First Western Lesson (long post)

[raingodz]

I have wanted to try western riding for a while, partly goes with wanting an Appaloosa I think :rolleyes: and partly because it seemed like a fun thing to try.

I have been to Rocky's Ranch (http://www.westernridingadventures.co.uk/) several times, I wanted to learn more about how to ride western style.

The first big challenge was find some where I could get lessons, there seem to be quite a few Western trainers around, but they all seemed to require that you had your own horse to learn on. After several months of searching I managed to find the details for the local WES (http://www.wes-uk.com/) reprisentative, and she managed to track down a western triner for me who would teach you on her own horse. She is based in Nottingham, so it is a bit of a drive from Sheffield.

I aranged a 1 hour private lesson for Saturday afternoon. I had my regular riding lesson in the morning and the YO asked me if I wanted to go on a hack in the afternoon because someone had dropped out, sadly I had to turn it down :(

So after my lesson I headded off down the M1, my lesson was booked for 2 and the trainer had said she might be running a bit late. Having left pleanty of time to get lost while trying to find the place (and because the M1 round nottingham can be a bit slow) I ended up arriving at about 1:30pm . I decided to find someone on the yard to check it was the correct place.

The first woman I met seemed a little unsure of me, and decided to phone the trainer (who as it happens was off site - I had (for some reason) assumed the when she said she might be running late she would just be there teaching other people).

Then a young woman who worked there asked if I'd like to meet the horse I'd be riding. We went into a barn with about 8 quater horses and I was introduced to Smokey, a dark bay quater horse mare. I was then asked if I wanted to groom her, which of cause I leapped at the chance. As some of you may already know, I am a bit unsure of riding horses I have never met before and I find grooming them is a really good way to get to know them a bit better.

Smokey was very calm and stood very still as I brushed her. I spent about half an hour grooming and stroking her and making friends.

We then tacked her up and went out in to the manage.

The first things I noticed were that the stirups were not as long as I thought they were meant to be for western and I was to use the reins in two hands rather than one.

I was first told how to hold the reins and then how to ask for walk. We walked round the school, but when I got to the other side Smokey spooked at something, not badly - just side stepping, this happened a couple of times, so the trainer asked me to get off and she got on and rode around a few times and then took the oppertunity to demonstrate how to stop and backup. I mounted again and off we went.

The first thing I had to do was to slow the walk right down and get it as steady and even as I could, this seemed to be the opposite of the active walk I am used to being required to do. Smokey was still spooking abit so the next thing I learned how to do was make her drop her head and concentrate (a bit like getting a horse in outline in english riding, but with the neck going forwads and flat) and how to get the horse to bend its head to the centre of the school while still riding in a streight line. Once I had go the hang of doing this the spookyness almost compleatly went.

We then moved on to turning, I was shown how to use the reins, my weight and my legs (a bit of a supprise here, I had expected next to no leg aids in wester riding for some reason). We then did 20m, 15m and 10m circles and then a figure of eight made of two 10m circles. At first it was a bit hard to remeber the new aids for turning, but I got the hang of them in the end.

The next thing was how to halt, and it was just like magic! To halt from walk you just sit your weight back and raise your legs forwads and out and the horse just stops. You have to then move them back and sit up imidietly otherwise the horse will think you are going to back up... which is what we worked on next.

The backing up seemed to go OK, it was sometimes hard to get the horse to go forwards again after, but I began to get the hang of this too.

On to the western jog. This is best described as a slow sitting trot, the art of it seemed to be keeping the horse just above the point of dropping back to walk. It took quite a bit of effort for me to manage this, but I was begining to get the hang of how it felt.

The final thing I tried was a turn on the haunches. I have never done this before in english riding. It seemed alot to think about at first and my first try wasn't too good. Part way through my second try I suddenly realised what I was doing wrong and managed to finish up quite well. The problem I had was not managing to keeping the rear foot the horse was to pivot on in the same place and not let the horse go forward.

Then, all too soon, it was the end of the lesson (amazing how an hour can fly by when you're having fun) :( I really enjoyed it and I hope to be taking more western lesson soon (when time will allow). The instructor was just the kind I like, friendly and encoroging and able to describe things in a way I understood.

I found the western riding I did very relaxing and I felt I was perhaps more in tune with the way I ride. I am not sure how typical it was since it was only an introductry lesson. I felt that I was being encoraged to relax and take my time to work with the horse rather than to control the horse.

