I am rereading Jane Smiley's horse books for young people starting with Nobody's Horse. The young heroine, Abby (12 when the series starts) rides Western and also English, including show jumping.
I've only ridden Western once, when my English aids began to confuse a nice quarter horse I was riding on Dartmoor. The owner gave me a rapid crash course in Western aids so that I understood why he started trotting every time I leaned back to relieve my sore bum.
I imagine that riding both styles well is like speaking two languages, for both horse and rider. If you can and do, what is it like? Please tell!
I've only ridden Western once, when my English aids began to confuse a nice quarter horse I was riding on Dartmoor. The owner gave me a rapid crash course in Western aids so that I understood why he started trotting every time I leaned back to relieve my sore bum.
I imagine that riding both styles well is like speaking two languages, for both horse and rider. If you can and do, what is it like? Please tell!