Is western riding more suitable for an older beginner

[oldbushy]

I have never done any western riding but I heard a lady saying that now she's older she feels safer doing western. I've only sat in a western saddle once and I was scared I'd hit my neck on the horn. The stirrups weren't right and I couldn't adjust them and I couldn.t feel any contact with the horse. But is it easier to stay on riding western. I never hear of anyone falling off while western riding. Also does it suit some horses better than others. eg I can't imagine being able to stay seated at trot on a bouncy thoroughbred. And do you only ride in a western saddle. Thanks anyone for reading this. Kindest regards oldbushy

 

[fitz]

Well each type has its pros and cons I guess. If I were a happy hacker, I'd definitely look into western, and it can feel more secure. The horses can do neat tricks too!
Perhaps you should try a western lesson or two, as well as English and see which you prefer.

 

[Afellpony]

Western riding is possibly a little bit safer because of the saddle, it seems to make you feel more secure. I've only ridden Western for about 6 months in all - but being small, the saddles were always too big as the school had to cater for every size of rider. The horses were beautifully schooled though. Sadly I cant say the same for the conventional riding schools (in my area). I'd say give it a go if you haven't already. It's a very relaxing way to ride.​

 

[JOJOBA]

I felt very safe in a western saddle - or was it the impeccably trained western horse...?
My YO reckons she is not flexible enough for western riding now (perhaps because she has ridden English for many years) but I can certainly imagine it being easier to learn as a newcomer.

xxx

 

[raingodz]

Yes, I think that riding western can be easyer for a beginner, my first canter was on a western horse and I felt very safe and secure, and there is such an emphasis on being relaxed and taking your time that it does mean that I find I am more relexed and feel mor incontrol in my western lessons

 

[Teehee]

I do think for a begginer that does mostly hacking... the western saddle is best... I have an english saddle for me to use (that's what I learnt on) but for my Dad & sister or anyone who doesn't know how to ride... I feel more at ease if they are on the western one... that horn is great to grab on when one feels like you're loosing balance... and with an English one... there's nothing to hang on...

 

[smaggi]

I started riding at age 40 on a dressage saddle. At age 43 I switched to a western saddle. In general I think that a western saddle is more secure, but it depends on the type of western saddle you buy.

Look for a western saddle with a deep pocket and a steep rise. Usually saddles that are made for cow working have a deep pocket and steep rise and are very close contact. My saddle feels a lot like a dressage saddle because it is cutout under my leg and there is only one peice of leather behind the fender to fasten the stirrups.

Barrel Racing saddles are also made for a stable seat and close contact. Some western saddles are made with a very flat seat and can have a lot of bulky leather under your legs.

 

[Skib]

I started riding aged 62, English, but have also ridden Western which I love. It is true that the Victorian traveller Isabella Bird rode astride in a "Western" saddle and declared it safer - since people were regularly killed falling from horses in Victorian England.

However all things are relative. Where the Western saddle is the cultural norm, riders do fall off. You only have to read the autobiographies of some well known trainers like Brannaman?

Isabella though Western safer because of the horn. But I have read on NR that one cant use safety stirrups with Western tack. Not sure if that is absolutely true but traditional western stirrups have greater stability but also greater grip.You can adjust them too.

Although I have met a guy about my age who failed to learn English fashion and succeeded when he swapped to Western, I personally would not learn Western if I lived in the UK. For the following reasons.

It is harder to mount and dismount with a Western saddle with a high cantle. And the saddle may be slightly wider, which I find hard with elderly joints.

Although rising trot and forward seat are used by Western riders, the emphasis is mostly on sitting to ride. If you have bad hips this would suit you. My old body needs loosening up with rising trot. And I need to relieve the pressure on my spine by choosing forward seat in fast, long canters.

The stirrups are longer in western, comparable to dressage length in English. I like that too. But some older people may find it hard on their joints.

I dont think the feel of the horse is deadened in a good Western saddle. I like to feel the horse under me. And the rigid tree does not prevent one moving with the horse and remaining flexible in the saddle.
But I do think that if one learned to ride only in a Western saddle one might not pay so much attention to one's natural balance on the horse. Sitting evenly on the horse with no stirrups, or even bare back, is a safety precaution. It is not hard to learn, and is taught by the best Western teachers.
But we all know that non-riders go trail riding in Western saddles. If an older beginner used the saddle as a prop to make things easier, it wouldnt be good for them or the horse. They would ride like a passenger, and find it hard to transfer to English.

