English or Western?

[CrazyfurAnimals]

My instructor said that she could teach me either one. English or Western. Well, I just wanted to know which one you all prefer and why? Thanks. :)

[Katie_85]

As I have recently switched barn an riding styles, I feel qualified to give my opinion on this issue. ENGLISH! 100%. I started western. I guess the best way is to make a list and you can use this as a starting point and if anyone else would like to add to it they are more than welcome. And all of these here are IMHO.
English-More formal-smaller saddle-more difficult to learn-less security

Western-Less formal-larger saddle-easier for beginners to learn-more security

And like I said, anyone else please add to these! :)

[CrazyfurAnimals]

Thanks for replying. Right now I am learning english. My instructor prefers english too. She says its much lighter, and comfortable. I'm also interested in learning western but I'm not quite sure yet.

[Silvia]

If you plan on learning to jump some day I'd definately go English!

[CrazyfurAnimals]

Do you think it would be easier for me to learn how to trot and canter if I took Western riding? I find it really confusing sometimes with English because I have to study all the letters around the arena for the shows. But I don't want to ever enter any shows. Will it be easier with Western? Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it. :) :) :)

[floppy]

you dotn have to do shows if you dont want too. Leanrign the letters can become more easy but knowing oughly where they are is good for you when you do diagonals and circles etc becau seyou instructor can call out an instruction to you for example do a circle at A and you knwo where to do a circle...
anyway i think you shoudl have a go at both but i would persoanlly continue with english until im happy doing walk, trot and canter then maybe once in a while ask if you can have a western lesson. If you are constantly worried abotu falling off etc then i woudl defiantely recommend western..in somehoe enhances your feeling of security on horseback...but defiantely if you want to have a go at jumping etc then you will need to do english. Another good thing abotu english is the saddles arent as heavy as western saddles...which can be a probelm if you are not very strong or the hrose you ride is tall :)

[CrazyfurAnimals]

Thanks Everyone,
Your all helping me out a lot. I think I might ask my instructor to start teaching me Western. But I'm afraid that once I start in Western that I'll be too scared to start in English again. Its not that I'm scared riding English right now, but I do feel really bouncy when I trot. The horse I ride isn't too tall. He's 14.3 hands. My teacher said thats right above being a pony. Is that right?
I have a hard time staying on the English saddle. I hold on to the front, and every time the horse throws his head forward, I lose the grip of the reigns. :( Are English reigns different than English reigns by any chance? The English reigns I ride with are really slippery. My instructor hopes to get one with good grips on them soon, but right now, my hands keep falling through. :(

[floppy]

ok.well i think you should stickw ith the english for a while..no one can be expected to not bounce or not hold onto the front of the saddle when they are first learning to ride...and you cannot learn it overnight...english is good because you can learn to feel the horse better and western riding can be just as tricky! and you will also bounce in a western saddle and no-matter which method you do, you are going to be boucing and holding onto the front of the saddle until you find your balance.
it can take weeks/months to learn to balance youself well on the horse!
western doesnt hold you into the saddle so that you dont bounce!

[horselover]

Well, i agree with you, floppy, to a certain extent. But I also do think learning the basics of riding western is easier than starting english. Before everyone jumps all over me, i am not in any way saying that a beginner can't learn to ride english- that would be ridiculous. Many people who ride have never even been in anything but an english saddle. BUT, if you have the opportunity to learn to ride western, I would take it. I think that the saddle makes a nervous beginner feel more secure, and the gaits of a western-trained horse are much slower and less bouncy than an english, in most cases.

In your case, Floppy, your horse that you ride western is not western-trained, you just use a western saddle. Amd that's fine. But there is a difference in the way a western horse moves in comparison to an english horse, if they are specifically trained as a western horse. Western horses move slowly- especially a horse trained for western pleasure. I have ridden many western horses who canter and trot as slowly as they walk, and you couldn't bounce in the saddle even if you want to b/c the trot is so smooth!

