position, and often, a forced ambling gait." (Quote from the Conquerors.) So, what we have going on with the Icelandic Horses is a big cycle. The brida saddles hollow out the horse, the horse *tolts*, the natural gait of the horse is ignored, obscured, trainers don't learn how to work with natural gaits, evaluations are based on mechanical gaits, breeding is done based on mechanical gaits, gaits deteriorate, horses aren't "set in their gait" because the trainers don't know how to do it, and whatever gait is being put upon them may not be their natural gait..... etc. Judy http://iceryder.net http://clickryder.com