One has this dream of riding out Western on a nice quarter horse, and then reluctantly gives up the idea because it is so out of the ordinary here. I believe that in Rome one should do as the Romans do. Ride English in the UK and one is surrounded by expertise, professional saddlers and a choice of teachers.
But if I lived in the USA and in an area where Western is the norm, I guess I would have chosen to ride Western.

Interesting question with no hard and fast answer.

 

[smaggi]

It is harder to mount and dismount with a Western saddle with a high cantle. And the saddle may be slightly wider, which I find hard with elderly joints..

Good point. A lot of western saddles I've ridden in make me feel like my legs are getting ripped apart because they are too wide for me. Look for a saddle with a narrow twist. Mine is a Ladies Working Cow horse so the seat is designed for women and is very narrow. The seat is no wider than my dressage saddle.

Although rising trot and forward seat are used by Western riders, the emphasis is mostly on sitting to ride.

My horse has a rough trot so I almost always post. They may not do this in western lessons though.

But I do think that if one learned to ride only in a Western saddle one might not pay so much attention to one's natural balance on the horse. Sitting evenly on the horse with no stirrups, or even bare back, is a safety precaution. It is not hard to learn, and is taught by the best Western teachers. But we all know that non-riders go trail riding in Western saddles. If an older beginner used the saddle as a prop to make things easier, it wouldnt be good for them or the horse. They would ride like a passenger, and find it hard to transfer to English..

Another good point. I have done a lot of work at the trot and canter with no reins and sometimes no stirrups in my western saddle. That taught me not to rely on them for balance and get a balanced seat instead.

 

[KateWooten]

Over here, where both english and western are common it is seen as far and away easier to ride western than english. Not in the same league. Over here you would put any beginner 'into' a western saddle, without training, and they can walk trot and canter

Having said that, I hate western, just can't stand it. There is a huge amount of 'stuff' between the rider and the horse - even in a reining type saddle which I presume must be about as close-contact as they get ? (plus, I can't understand the need for extra things that trail and flap and dangle from the saddle, the girth... even from the bridle!)

... But anyway, back to the plot .. Western saddles are incredibly hard on the knees. If you have knee problems you might find it incredibly painful. They get their regular stirrup leathers, and then for no discernible reason, they tack a foot wide sheet of stiff leather to the side of them, so they don't twist, putting constant excuriating twisting pressure on your knee ! Ouch ! However, you can get a little swivel thing to put on the stirrup itself... and you can indeed get safety - 'breakaway' -stirrups ... (I know, cos we've been through all this with OH's western saddle which we bought because he's a beginner..) .. and you can get little converters so you can use a proper girth with buckles rather than all that ridiculous tieing knots to keep the cinch on ... and before you know it ... you've got ... a bulky uncomfortable version of an english saddle !!

 

[JOJOBA]

Western saddles are incredibly hard on the knees.

Really? As someone who suffers from sore, swollen joints (dont ask) I find riding English harder, especially jumping (have to take my feet out and walk round in between!). I got into the habit of riding really long because of this, and found the Western saddle super comfy. I do ride at a good length english now, but if I go out for a ride of an hour or more, especially hacking, my knees will be awful when I get back. An hour in a western saddle and they never even twinged - which is why I want one . None of me hurt afterwards!
I cant even ride in a GP saddle comfortably - Dressage saddles support my knees and let me ride long, so that's okay. I find the bend in the knee and the moving of the joint painful after a while in rising trot.
Perhaps I just got a good Western saddle though when I went!

xxx

 

[smaggi]

Over here, where both english and western are common it is seen as far and away easier to ride western than english. Not in the same league. Over here you would put any beginner 'into' a western saddle, without training, and they can walk trot and canter

Western riding can be every bit as difficult as English riding. I think it depends what kind of western riding you are doing. Have you seen a really good athletic cutting horse move? It's not easy to stay balanced in the saddle. A cutter may say walk, posting trot, canter, EEK! about a lot of English riders too! I have seen many English riders simply scoot around an arena never challenging either the horse or the rider. Have you seen the extreme cowboy races on RFD? I don't know of many horse and rider combos that can do that as well as they do. Have you ever been trail riding in REALLY steep country? That's also not easy at all.

(plus, I can't understand the need for extra things that trail and flap and dangle from the saddle, the girth... even from the bridle!)

You can't understand the need for the extra stuff because you've never been in a situation where you needed it. Try some of the western riding that I mentioned above and you'll appreciate stuff like a back cinch and other extras.