I think the trainer was a little embaressed about the spooking, but I was pleased that I was able to ride through it and learn how to stop it happening, which in its self was a good thing to learn.

Sorry it is such a long post :o

[Cool Rider]

Sounds like a great introductory lesson
I've suddenly become very interested in western riding at the moment don't know why though, I guess I need to carry on learning how to ride English first though :)

[Cochise]

Yay! Yay! Yay!
Fantastic! I love western riding, and glad that you tried it! It's such a cool way to ride, and you summarised your impressions really well. Hope you continue to have lessons.
Didn't know you liked appaloosas! (My little appaloosa doing western - normally English though!)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/cheekystuff/main2.jpg

[raingodz]

I've suddenly become very interested in western riding at the moment don't know why though, I guess I need to carry on learning how to ride English first though :)
You should give it a go. When I was a kid I used to consider it as not being proper riding, but my experience yesterday proved it was just different and in quite a good way. It is always fun to learn something new :)
Yay! Yay! Yay!
Hope you continue to have lessons.

I hope so too, sadly for a 1 hour lesson it will take about 4 hours when you add in the traveling :( and then petrol costs soooo much in the UK at the moment, I filled my car up last week and it cost me £58 :eek:

Didn't know you liked appaloosas! (My little appaloosa doing western - normally English though!)
Yup, I love them and one day I will get my own :D
Do you find any problems doing both western and english riding with the same horse?

[bexj]

Glad you enjoyed your lesson Raingodz, I love riding Western, although haven't been lucky enough to have any lessons.


Do you find any problems doing both western and english riding with the same horse?

At my yard, they back all the horses with Western tack and western riding, before many of them go on to be ridden in English tack and it doesn't have any adverse effects whatsoever. I've also ridden Molly in a Western Saddle (although not with Western rein aids) on a number of occassions, and she felt much more relaxed, but apart from that, no noticeable diffference.

[vimto92]

Sounds excellent Rich (hope its ok for me to call you that:o )

Time does fly, must've proved you were having fun though, I think its great how you got to groom and tack up beforehand. Shame about the spooking, hope it wasnt too bad.:)

S could you see yourself going totally western?

[Cochise]

Yup, I love them and one day I will get my own :D
Do you find any problems doing both western and english riding with the same horse?

The only problem we have, is the canter, and backing up. He is pretty resistant to reverse. He took to the jog like a pro, he always struggles with an extended trot in English. The canter is a bit harder. For years and years I've been working on a nice springy show jumping canter with him. It's hard to ask him for a flatter pace. Plus, he bucks at canter in a western saddle. Not a good look for a western pleasure horse, believe me! We really need to work on these things, as they have finally introduced some western riding classes at Canterbury show this year, which is a Royal show, therefore a really Big Deal. I'm keen to take Cheeky in those classes, along with the appaloosa at halter on the Friday. (Woody is going on the Wednesday in the show hack classes).
Got a lot of work ahead of us!

[raingodz]

At my yard, they back all the horses with Western tack and western riding, before many of them go on to be ridden in English tack and it doesn't have any adverse effects whatsoever.
That sounds an interesting approach, I wonder if it happens alot?

So could you see yourself going totally western?
Not sure, I like Jumping too and as I said, the western school is quite far so I would not be able to have weekly lessons, but I am wondering weather I should go back to 1hr a week at my normal RS and have a 1hr western lesson once a fortnight. But it did take me a long time (on the waiting list) to get my second hour at my curent RS so I would not just give it up.
The only problem we have, is the canter, and backing up.

This is the kind of thing I was wondering, I am sure it would not be detrimental, but I guess each horse will adapt in a different way.

I'm keen to take Cheeky in those classes, along with the appaloosa at halter on the Friday. (Woody is going on the Wednesday in the show hack classes).

Good luck with the showing :D

[Tots N Dots]

that was great to read :D I can just imagine Ickle Pickle in western tack, but I also really want to do dressage with him, I dont know if the two would mix too well? it sounds like you had a great time, hope you are not as sore as me after my Saturday lesson :D

[raingodz]

hope you are not as sore as me after my Saturday lesson :D
No, not sore at all :) It was a very comfy saddle.

[iluvhorses28]

Fantastic! Glad you had fun... I've been primarily on Western for 3 years now..and just love it...I feel a bit more in control...not certain why...but I feel less vulnerable? If that makes sense? I think maybe coz it's a much more 'relaxed' style?

