Are there any other western riders out there?

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americanqh

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Hi all, just wondering if there were any other Western riders on here like me? I do also ride English but my preferred style is Western.

If so, how long have you been doing it? Do you have your own western trained horse? and what do you do with him/her?

Just a bit curious really :)
 
Have ridden western a few times in Arizona and loved it but not in the UK. Would love a western saddle as they are so comfy! Not sure if I can train my horse to go western though - he is a 16 year old welsh cob. Love the quarter horses in Arizona.
 
I ride western, been at it a few years now, not particularly well though.

All the ridden horses here are western trained, some are trained cutting horses, some are ropers, we use some for penning and a couple of the youngsters will be gaming this season (barrels and pole bending)

Apart from one hunter we don't have any trained English horses.
 
Like Merlin I have ridden western in Arizona and loved it. Very tempted to get new horse a western saddle as I like the security!
 
Niddlynoo, where did you ride in Arizona? I have been to the White Stallion Ranch in Tucson a couple of times and loved it. Hoping to go back some time this year.
 
I've tried it and loved it...just felt so secure and I ride so long I'm half way there anyway...:D

I bought a rather lovely 7/8th QH, 1/8 Paint last year after taking a friend to visit the stud... He's rising 3 and I recently started bitting him although introducing him to long reining etc has been put on hold until he has wolf teeth out... I intend to have him broken to English but introduce Western too... No rush though, whenever he's ready... He's an old horse in a young body - a very steady, thoughtful soul and you can see the brain ticking away...
 
Mostly ours stand around all day, do 3 seconds flat out then go back to sleep again when they are working! The middle horse is one of ours.

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My husband (a non-rider) and I rode Quarter horses out in Colorado and hubby was instantly hooked - he wanted to know why in England the emphasis is all on training the rider when with Western riding the horses were so well trained that they made it "easy"! Had to stop him looking at massive Western saddles to bring back for my 14.2hh New Forest :confused:
 
A rather dirty baby QH... One day, when he grows up, he'll be a western boy... :D

DirtyDonald25Feb2012.jpg


Enfys... He does seem unduly placid and doesn't play much like the other babies... His idea of a spook is to plant rather than jump in any way... Is that typical of the breed at all? I don't know an awful lot about them - he chose me and I just had to go visit him again... :rolleyes: :D
 
-Ladydragon I had the opposite, I like riding short so riding long I found hard at first but I got used to it after doing it a lot more although while riding english I do tend to ride short now still. your baby looks lovely btw :)

I quite like doing things related to cattle like cutting etc, just started with roping and practising it on the ground at the moment. I'm quite lucky that I ride a trained cutting horse who leaps like a cat when she get's into it so she makes it really enjoyable because she does her job so well.

My Dad now wants me to a put a western saddle on my loan horse (she's english trained) and expects her just to know how to be ridden western. He wants to get into riding now, never had any interest in riding before I started because he wants to be like John Wayne :rolleyes:
 
I hack out in a western saddle, ride on the buckle and neck rein, but as he is also a Dressage horse I do expect him to trot on and rise to the trot and tend to do a more forward canter than the traditional lope.
 
I have trained western horses and competed in reigning. in the summer im going to buy myself a horse and start training western :)
I dont really see much difference, and i think a horse can do both reigning and dressage in either set of tack. Its nice to know there are oher people who enjoy it are oin here to :D
 
Merlin we went to Stagecoach Ranch in the middle of the Mojave Desert, l
Loved the security of western (especially as my horse tripped ove all the time!) but not sure I'm up to training horse into western style. Like others I might end up dressing western but riding english:D
 
I ride in a western saddle, if my lad is fresh I feel safer using it, as I don't bounce well. If I'm planning on schooling on hacks I use the english saddle,
we don't have access to a school, last year I did my first pleasure ride of 10 miles using my western tack, we both thoroughly enjoyed it.
I would like to learn more about western riding, I have tried neck reining him, but I don't really know what I'm doing
 
I have friends in Nebraska on a working ranch who I visit as often as I can, and last year I competed in a county fair (Western Pleasure, Barrel racing and Pole racing). I love riding western and one of my long term goals is to breed my mare to some QH AI from their stud. They have has national awards. Love it!
 
