Anyone ridden in a western saddle?

[Quartz]

Have any of you ridden in a western saddle? I am thinking of trying one for hacking, they look comfy and secure. So just wondered if anyone had tried one and if they felt more secure in the saddle when out and about? Thanks

 

[Capriole]

I have, once.
I found it really uncomfortable and I felt insecure and all wrong in it

 

[treacle_beastie]

yes once but found it very uncomfy! I think it was prob a bit small for me though.

I have a barefoot cheyenne which I use for hacking and is really comfy on your bum - bit like a western really!

 

[Arizahn]

I own one!
It is very secure, but mine is not all that padded for the rider, I'm afraid. The stirrups are tricky to adjust compared to English style, and cinching up is a skill that takes practice, lol!
For me the worst part was that I couldn't get off - the cantle blocked my leg! So not good for the less athletic of us, or those with sore hips.

 

[Suffolkangel]

I hack my pony out in one, got it because he's spooky and can spin on a sixpence... I feel very secure and comfy in it. With regards to stirrups you wear them slightly longer then normal, and i dont let anyone else use this saddle so dont ever have to change them. I love my western and am about to get another for my youngster...

 

[nikicb]

Yes lots of times because we go on holiday every other year to a ranch in Montana. They do feel secure. The only problem I find is that they are quite hard on my seat bones, but that is probably more because they are, I guess, cheaper and well used (like riding school saddles would be here) than if you had your own. I have considered getting one for our Arab cross because he is built like quite a few of the horses we ride in Montana. The only other problem I found is riding with your toes turned out (ie Western style) is the opposite to what we are used to and it made my knees hurt. I now just ride with my feet in the same position I do at home and they are fine.

 

[Fools Motto]

yes, several times.
Secure = yes
Comfy = debatable. A few times it was comfy, one time it was unbearable (later found out it was a 'mans saddle', so all wrong for a lady- no wonder I felt so sore!! BUT, once it was lush... but it was a very expensive saddle, and it showed.
I have western ridden once in this country but mainly in NZ and Aus.

 

[LaurenB]

I've found western and found that my treeless is more comfy

 

[LaurenB]

Ridden*

 

[madmav]

Have done it a couple of times abroad. I'm not keen on them as found there was too much saddle between you and horse, it's just all too bulky. Other problem is I found it impossible to take a forward seat when had a fast canter. Felt most odd sitting bolt upright while travelling at speed. Bet they're brilliant for long trails though.

 

[LaurenBay]

I have done a few times. I do prefer english saddles though and feel much more secure in them.

 

[Orangehorse]

I went on a ranch riding holiday and found the first couple of days tricky, but you adapt.
You have to let the saddle do the work and sit back slightly - that is why they have long skirts extending behind the seat, unlike the english saddle where you mostly sit in the centre. We did rising trot too. They are comfortable when you get used to them and a slightly different style of riding, I spent 5-6 hours in the saddle and wasn't stiff.

 

[perfect11s]

Yes not keen on anything else its like a english saddle it Has to fit you and your horse!! and you get what you pay for.. £1500/3000 is about the budget for a proper one.. so guess what !!!that one size fits all indian/pakistani one or an old abused thing that 100s of people have used on a ranch holiday place aint going to be that nice unless you have a well padded deriaire or are lucky....... a proper one like,say a pullman reining saddle is a very nice place to be ....

 

[gnubee]

With the pommel if you need it and the way they kind of cradle you in with the high cantle, they are more secure than English I think. As to the comfort, it depends on what you're used to and how your horse goes.
As a general point, I find for the first ocuple of days my knees ache in onel not sure why butI think it must be to do with the different leg position. I ride a bit shorter than proper western stirrups even on a western saddle though, which might have something to do with it.
The other big factor is whether you are going to train your horse western or just add the saddle. In the western style your legs stay more forward than in English and you sit back a bit more on your bum than on your seatbones. This is great if you have a western trained horse where the aids are given off a loose rein and you give the aid once and then expect the horse to maintain a pace so your legs can move forward and off the horse agaiin. If you are trying ot use a more English style of "constant" aids where you keep your legs on their sides and effectively "between hand and leg" thenyou are not going to find it more comfy because your legs wont be in the position the western saddle is designed ot have them. Also if you want to gallop lots I find standing in the English style more comfy than sitting to it as you would in a western saddle and again your longer western stirrups and leg opositionmean it is possible to stand in western but not ideal and you tend to find yourself truly stood upright rather than taking a forward position as you would in English.
Last point, the western saddle isnt designed for rising trot; the leg positions and stirrup lengths again are all wrong so you can do it but its not ideal. Of the western trained horses Ive ridden (although probably not enought to give a really representetive sample) I would say 80% had a trot that was comfy enough to sit to comfortably on a long hack, Conversely in English horses I would think less than 30% fit that description.

In terms of the padding, they tend to be slightly less padded than an English saddle, but it is the "armchair" style of seat and more relaxed posture which makes them more comfortable, and I suspect you loose most of these benefits unless you are riding western style on a western trained horse.

 

[Shantara]

I love them! The only thing I dislike about them is the stirrups, I jut can't get along with them.
Though, I wouldn't try jumping in one I did and winded myself slightly (I forgot I was riding in it!)

 

[perfect11s]

I love them! The only thing I dislike about them is the stirrups, I jut can't get along with them.
Though, I wouldn't try jumping in one I did and winded myself slightly (I forgot I was riding in it!)

Why dont you like the stirrups??

 

[Shantara]

Why dont you like the stirrups??

I don't know, it may have just been those particular ones. I just didn't feel safe and felt like they were pushing my feet out, beyond the ball of the foot.

 

[Foxhunter49]

You can only adjust the stirrups when you are dismounted and getting off to clear the cantle you need to keepyour foot in the stirrup.