Love the Western jog! MY FAVE! It's very comfy!

Good luck and keep us posted on your next adventure!:p YEEEEEHAAAAWWW~

[pico]

Do you find any problems doing both western and english riding with the same horse?

I can just imagine Ickle Pickle in western tack, but I also really want to do dressage with him, I dont know if the two would mix too well?

I actually found that as my horse got more advanced in collected work in dressage it became more possible to ride him Western. When I got him I just couldn't even picture him looking good Western. As he muscled up from the collected work that changed... Of course, he's an Arab, so the show-ring correct way of riding him Western is closer in outline to collection in dressage than it is for Quarter Horses. That said, even with the stock-horse breeds truly correct Western work does require the same sort of abilty for self carriage as collected work. I think of it as dressage/Englich collection with less "bounce". (If the horse doesn't collect & have self carriage, when you ask them to slow down you end up with incorrect gaits - especially the dreaded 4-beat lope... the lope should always still be a 3 beat canter, just very slow and not covering much ground per stride.)

When I was I kid I was in 4H (a US system of agricultural clubs for kids) in a horse-specific 4H Club. Most of us, once we got old enough to be permitted to compete our horses "both ways" at the annual 4H fair, would go both English and Western, and some of the kids won handily at both. (A few kids even had a go at "all three ways" - Western, Hunt Seat, and Saddle Seat.)

This was always with the same horse, as you were only permitted one horse as your "project" for the fair (unless you had a mare with a foal at foot :) )

In general many people do both on the same horse at shows in my experience - I've frequently been at shows where a class has to be held up briefly for a tack change due to a competitor being entered in both an English class and a Western one that happened to be scheduled back to back.

[Cochise]

We have a points system set up with the National appaloosa association, with a super horse award for the horse with the highest points in different disciplines. It's really cool.
http://www.appaloosaassn.co.nz/compete.shtml

I don't compete enough each year to be eligible for the big points, but it's a good idea anyway. :)

[raingodz]

Thanks pico, that is the kind of answe I was hoping for :D
We have a points system set up with the National appaloosa association, with a super horse award for the horse with the highest points in different disciplines. It's really cool.

I like the sounds of the super horse award, I think that being an allrounder rather than a specialist is sometimes overlooked as a thing to aspire to, but an award such as this shows that people and horses can excel at very different disaplins. And it shows that Appaloosas are wonderfully versitile horses too :D

[Cochise]

Totally, in one weekend, my little appaloosa placed in his western halter class, won his western class, and the next day won his open hack English class against warmbloods and thoroughbreds. Two years before he placed second in the jumping at 90cm (3 feet) and later that year placed in show hunter classes. (Now, he can't jump anymore :( )

[cvb]

Raindgoz

You know Fi was backed western. But my background is english (ODE, dressage etc). I found her western just got better when we started doing dressage. The only real issue was slowly the halts down !! Dressage tends to consider the halts abrupt if you do them western style.

Plus I had to almost "detune" Fi a little as every time I moved my weight, she reacted. If you just *thought* to slow down, you got a halt ;) So I had to watch my thinking :p

[raingodz]

cvb, I now know what you mean about the reaction to weight movement. I have never ridden a horse before that is so responsive to subtle canges in your balance (I have only been ridng RS and trekking horses since I returned to riding). Plus the brakes were very good :eek:

It was also intresting to learn how backing up was used to train the hault. If the horse did not just stop (and I had given the correct aids) then I had to back her up so she didn't forget that stop means stop!

[smaggi]

cvb, I now know what you mean about the reaction to weight movement. I have never ridden a horse before that is so responsive to subtle canges in your balance (I have only been ridng RS and trekking horses since I returned to riding). Plus the brakes were very good :eek:

That's what I love about our western horses. We use our legs and seat to do most of the cues for a turn, with very little rein. After the horse gets tuned into you it takes very little leg. We start out training a young horse by pushing him through a turn with the outside leg. When they are older it's more like you just wiggle your leg a bit, adjust your seat bones, and look where you want to go and lay the rein on his neck.

I practice by weaving through cones at the walk with the reins on the horn. I try not to touch the reins at all, but they are there if you need them.

I also learned a lot about balance in the saddle by riding the trot and canter with a completely loose rein.

