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Style of horse riding
an airliner saddle seat

Saddle seat is a style of horse riding within the category of English riding that is designed to show off the high action of certain horse breeds. The style developed into its modern form in the United States, and is also seen in Canada and South Africa. To a much lesser extent, it is ridden with American horse breeds in Europe and Australia. The goal of the saddle seat riding style is to show off the horse's extravagant gaits, particularly the trot. It is not to be confused with the various hunt seat disciplines.

Saddle seat riding began as a distinct style within the broader group of English riding disciplines developed in the United States. The first source was the Plantation tradition of the American South, where smooth moving, high stepping horses were used by plantation owners and overseers to travel across the fields. The horses had to be smooth riding and comfortable enough for hours of riding while overseeing the plantation, but the owners also preferred an impressive, high stepping horse for riding in town. A second influence was European: a flatter English show saddle was developed from the tradition of riders who would often show off their flashiest, highest stepping horses by riding them in city parks on Sundays. Hence, the term "park horse" is still used today to describe competitions in which the action of the horse is of paramount importance. In the northern United States, showing high stepping horses in a flat park style saddle at fairs was one way breeders would promote their horses.

Saddle seat is a style of English riding that differs considerably from other styles such as hunt seat and dressage. To the casual observer the rider sits well back in the saddle, carrying his or her hands higher than in other disciplines. Riders in equitation classes are penalized for leaning forward to any significant degree. However, like any other riding discipline, the position of the rider reflects the desired position of the horse. The rider must make the riding look effortless, and stay still and well formed on the horse, sitting upright, with shoulders back and posting that is graceful and quiet. In saddle seat, high stepping gaits are required of the horses shown, and the rider's position, behind the center of balance of the animal, allows the riding aids to be used to encourage front leg action in the horse.

Horse breeds usually shown saddle seat style typically have upright necks and free moving, animated gaits. Several breeds do well in this discipline, with the most well known being the American Saddlebred. Other breeds commonly exhibited in saddle seat style include Arabians, Morgans, Tennessee Walking Horses, and assorted partbred or crossbreda derived from these breeds, such as Spotted Saddle Horses, National Show Horses, and Racking Horse. In addition, Hackneys, Dutch Harness Horses, Paso Finos, Missouri Foxtrotters, and Rocky Mountain Horses are sometimes shown in this discipline. Less often, Friesians and Andalusians are exhibited. The trot or gait for applicable breeds and divisions is generally considered to be the most prized gait. The 2020 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) rule book defines movement for American Saddlebred and Half American Saddlebred horses to be "clean, rhythmic and fluid action which is straight and true". Saddle seat horses should appear to be energetic and pleasant, while responsive to the exhibitor.

Correct saddle seat attire differs from that of western or hunt seat disciplines. For both men and women, it is closely modeled on men's business suits and/or the tuxedo, with variations in styling designed to improve the rider's appearance on horseback. Fashion in saddle seat disciplines changes with changes in menswear fashions, reflected in collar styles, shirt and tie designs, and sometimes in length of coat and color of linings. According to the United States Equestrian Federation, conservative solid colors must be worn, such as black, navy blue, brown, dark green or gray. Pinstriped fabrics and other fabric textures that appear solid at a distance are also acceptable. However, in some classes, it is also legal to wear a "day coat", which is a coat that is of a contrasting color from the rider's trousers. In all classes, riders wear Kentucky jodhpurs (sometime nicknamed "jods"), which are close fitting pants with knee patches and bell bottoms that go over the boots, usually with a strap that goes under the boot to keep them from riding up. A long, fitted coat is also required. For men, the coat length usually stops just above the knee. For women, depending on height, the coat may be below the knee, though exact length varies from year to year as show ring fashions change. The outfit is complete with the addition of jodhpur boots that come just over the ankle (similar to "paddock boots" sometimes worn in other disciplines), a hat (usually a derby for women and a fedora for men), a vest, tie, and dark gloves. In some breeds, riders have coat linings made in a contrasting color to add extra flash, though colored linings go in and out of style. In equitation classes, in which the rider is judged, the coat and jods must match. In performance classes, in which the horse is judged, a matching equitation style suit is appropriate, or riders, particularly women, may wear a day coat. Riders usually carry a longish whip, usually black, that is similar to that used by dressage riders. English style spurs are optional. Technically a white handled whip is only carried after 6:00 pm, but that particular tradition is widely ignored. After 6:00 p. m., some classes allow a rider to wear formal attire, which is based on formal menswear fashion and usually consists of a black or dark navy blue long coat with matching satin lapels, top hat, vest or cummerbund, bow tie, white gloves and matching jodhpurs with matching satin strip on the outside of the pant leg. No formal attire can be worn in pleasure or pleasure equitation classes, (except for Morgan horse) competition, but it is commonly seen in evening equitation championships, and in "park" style riding and Driving classes for American Saddlebreds and Arabians. In a few breed disciplines, though never in equitation, wearing flashy, brocaded coats in a formal class in lieu of a matching suit is occasionally fashionable, usually depending on parallel styles in the world of men's fashions. Under United States Equestrian Federation rules, a rider may opt to wear protective headgear in any class without penalty. In small, unrated, "academy" or "schooling" shows, classes for people new to saddle seat may relax the dress requirements and allow exhibitors to show without a costly show jacket, and simply wear Kentucky jodhpurs, boots, a long sleeve button down shirt, sometimes a vest, and an equestrian helmet instead of a derby.