Western saddles are incredibly hard on the knees. If you have knee problems you might find it incredibly painful. They get their regular stirrup leathers, and then for no discernible reason, they tack a foot wide sheet of stiff leather to the side of them, so they don't twist, putting constant excuriating twisting pressure on your knee ! Ouch ! However, you can get a little swivel thing to put on the stirrup itself... and you can indeed get safety - 'breakaway' -stirrups ... (I know, cos we've been through all this with OH's western saddle which we bought because he's a beginner..) .. and you can get little converters so you can use a proper girth with buckles rather than all that ridiculous tieing knots to keep the cinch on ... and before you know it ... you've got ... a bulky uncomfortable version of an english saddle !!

Not if you buy a good western saddle. I use a Smart Cinch which does not use any knots to keep the cinch on. It uses a buckle on each side, just like my English girth. My saddle has almost no leather behind the fenders and twisted stirrups. Twisted stirrups have the leather strap behind the fender with a full twist already in them. This puts them in the correct position for you already. Most western saddles have the stirrups resting 90 degrees from the position they need to be in. A lot of people buy those saddles and end up sticking in a broom handle to try to get them trained. If you buy a really good saddle to begin with you don't have any of those problems.

Western and English riding can both be very difficult depending on what you are doing.

 

[Shadowlark]

Kate you need to get better western saddles

I am another ageing convert. I used to event rather seriously at that. Now with my return and an ageing body riddled with arthritis and other problems, I live in a western saddle.

Chosing a saddle is critical tho, both for horse and rider. Different styles will suit different things. Oviously when you first start.. ride what you are given. but as you progress, go and try MANY saddles before you buy any. sit in different ones, get a feel for what you like. I am PICKY about my saddles my leg needs to be at a certain place, I like a certain amount behind me etc etc etc. I currently ride treeless which I really enjoy and is working very well for me and my horses. But have ridden a lot of great treed saddles over the years. A correctly fitted western saddle due to it's large surface area is better for the horses back


As to level of difficulty.. Western has this stigma attached.. you just get on and ride.. Not quite the case If you find a good instructor western can be every bit as complex and intricate as english.

And western riders post You watch a warm up arena.. if those horses are trotting chances are the riders are posting. It's the jog we don't post.. although the rythem is essentialy the same the movement is quite different to ride.

 

[KateWooten]

I think it depends what kind of western riding you are doing. Have you seen a really good athletic cutting horse move? It's not easy to stay balanced in the saddle.... Have you seen the extreme cowboy races on RFD?

yes, agreed - a cutting horse is incredibly demanding to ride ... but would you really fancy doing that in a dressage saddle ? A well designed western saddle is inherently much easier to stay on than an english saddle, hence, for a beginner, itis 'easier' to get started with... and IMHO riding in a western saddle gives you a LOT more security at the start. It's designed for being easy to stay on when riding an athletic horse, and roping cattle or whatever, with all the huge strains that would put on the rider-saddle combination. It's a different tool for a different job. I'm not saying that you can't take either discipline to a highly skilled level - that's not the issue here !

Kate you need to get better western saddles

That's certainly true, but the one I was riding in was a neighbours, and they'd spent their life savings on the thing, kept it indoors, oiled it religiously etc etc It was a "Circle P" or Y or K or something - everything western seems to be Circle Something or other !

Western has this stigma attached.. you just get on and ride

I haven't heard that. I've just found that with a western saddle you can just get on and ride, if that's what you want to do. No big suprise, that 100% of the hire a horse and go out for a trail ride places for tourists in the state park use western saddles !

You can't understand the need for the extra stuff because you've never been in a situation where you needed it. Try some of the western riding that I mentioned above and you'll appreciate stuff like a back cinch and other extras.

Well not quite. It's not the back-cinch I was thinking about. Watch any western show class ... reining in particular springs to mind ... Behind the rider, hanging from the saddle - there are always numerous strings and straps swinging gaily about. It's a matter of choice, obviously, lots of western riders seem to like that. No slur on them at all.. I just don't like all that - if I can't see a use for it, I'd rather it wasn't there.

I have good friends who are very good western (trail) riders .. and they like a lot of stuff hanging off the horse everywhere, and when I asked them about this, they also pointed out that I'd appreciate all the extra strapping when I was out for a week at a time living off my horse ... but .. in overdeveloped East Tennessee ? I'm lucky if I can ride for four hours before seeing civilisation ! And where they were too, they had to admit they rarely rode for a whole day at a time.

 

[smaggi]

yes, agreed - a cutting horse is incredibly demanding to ride ... but would you really fancy doing that in a dressage saddle ? A well designed western saddle is inherently much easier to stay on than an english saddle, hence, for a beginner, itis 'easier' to get started with... and IMHO riding in a western saddle gives you a LOT more security at the start. It's designed for being easy to stay on when riding an athletic horse, and roping cattle or whatever, with all the huge strains that would put on the rider-saddle combination. It's a different tool for a different job. I'm not saying that you can't take either discipline to a highly skilled level - that's not the issue here !