Western saddles vary as much as English ones do! First time I rode in one I found it very insecure in that it seemed slippery.
I have ridden western many tines since and if you ever ride a well trained cutting horse then you know why you need such a large horn to hang onto!

You can jump in a western saddle as long as you do not go to far forward and adopt the backward seat coming down.

 

[[59668]]

Aussie stock saddles are more comfy and secure in my opinion.

 

[Hen]

I ride in a Western saddle all the time. It does take getting used to - it puts you in a different position than an English saddle; you sit higher above and around the horse, not into it, and the fender and stirrup positions mean that if you ride with a tight, toe-forward leg normally, you may not find riding in a Western saddle very comfortable. You are secure in that you have a horn to grab if things go pear-shaped; how useful it is immediately depends on how quickly you train yourself to use it! Generally they have a harder seat than an English saddle - but you can get some with padded-out seats, and Western seat savers are also an option.

Be careful about dismounting and make sure you don't get any jumpers/jackets hooked on the horn on the way down. Be sure to swing your right leg out far enough too when dismounting - first time I ever got down from one, I caught my right knee on the back of the saddle and shot unceremoniously straight down the poor horse's shoulder to land in a heap!

 

[CorvusCorax]

Not a huge fan, been mostly on roping saddles and they are obs designed to hold you on/in while you take down steers but I felt very restricted and I felt very little contact with the horse.
TBH towards the end of my last stay in the states I just rode with a bareback pad because I couldn't be arsed with lugging the saddle around, the cinching, the stirrups, the breast collar and all the bloody blankets

 

[kylee86]

my sisters horses aare all western ridden i ride them often. the saddles do take time to get used to as there not padded like english saddle. they are also very heavy and is a big effort to get them on the horses back. regarding trotting. no they are not realy for rise and trot they are desighned for (western terms a jog) which is a very slow trot but very easy and comfortaable to sit to anybody can teach there horse this. i find the saddles very secure espeacialy with one of the horses as she is rather naughter bucks rears bolts ect the pommel is great to help you stay on. you also have a deeper seat. you ride with your stirrup long not short which is great for me as i have artritis and riding with short stirrups makes my knees swell up. you need to get a good saddle nothing cheap.

 

[moana]

Yes, I have ridden in several different Western saddles and found all very comfy (and secure)

 

[Tickles]

Plenty above on the comfort/security side... would re-emphasise the weight part though... VERY heavy and with extra blankets etc if you're close to the top end of weight range for your pony (I'm assuming you're an adult on a pony but may be wrong!) then it could push you over into the 'too heavy' category. Plus a total pain to lift!

Might be worth thinking abt how easy it is to get one properly fitted here too... most saddlers will have much more experience of English tack and ordering from the US or wherever could leave you with something not quite adjusted right and no-one to fix that.

Personally I'd rather learn to sit the spooks/spins and ride more actively when hacking but I have certainly enjoyed riding Western too... even tried a baby barrel race!

 

[burtie]

I hack my pony out in one, got it because he's spooky and can spin on a sixpence... I feel very secure and comfy in it. With regards to stirrups you wear them slightly longer then normal, and i dont let anyone else use this saddle so dont ever have to change them. I love my western and am about to get another for my youngster...

This, and I combine this with competing in Dressage, he is well schooled english style to Medium level, yet can also manage a respectable jog and lope on a loose rein and seems to switch from one mode to the other quite happily!

As he is 16.3hh I have mastered the art of swinging my leg over the cantel english style to dismount if I have too, but get off on western style at the yard on the mounting block.

The only fun part is swinging the saddle on at 16.3, luckily I'm fairly tall too!

 

[wtdnh131]

when i went to france we rode in them across the camargue on the beautiful "white" (as they call them over there) horses, experience of a life time! the guy asked if we could canter, we replied yes and off he shot at an incredibly fast gallop with my horse following, as i hadn't bought my riding gear i was wearing knee length shorts and trainers, not the comfyest but as i was surronded by beautiful scenery i didnt care! the saddle itself was very comfortable though if a bit stock (even though they are supposed to be like that)

 

[wtdnh131]

when i went to france we rode in them across the camargue on the beautiful "white" (as they call them over there) horses, experience of a life time! the guy asked if we could canter, we replied yes and off he shot at an incredibly fast gallop with my horse following, as i hadn't bought my riding gear i was wearing knee length shorts and trainers, not the comfyest but as i was surronded by beautiful scenery i didnt care! the saddle itself was very comfortable though if a bit stock (even though they are supposed to be like that)

too add, pretty sure mine was padded in some way, probably because it was a holiday riding centre and had loads of people who had never even been on a horse before

 

[Captain Bridget]

I've ridden in numerous and really like them, although I've had experience tacking up and untacking and they're quite complicated! They feel secure and generally comfortable, although some can be quite hard seated. I once rode in one with too short stirrups and it killed my knees, you also can't really stand up in them so well, it's quite awkward. Where I'd be used to going in a light seat for cantering/galloping you can't because of the horn.

My dad, who is a total novice rider, can just about steer but probably not rise to the trot, did a fast canter happily in a western saddle, although I think it was quite had and he bounced a bit, but he felt secure enough to do it.

 

[FabioandFreddy]

Yes - went and rode out with a friend and the only other saddle they had was a western one. Was horrible! Felt weird, couldn't do rising trot in it! Didn't like it at all!

 

[Hen]

Yes - went and rode out with a friend and the only other saddle they had was a western one. Was horrible! Felt weird, couldn't do rising trot in it! Didn't like it at all!

Of course you can do rising trot in a Western saddle - unless you are 100% reliant on grippy knees to do so! If you are able to stand up off the saddle on a bicycle you can do the same in a Westen saddle... you just activate the lift from the foot not the knee.