[~*sugarlump*~]

oo i must admit im jealous, i want to take up western, but theres nowhere round here that does it :(

im not sure if its just me or not, but when i went on hols and trekked down there i felt the saddle made me feel more secure:) i preferred it to english when i did it, it seemed more cilled out to me :o

well done it sounds like you did well

[Shadowlark]

Welcome!!! to the great world of western

You talk about how suprised you were about all the weight and leg aids... that tells me you found a great coach!

http://image22.webshots.com/22/6/71/62/229467162qfsITJ_ph.jpg

Not sure who that is..The horse is named SLider, and that is in competition... I stole it off the internet.. but reining.. without a bridle is becoming more and more and MORE common as so much is dependant on seat and leg and the like.. It's become something of a status symbol now to do a reining run without a bridle!

I hope and aspire...

Best of luck, so glad you enjoyed it!

[BeachRiding]

Well done! It seems those that ride english want to ride western and vice versa! I am turning to english after 4 years of western riding as I find more oppurtunity and I think it would be fun.

Oh an you use two hands if you are in a snaffle, just like riding english. You can neck rein, but mostly you'll do that in a curb bit. Have fun!

[raingodz]

Oh an you use two hands if you are in a snaffle, just like riding english. You can neck rein, but mostly you'll do that in a curb bit. Have fun!
Yes, the horse was in a snaffle.

Shadowlark, that is an amzing photo, you can see how good the breaks are on that horse! And yes I think I have found a very good instructor :)

[raingodz]

oo i must admit im jealous, i want to take up western, but theres nowhere round here that does it :(

There might be someone, it took me a few months to track down the RI I found.

im not sure if its just me or not, but when i went on hols and trekked down there i felt the saddle made me feel more secure:) i preferred it to english when i did it, it seemed more cilled out to me :o

Yes, the saddles are very coumfy and safe :) My first cantering (of my return to riding last yes) was on a western trekking horse and it felt very secure.

[dunlvr]

Love the slower jog and lope of the western horses. He goes mostly off the leg - and is trained to the nines. Now if only I could know half as much as he does! Sounds like OP had a wonderful first western lesson. My husbands reiners stop like that as well. sit on your pockets (as he instructs) and they slam on thier brakes!

[raingodz]

I have yet to try the lope, but I've still only had one lesson, but I hope to have some more soon :D

Looks like your new on here dunlvr, do you just ride western or do you ride english too?

[mu0ljk]

I've always wanted to give western a go! I was going to go to Rocky's this summer but it I never got round to it! :o

Sounds like you had a good time though!

[raingodz]

I've always wanted to give western a go!
The place I went to is in Nottingham, might be a bit far for you, but she was an excelent teacher and I really want to go back again.

[Roheryn]

This is a really interesting thread to me! I would love to read more of your posts about western aids. I was especially to read about the aids for halt. My horse has been ridden western pleasure and dressage, and I know about halting and then moving to a walk using my seat bones, breathing, etc., but he doesn't always pay attention so what works when I'm riding a schoolmaster doesn't always work with my guy. However I've written down what raingodz and smaggi posted about halt and about turns, and next time I ride I'm gonna try to see if those aids will work with my guy!
I also was glad to be reminded by this thread that western riding can be a more relaxed style, as I am all for relaxing riding! I was riding western for several months at our last barn and getting very relaxed and I want to get myself as well as the horse back to that state of relaxation. We both need all the help we can get.
Please post more about western aids! Right now I am riding in a western saddle and English snaffle bridle but I hope to go back to our western one-ear open bridle (which also has a snaffle, but as the horse doesn't seem to like its snaffle I must get him one like he has on his English bridle).

[smaggi]

Our horses neck rein in a snaffle bit, but we also reinforce the cue with a little leg pressure to them through the turn. We don't use curb bits because there is no need to because we don't compete in western pleasure.

To cue our horses to halt, I first completely relax my seat and bring my feet slightly forward, raise the reins slightly and say whoa in that order. Once they are warmed up Cisco usually halts when I relax my seat and I don't need the other cues. Stopping is his favorite thing to do when he has to work! :p

Csco backs when I lift the reins and bring them back a bit, then I cue him with each calf one at a time to tell him to move his front legs back. Once he has started moving backward, I release the rein pressure and he keeps moving as long as I am cueing him with the legs. He stops backing when I relax my legs and seat.

My favorite thing about riding western is cantering on a loose rein. I learned so much about balance when I started doing that. To get Cisco to canter I slide the outside leg back a bit and kiss.