I agree that a western saddle is easier to ride in and more secure. I misunderstood your original comment "it is seen as far and away easier to ride western than english. Not in the same league." to mean that western riding not western saddles, was easier and not in the same league.

Well not quite. It's not the back-cinch I was thinking about. Watch any western show class ... reining in particular springs to mind ... Behind the rider, hanging from the saddle - there are always numerous strings and straps swinging gaily about. It's a matter of choice, obviously, lots of western riders seem to like that. No slur on them at all.. I just don't like all that - if I can't see a use for it, I'd rather it wasn't there.

I have good friends who are very good western (trail) riders .. and they like a lot of stuff hanging off the horse everywhere, and when I asked them about this, they also pointed out that I'd appreciate all the extra strapping when I was out for a week at a time living off my horse ... but .. in overdeveloped East Tennessee ? I'm lucky if I can ride for four hours before seeing civilisation ! And where they were too, they had to admit they rarely rode for a whole day at a time.

I understand what you mean now. I use my strings a lot for carrying things like hobbles, a halter and lead, or a rolled up jacket, but a lot of people just like the look of them and will never use them. I actually feel the same way about an expensive English bridle with a noseband that I received as a gift. I never understood why you needed the noseband. Why would I want to keep Cisco's mouth shut?

I'm a function over fashion person for most things. I have a relative that owns a new big SUV with 4 wheel drive that he never takes off road or tows with. In fact he never even drives it in the snow. He keeps an old car so it doesn't get salt on it.

 

[levi1739]

Hey Smaggi, I like your saddle. What kind is it, and what tree is it built on? Very pretty, and I really like the "close contact" in the fender area. Pretty easy to move those legs forward eh. Did you get it at Henderson's. (We'll probably be down there for the March auction.)

Ahhh, someday I'm going to get the saddle of my dreams. First though, I have to reduce the number of "likes". Then I have to save the "dollars" to buy it. They aren't cheap.

Like western horses, the saddles can be pretty specific for the "task" at hand. There's a lot of difference in the seats for sure. Compare a cutting saddle (very flat seat) to a barrel racer (deep) for one easy to see example.


Have fun, be safe

Jack

 

[raingodz]

Western saddles are incredibly hard on the knees. If you have knee problems you might find it incredibly painful.

Nope!

Talking as someone with knee problems... I did have a bit of a problem when I used one of those chair seat ones where you stick your feet forwards all the time, but the one I use for my reining lessons is fine.

 

[Shadowlark]

That's certainly true, but the one I was riding in was a neighbours, and they'd spent their life savings on the thing, kept it indoors, oiled it religiously etc etc It was a "Circle P" or Y or K or something - everything western seems to be Circle Something or other !

Likely a Cricle Y given the cost.. and I can ride in 15 different ones in that brand.. and love some and HATE other. The variety of saddles even within one maker is astonishing. On the up side - the choices of saddle for a western rider seem almost unlimited!

Like in English people will buy a "brand" and assume because it's that brand it must be right. As a Kid I had a stubben cause that was THE brand you owned. Circle Y is one of those brands..

As to the dangles.. My saddles have none. And reiners don't have dangles off their saddles, just the long split reins. The long mane, reins and tail add flair to the spin. They can also be a dead give away if your spin sucks. All those tie straps off a saddle annoy me too My distance saddles have D rings on them that I clip to.. tie straps would make me loco

 

[KateWooten]

I never understood why you needed the noseband. Why would I want to keep Cisco's mouth shut?

Nope - me either !

 

[smaggi]

Hey Smaggi, I like your saddle. What kind is it, and what tree is it built on? Very pretty, and I really like the "close contact" in the fender area. Pretty easy to move those legs forward eh. Did you get it at Henderson's. (We'll probably be down there for the March auction.)

I finally broke down and got the saddle of my dreams. I sold all of my old windsurfing equipment and my mountain bike to get it. It's a McCalls Lady Cow Horse. They make custom saddles with their own trees. I bought mine in stock from Brighton Feeds. They always carry a bunch of McCalls saddles. I bought it originally because I talked to Julie Goodnight at Equine Affaire. I told her I was looking for a western saddle with a secure seat. She suggested the Lady Cow Horse and said that it's the saddle she travels with because the tree fits a lot of different sized horses. She also loved the seat because it was really narrow and she said it gave her a seat position similar to a dressage saddle.

We've been wanted to go down to an auction at Henderson's sometime. Maybe we'll see you there.