Ladydragon said:
A rather dirty baby QH... One day, when he grows up, he'll be a western boy... :D

DirtyDonald25Feb2012.jpg


Enfys... He does seem unduly placid and doesn't play much like the other babies... His idea of a spook is to plant rather than jump in any way... Is that typical of the breed at all? I don't know an awful lot about them - he chose me and I just had to go visit him again... :rolleyes: :D
Click to expand...

Sweet looking chap, he'll fill out into a useful beastie.:)

The placid thing? It seems to be completely and utterly normal for the breed, don't worry, or compare him to others.

I have a lot of youngsters, the 2 year old colts play all the time (but they are not gelded so that may have something to do with it) but they are all total sweeties to handle, very quiet, very accepting, and I have never had one that would even consider biting or kicking a human. Great breed, sane, sensible and go like s*** off a shovel when they want (or are asked) to.
 
flirtygerty said:
I ride in a western saddle, if my lad is fresh I feel safer using it, as I don't bounce well. If I'm planning on schooling on hacks I use the english saddle,
we don't have access to a school, last year I did my first pleasure ride of 10 miles using my western tack, we both thoroughly enjoyed it.
I would like to learn more about western riding, I have tried neck reining him, but I don't really know what I'm doing
Click to expand...

http://www.horsetrainingvideos.com/neckrein.htm

Larry Trocha does a whole series of 'how to' videos (all free) which are clear and informative.

Clinton Anderson is good too.

No Instructors locally to you? Rare as hens teeth in some areas of the UK I know:(
 
Thank you for the above link. I like Western and luckily have a great trainer within 10kms.
My young Spanish cross SF mare enjoys basic moves, although she has learnt lots of other discplines too. i decided against a Western saddle, and use a specialist Endurance saddle or a Wintec VSL.
I hope to return for more sessions soon.Maybe ride the school master who is awesome!
 
Hello americanqh, I've been riding Western for 5 years now and have 3 Quarter Horses - 2 reiners and one all-around/happy hacker. I just love their way of going and attitude to life/work/play. They are all bright as buttons but so easy to be around :)
 
americanqh said:
-Ladydragon I had the opposite, I like riding short so riding long I found hard at first but I got used to it after doing it a lot more although while riding english I do tend to ride short now still. your baby looks lovely btw :)
Click to expand...

Thank you... It'll be interesting to see what he's like without winter woolies...:D I've had him since October but he's so laid back he's horizontal...

Enfys said:
Sweet looking chap, he'll fill out into a useful beastie.:)

The placid thing? It seems to be completely and utterly normal for the breed, don't worry, or compare him to others.
Click to expand...

I'm definitely not worrying that he's quiet... Suits me very well... Apparently he did canter with the other boys having a bit of a mad moment in the field yesterday - although I've yet to actually see him do it myself yet... He just potters around totally at peace with the world... He's going to be quite a lump of a lad I think...

Enfys said:
http://www.horsetrainingvideos.com/neckrein.htm

Larry Trocha does a whole series of 'how to' videos (all free) which are clear and informative.
Click to expand...

I'm having a blonde moment... Are these the ones that are with email sign up? The ones on the site all seem to be to purchase...

:)
 
I used to ride my old welsh x appaloosa pony in western tack and she was brilliant - got her neck reining, backing up, sidesteping along a pole, opening and shutting a 'gate', walking over a teeter-totter. Sadly I lost her 3 years ago and haven't had quite the confidence in my two cobs I have now. But, I still have my lovely western saddles.
 
I ride western on my ponies. Done so for 19 yrs now, have competed a little in WES, one of mine is currently western and the other seems to prefer classical so am going back to my roots of classical with her. First got into western with my 16yo welsh cob when he had had enough of jumping and he never looked back and really enjoyed reining, westen riding classes, horsemanship and trail.
 
try the British Rodeo Cowboys Association at rodeocowboys.org.uk they are based in Kent and do all classes from in hand showing, all the show classes, games, cattle classes and ranch horse events.
 
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