So, I think that if you feel uncomfortable, try learning western., If you still feel just as uncomfortable(and I have a feeling you won't) then go with whatever discipline you prefer. Also, just b/c you start off western doesn't mean you can't go to englsih in a little while. I rode western for 6 or 7 years before I rode english. Once you get more comfortable at riding, you will be ready to take on english again. Starting riding is an uncomfortable thing, sometimes, just b/c you aren't used to it. But soon, alot of the stuff will come naturally, and you will be more comfortable on a horse than off! :p

[floppy]

i knwo what youa re saying horselover :) and i do intend to take th eoppertunity to try a proper trained western horse (the owners of my last horse share told me today acutally that she is going to buy a quarter horse fully trianed and that i can ride it when i want :) but she is still looking for 'the one' so it'll take tiem i guess )
i dont bounce in a western saddle. My horse has an incredibly smooth trot.hehe its her best trait!

thinking about it maybe you should split your lessons between both western and english..unt il you find out for yourself which you prefer...at least then you get the basics of both :)

[KarinUS]

I started out Westerm, mainly because I am a wimp-haha<br>
Western horses do canter and trot slower and when I freaked out I had the horn to hang on to.<br>
Nevertheless I prefer English. I switched after about 15 lessons and English is much more what I expected riding to be (more leg contact, more doing lots of things at the same time, more evil calories burned, etc). I find it more challenging and therefore more satisfying. I also can't wait to learn to jump, so only Western wouldn't have been for me anyway.
:)
I have to admit I like riding English best -on Western trained horses!
All in all, I couldn't have made a better choice for myself since I really needed to gain the confidence riding Western first, before being able to learn English well.
A couple of weekends ago my instructor and I went on a trail ride and we took the Western saddles- boy that was comfy! So Western still may have a place in my future.
I am glad I learned both- in the sequence I did. Maybe you can learn a little bit of both, too. After a few lessons, you'll know what suits you. For me it was English, for you it might be different!
:D

[Katie_85]

As far as saddles go, the English saddle I was using was considerably heavier than the Western at the new barn. I may be wrong and this would be a good fact for Outrider to correct, but aren't the slowed paces of a Western horse calles jog and lope? Hmmm.

[horselover]

Yeah, katie, they are, but I didn't think anyone whould know what I was saying and I was in too much of a hurry to explain. But you are coredt about the western jog and lope.

[floppy]

the saddles weight mostly depends on whether you have a synthetic one or not.
ALl the western saddles at the yard where my horse are are all much heavier than the english saddle...because there is more to western saddle than an english one..but if you carry a synthetic english one and then an old leather the synthetic one feels liek you just carrying a feather!

[horselover]

As Floppy said, western saddles are much heavier than english, unless you rode in a synthetic estern one. Or even one that has a canvas skirt instead of leather.

I used to ride in a 40 pound western sadlle on a very tall horse. My instructor was very amused at my first attempts to lift the saddle onto the horse- it was his saddle, and I had never used such a heavy one, even though I had been riding western. But you get used to it. The horn makes it easy to carry around- last summer, when I was instructing a riding daycamp, I used to carry around 2 saddles at a time (along with 2 sets of pads!) when helping the kids tack.

Western saddles are much bigger b/c cowboys used a saddle for more than just riding in. They hung different things on it- like their gun and canteen, and they also had saddle bags and a blanket roll. ASt night, amny used to use the saddle as thier pillow if they were "camping out." California style cowboys used their saddles- as well as their other gear- as a kind of fashion statement. They decorated the saddles with silver plates and conchos.


Ok, I will stop now! :rolleyes: I don't really know if you care about all that, but I just thought I would share.

[CrazyfurAnimals]

Thanks everyone. Your all helping me out a lot.
Horselover,
Thanks for sharing that with everyone. I love hearing about the 'cowboy days'. Actually, I have quite a few books about it. :)
Lisa,
Your right. THere aren't much sporting events you can do with western riding. But what about Trail Classes? I know it isn't probably as exhilerating as jumping or anything, but it is still pretty cool, and it is a sport.

[kelsey]

Actually there are quite a few different events in Western, including reining, cutting and team penning. Of course, some of them require access to cows! But females can compete in these as well as men.

I am actually going to a cattle ranch soon, maybe I will get a chance to work with some cows.

