It’s not unusual to hear people talk about the fact that a horse can feel a fly land on him, and therefore, can be expected to respond to light aids.

Which is why a horse responds when we ride in a half-seat, which is the same as a light three-point seat.  In a three-point seat, which is what we usually ride in without thinking of it as “three point,” contact is extended to the seat bones in addition to the “two-point” contact of the knees.  In a half-seat, the contact of our seat bones is light.

Jimmy Wofford, some of whose fans call him the Woff (always with a silent exclamation point), explained the advantages of the half-seat over the two-point seat in his gymnastics clinic at the Equine Affaire in Massachusetts last weekend:

Continue reading →