Show ring grooming and "turnout" of the saddle seat horse is intended to emphasise elegance and grace. There are noticeable variations in grooming style between breeds, and sometimes within different disciplines of the same breed. Therefore, it is often quite easy even for newcomers to tell which breed is being shown by the observing the way the horses are groomed.

Horses shown saddle seat generally are left with a very long, flowing mane that is not trimmed or pulled. Tennessee Walking Horses, five gaited American Saddlebreds, three gaited pleasure, and park Saddlebreds, and other gaited breeds that adhere closely to their traditions, are usually shown with a full mane and forelock, though the forelock and the first lock of the mane may be braided with satin ribbon, which is color coordinated with the browband of the bridle and the rider's outfit. (In recent years, the trend amongst Saddlebred exhibitors is to clip off the forelock.) On the other hand, Arabian and Morgan horses show with a full mane and tail with no additions; exhibitors are specifically prohibited from braiding or adding ribbons to their horses. American Saddlebreds shown specifically in three gaited competition are shown with a roached (entirely clipped off) mane and forelock, to accentuate the lines of the neck and head. For all other breeds, only part of the mane is trimmed. This area, called the bridle path (the area of the mane just behind the horse's ears, where the bridle lies across the top of the horse's head), is often trimmed farther down the neck than in other disciplines in order to show off the clean throatlatch, length, and elegance of the horse's neck. While most show horses in the United States have a short bridle path (a bridle path less than six inches long or equal in length to the height of the horse's ear is a common rule of thumb), saddle seat horses often have a bridle path 8 to 12 inches long, depending on current fashion. There are variations in bridle path lengths: Arabian horse exhibitors are particularly prone to shaving extremely long bridle paths, while exhibitors of American Saddlebreds less so, and Morgan horse exhibitors typically fall in the middle.

The tail is left long, and often the bottom of it is kept wrapped up at the stable so that it grows long enough to skim or even drag on the ground as the horse moves, and only taken down for show. Formerly, the upper portion of a three gaited horse's tail was shaved to balance the look of the roached mane and remains legal for show, but in recent decades the trend has been to keep a normal tail. Classes for three gaited horses with full manes and tails are also offered.

The American Saddlebred and Tennessee Walking Horse are shown with an artificially positioned tail in the "high action" classes, including park, three gaited, five gaited, and fine harness competition. Set tails are not allowed in Saddlebred or Tennessee Walking horse pleasure classes or in most flat shod classes, though a horse which has previously been shown with a set tail may be allowed in some classes if its tail has been taken down and allowed to return to its natural position. Other saddle seat breeds, such as the Arabian, Racking Horse and Morgan, prohibit tail setting altogether. It is important to note that all American Saddlebred horses can compete with a natural, unset, and/or unbraced tail regardless of the division without penalty. It is possible to achieve the same look without the horse having to go through the nicking procedure. It is possibly to stretch the tail muscles by hand on a regular basis by pulling the tail up over the back. In conjunction with this, a tail set is also used that is tightened over time to raise the tail. This method is uncommon since it is more time consuming and yields a "tighter" tail that is physically more difficult to brace. If an upright tail position is desired, a humane brace can be used in the show ring to avoid physically altering the tail. This is a wire attachment that sits on top of the tail to give the appearance of a brace. False hair is used to cover the wire attachment. Humane braces are uncommon since they are difficult to stabilize on the tail, especially in riding horses. Set tails require much effort on the part of the groom. If the tail set shifts off center, the tail can become permanently crooked or skin damage can occur. If the set tail is not taken care of appropriately, even a nicked tail will drop down to a more normal position in a few months. Because it could be dangerous to turn a horse out in a tail set, horses in active competition are generally stalled while wearing their tail sets. Many horses only wear their sets at shows and for a day or two prior, while others wear their sets for the entire competition season. Between shows, in the off season, and of course after retirement, a horse does not wear its tail set and even a nicked tail will drop to some degree; many returning to a completely normal appearance and even regaining their ability to clamp down. If the horse is shown again at a later time, many horses with nicked tails need only wear the tail set for a few days before a show to re stretch the tail muscles into the correct position.

The horse's legs are trimmed, and the chestnut cut close to the skin. The only exception to this tradition of closely trimmed legs is for breeds such as the Friesian where feathers on the fetlocks is a desired, breed specific, trait. The head is also trimmed closely, paying special attention to the jaw, muzzle, ears (including the inside), and eyes. In the saddle seat world, the entire face often is clipped so the hairs are short, especially on a horse with a winter coat, and sometimes the entire horse is bodyclipped for an even finer appearance.

The Saddle Seat World Cup is an international competition held biannually. It is the highest level of competition for saddle seat equitation riders and is competed in by the national saddle seat equitation teams from many countries around the world. The Saddle Seat Invitationals, held on the off years, are competed in by the Young Rider teams from various countries. Other national saddle seat equitation competitions include the NHS Good Hands Finals and the USEF (US Equestrian Federation) Finals held at the American Royal Horse Show in November. The NHS Good Hands Finals, UPHA Challenge Cup Finals, and USEF Medal Finals are considered the jewels in the Saddle Seat Equitation Triple Crown. This is frequently called the Saddlebred Equitation Triple Crown, which is incorrect as it is open to all breeds. However, usually only Morgan and Saddlebred riders are seen competing. Individual breed associations, such as the Morgan, Arabian, National Show Horse and others, also sponsor National Championship Saddle Seat Equitation competitions restricted to riders of horses of each particular breed.