[horselover]

I completely agree with kelsey. There are many western classes that are open to both males and females. Even barrel racing is open to males, although it used to be only females, at the lower levels. I have a friend- a guy- who competes as a barrel racer. He's quite good!

I also know a woman who competes in Team Penning, and used to do western pleasure and western dressage. Women are eligible for anything men are, with the exception of rodeo riding.

There are, in addition to the ones Kelsey mentioned, western pleasure, equitation, breed classes, horsemanship, trail riding, pattern and many specialty classes.

Actually, western is comparable to english in the types of classes it offers. the only thing they don't do is jumping. But that is replaced by events such as reining and barrel racing.

Please don't throw out the idea of learning to ride westren b/c you are under the mistaken inpression that there are no shows you can go to. Where I am, western shows are actually easier to find than english! There are a ton of classes you can do if you ride western!:D

[horselover]

I see what you mean Crazy4animals, but a pro rodeo is different than competing in western shows. They are kinda 2 seperate ideas.

[aniukas]

i would definately start with english. you can always ride in a western saddle if you know how to ride in an english one, but not vice versa.;) good luck....

[horselover]

Anikus- i disagree that you can't learn english after learning western. I rode western for about 7 years before I ever even sat in an english saddle. And I am just as advanced in english as western, now. Granted, it id dtake me time to learn to keep my legs underneath me, but I also said before that if you plan on learning english after western, don't wait too long.

But it still is very possible to learn english after western. Just ask Outider. :)

[BigStar02]

Hi, I was just looking through the relplies about english or western. I, personally, ride western. But I have nothing against english, in fact I wanted to try it out. I have ridden western wester for 15 years, and I absolutley love it. Some of the replies seemed to sort of against western riding. And even in professional rodeos, women can do other events, not many women do, but they can. I don't know, i guess i just am trying to defend western riding, thats all.

thanks

[SILENT-ONE200]

Women who are members of the WPRA (Womens' Professional Rodeo Association) compete in rodeo events such as Barrel Racing ( I went pro at 15), Breakaway Calf Roping, Goat Tying (Can also do this in Little Britches and in High School rodeo competitions), Saddle Bronc Riding, Bareback Riding, and in Bull Riding. I learned how to ride bareback. It's best for wanting to learn about balance and control. However; since I grew up on a ranch, I've always been used to using a western saddle. With an English saddle, you're screwed if your horse decides he's going to dump you in the dirt. at least with a Western saddle, you can grab a hold of the horn and get your horse's head out from between his knees and save yourself a real messy situation. I always think that one should ride whichever style you feel comfortable in.

SILENT-ONE200

[SILENT-ONE200]

Women who are members of the WPRA (Womens' Professional Rodeo Association) compete in rodeo events such as Barrel Racing ( I went pro at 15), Breakaway Calf Roping, Goat Tying (Can also do this in Little Britches and in High School rodeo competitions), Saddle Bronc Riding, Bareback Riding, and in Bull Riding. I learned how to ride bareback. It's best for wanting to learn about balance and control. However; since I grew up on a ranch, I've always been used to using a western saddle. With an English saddle, you're screwed if your horse decides he's going to dump you in the dirt. at least with a Western saddle, you can grab a hold of the horn and get your horse's head out from between his knees and save yourself a real messy situation. I always think that one should ride whichever style you feel comfortable in.

SILENT-ONE200

[Moonlightrider]

I ride huntseat and saddleseat (both english, although the latter's not well known), but I've tried western. Personally, I hate it, but you might want to try it.

As for falling off - it may be easier to come out english, but it's less likely that you'll be dragged as long as you use rubber-band stirrups. I keep being walked off with when I try to dismout western. If I'm wrong about the dragging thing, please tell me! It's just what I've picked up on - my worst falls were my first (I hit the rail), a few trail rides, and when I got stuck. ***No! Really, I'm not trying to scare anybody***

It's unlikely you'll become dependent on a western saddle, especially just for a few lessons. I used one to learn to trot without stirrups, since I could just hold on (at that point, I just didn't want to fall off). If you like it, you could always do western for a while - I know a ton of converts. Try both and do what you like.