Right now I'm trying to add a little bit of English to my riding. I'm learning how to post the trot. I still do it with a loose rein though. Sometimes it feels really natural and then the next time I try it I get my weight too far back and I feel out of balance. I'm getting better at it though. On another thread someone suggested that I try to post without stirrups. That sounds hard to do, but I'm going to give it a try this weekend.

[cvb]

Right now I'm trying to add a little bit of English to my riding. I'm learning how to post the trot. I still do it with a loose rein though. Sometimes it feels really natural and then the next time I try it I get my weight too far back and I feel out of balance. I'm getting better at it though. On another thread someone suggested that I try to post without stirrups. That sounds hard to do, but I'm going to give it a try this weekend.

in your western saddle ? or in an english saddle ?

I do have to be a lot more aware when rise/post in my western saddle.

[smaggi]

I only own a western saddle, but it is very close contact with the skirt cut out and one layer of fender leather under your leg. Is it harder to learn to post in a western saddle?

I found out that I had to shorten my stirrups a bit to post.

[Peace]

I only own a western saddle, but it is very close contact with the skirt cut out and one layer of fender leather under your leg. Is it harder to learn to post in a western saddle?

I found out that I had to shorten my stirrups a bit to post.

I don't find posting in a western saddle any different than posting in an english saddle - maybe I just do it badly in both.:o :D Although I did learn to post in an english saddle - when I switched to western (for a year or so) I just continued posting in that saddle.

Have you read galadriel's article on posting? I'll post the link in a minute. Anyway, she does a good job of explaining how really one's feet don't have much to do with rising - the horse bounces you up, and then you control your descent with your thighs and abs. Posting w/o stirrups is a good way to demonstrate this to yourself.:)

Here's the link to galadriel's article:http://lorienstable.com/articles/riding/400-trotting/

[cvb]

got distracted half way through that post - honestly work does get in the way ! ;)

Anyway - what I was going to say is that in an english saddle people can get away with "Over-posting" - in a western saddle the horn stops you (or you cripple yourself !)

[jenren!!]

This thread has been an interesting read. Im having the problem with Aramis at the moment with halting, i ask her to halt with just using my seat, but she just slows down and doesnt actually stop. Maybe im not trying hard enough. I alkso have a tendency to pull on the reins as well. Maybe learning it the 'western' way might help me?

I think some western methods can be great for dressage, just being able to stop with your seat would look invisible in a classical seat.

[LindaAd]

I had a go at Western in the spring - I booked a ride in the New Forest, and they said English or Western, and I said "English" - but when I turned up, there was this mare all in Western tack. I said Ooops! and they said try it, it's easy, and they told me how ask the horse to go forward, turn and stop, and it was great!

It was when I was just beginning to get my confidence back, and it gave me a real boost - the horse was so responsive, and the jog was so comfortable ... I haven't got to lope yet - I'll have to go back and do some more.

I found the saddle horn got in the way when I was rising to the trot, but I learned not to lean too far forward, then it was fine. I much prefer the jog, though! And when I was getting off the first time I got my jacket all tangled up with the horn - big muddle!

But I'd done a bit of Spanish cowboy riding on holiday, and that's very similar - and very like classical dressage too. It's all interesting.

[smaggi]

This thread has been an interesting read. Im having the problem with Aramis at the moment with halting, i ask her to halt with just using my seat, but she just slows down and doesnt actually stop. Maybe im not trying hard enough. I alkso have a tendency to pull on the reins as well. Maybe learning it the 'western' way might help me?

I think some western methods can be great for dressage, just being able to stop with your seat would look invisible in a classical seat.

When we have a horse that dribbles to a stop, we ask for the stop with our seat, then reins, and say whoa. Then we back him a few steps. Then go 10 feet and repeat the process. You'll be amazed how quickly they start stopping more quickly and on their hindquarters when you do this.

Peace, thanks for the info.

cvb, I have bumped into the horn a few times, but it just tells me I did the rise too far forward.

Right now my biggest problem is that Cisco is not used to someone posting on him, so he sometimes changes the speed of his trot. I don't change the speed of my post quickly enough and we get out of synch. I guess this will improve with practice. The first time I posted on him he got really confused and gave me this "What the heck are doing up there?" look. I think it may have been because I was out of balance.

[cvb]

cvb, I have bumped into the horn a few times, but it just tells me I did the rise too far forward.


Yes - thats exactly what I meant - I think you can get away with more "variation" in an english saddle than in a western. So you may have been unware of problems until you swap into the western saddle ;)