[Katie_85]

I rode saddleseat for about 6 months and then went back to western. I find it difficult to lean back and assume the more relaxed position required for western so believe me, it works both ways. (switching from one to the other I mean) I started out Western before saddleseat and never relied on the saddlehorn. I personally believe that you can ride western as long as you want, switch to english and have no problems.

[horselover]

I replied to this earlier today after SILENT-ONE200's post, but ti doesn't show up here, which is weird. Oh, well.

Anyway, what I said is that it is cool, SILENT-ONE200, that you ride in rodeos like you do. i have always wanted to, but there isn't a barn around here that does that. And it's great how women are eligible for the same competitions as men now. It didn't used to be that way, and it was so stupid. As if we can't do anything guys can't do- sometimes even better!

Moonlightrider- My best friend rides saddleseat, and I think it is closer to western than huntseat. You sit further back and your legs hang long. Anyway, I ride both interchangeably and enjoy them each for the seperate things they offer. I don't think it effects me too much to ride both styles equally as often.

As for stirrups with bands and being dragged- those stirrups are actually only meant for young children. I just read a warning in a horse magazine about them. If adults use them, they bend b/c of the amount of weight placed on them. They can actually snap in half when enough pressure is put on them. Kinda scary thought. Didin't someone post about that here, too?

And I think it is just as easy to get dragged in either saddle. I know a rider who was dragged and she rides saddleseat. If you cannot easily and quicly slide your foot out of a western stirrup, then the stiurrup isn't the right size for your foot.

[SILENT-ONE200]

I learned both disciplines simply because I wanted to improve myself as a rider.However; on going on fun trail rides, I love to use my Australian stock saddle. I get the security of my western saddle and the comfort of my english saddle without all that heavy, bulky weight. It's like the best of both worlds! :-) Horselover- You're right! Us women can actually ride the saddle bronces, bareback broncs, and bulls better because we can rotate our hips better than men will ever be able to! ;-) I've never been dragged or have caught my foot up in a stirrup, but I learned early on how to ride "on my toes" and with proper boots, not tennis shoes. Safety and responsibilityhave always been highly stressed and I highly recommend it to my non-riding friends who are just saddling up for the fist time.

SILENT-ONE200

P.S. What is this I hear about possibly being required to have a "Horse Rider's" License in the UK? I'm considering a move to Ireland this Fall.

[Aztec]

Hiya,

Having never ridden Western i wouldnt like to give advice about it.

Although i do know that riding English is difficult at first all of a sudden it just clicks and you cant imagine how you ever found it difficult in the beginning!

I read the part of your message about learning hte letters of the school and it reminded of a teaching aid i used with my beginners, just remember this sentence and you cant forget -

All King Edwards Horses Can Manage Big Fences[COLOR=red

See - AKEHCMBF in that order

See ya

:)

[SILENT-ONE200]

Hi Aztec,

Hey!! What a good idea!! :-) I'll definitely remember that. And you're right about how it just "clicks" one day. It took me awhile to learn how to post once I started to ride in a saddle. I grew up learning to ride bareback. Is that kind of like the old riddle, how do you fit 10 horses in 9 stalls? ;-)

SILENT-ONE200

[CrazyfurAnimals]

Thanks Aztec. I'll try to study that order of the letters. It sure would come in handy. :)
In case not all of you read my other posts, I'll let you all know that I tried Western today. It was so much more comfortable than English, probably because I'm only a beginner. But even when the horse trotted, I wasn't as 'jumpy'. :)
Thanks for all you people's help. I feel a whole lot smarter about both English and Western now. Thanks!!! :) :)

[fionahogg]

What does western dressage involve? Just wondering!

Fiona.

[Outrider]

There is nothing called "Western Dressage". People liken reining to dressage because of all the manuevers horses do in that disipline, and I think that is where the idea has come from. Happy Trails!

[horselover]

Actually, Outrider, there is such a thing as western dressage, it is just not very well-known or popular. I tried to find any info on the web about it and couldn't, but I know a lady who used to do western dressage. It's actually more popular in 4H shows.It's basically like english dressage- you do different patters, some of them are from reining moves. But alot of people do refer to reining as western dressage.

[Outrider]

Guess this old man just hasn't heard of these new fangled ways of doing things that you young kids know! How is your article coming horselover? Happy Trails!