favourite "style" of riding

[Ruby's Mum]

Couldn't think of a better description for the title....

I thought it would be fascinating to find out what everyone's favourite "style"/ "discipline" of riding is?

For me it is Western pleasure and I really enjoy just being out and about hacking (have a new mare who is great to hack, so we get some strange looks as there's very few "cowgirls" in my part of Yorkshire!).

So, just for fun - where does your passion lie?

 

[MotherOfChickens]

hacking and more recently horseback archery-although for insurance purposes I can't do that when hacking I expect my style is hippy/endurance type and both pony and I have lots of hair.

cool you ride Western though!

 

[JFTDWS]

Horseback archery is epic.

I'm currently filling my random moments with hardcore, cowboy type western trainers on youtube. Just curiosity.

I don't have a favourite "style" of riding, but I like to see any training, any style, where the horse is happy, engaged and working in a balanced and sound fashion, where there's harmony in the partnership. I like to see horses moving at the extremes of their capabilities, too, but only when there's a degree of compassion - I don't like seeing them hauled about, shoved or pulled off balance, over bent or on a wonk.

And I think I see that in all disciplines, and the absence of it in all of them too.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I am a showing girl through and through though I havent actually ridden in the show ring in nearly 2 years ... So my day to day riding consists of racehorses - both long out hacking and up and out of the saddle on the gallops.

 

[Ruby's Mum]

MoC - horseback archery! That sounds really amazing. JFTD I completely agree with your post, well said. I can highly recommend Warwick Schiller and Dale Fredericks, they are two of my favourite trainers, in that their training fits well with how I like to handle my horses.

 

[Ruby's Mum]

I am a showing girl through and through though I havent actually ridden in the show ring in nearly 2 years ... So my day to day riding consists of racehorses - both long out hacking and up and out of the saddle on the gallops.

How interesting, how did you end up working with racehorses? I have little experience of showing apart from going to watch a friend's daughter once and wow, those guys are seriously competitive and the mums! Terrified me!

 

[Orangehorse]

I don't think that people explore different styles and activities enough. Anyone who is an instructor should have done more than the "dressage, show jumping, cross country" Interestingly ex show ring riders are often successful in dressage, but now not even too many have done much hunting, and as for western, polo/polocross, endurance...... no experience at all.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I don't think that people explore different styles and activities enough. Anyone who is an instructor should have done more than the "dressage, show jumping, cross country" Interestingly ex show ring riders are often successful in dressage, but now not even too many have done much hunting, and as for western, polo/polocross, endurance...... no experience at all.

Lol, I'm an ex show rider and producer, used to hunt and latterly drag hunt
Also rode NH for 2 seasons, then went on to ode's, did polo cross, vaulting and Prince Philip cup as a teenager, sj on and off for fun over the years, adore going xc at anytime (Even now )
Did a winter doing arena polo... recently been playing with Trec.

I think the only equestrian activities I haven't had the chance to try more than once is western, archery and endurance (never done endurance or archery).

These days I like hacking either solo or in company, sometimes fast, sometimes pootling, and blatting round the odd xc courses I don't 'do' stressage....

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

How interesting, how did you end up working with racehorses? I have little experience of showing apart from going to watch a friend's daughter once and wow, those guys are seriously competitive and the mums! Terrified me!

I quit school and was told to get a job or go to uni. So I got a job 5 mins down the road. I rang the yard asking if they had any jobs going, went in 3 days later for an interview, got the job, started 3 weeks later and 14 years later I am still there. I had no intentions of going into racing. I just needed a job to avoid going back into education at that point! And it was the only thing I was qualfied to do - work with horses.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I've tried a few of the more normal things-was made to show an unsuitable pony in unsuitable classes as a kid and even now, the thought of it fills me with horror. Hunted, ODE, SJing and dressage to not a particularly good level but enjoyed it. I am not the bravest rider so if jumping I need something that will pack me round-too many school horses when doing my stages that had dirty stops. worked in racing for a bit but only rode the very quiet ones lol. Still like watching showjumping, modern XC bores me (sorry!). also tried western and side saddle years ago and have ridden several different gaited breeds (Icelandics, TWH and Paso Finos). Worked with horses in the US for nearly a year in my youth. Got myself embroiled in classical riding a few years back and completely forgot how to enjoy riding, lost my heart horse. so now I just bomb around the countryside on my pony.
I quite like the idea of endurance and might do a couple of training rides late this year but cba mainly with the hassle of competition. I do find it useful to have a goal to work towards. goal atm is to get pony desensitised to bow and firing bow on ground and carrying the bow while on board-I am hiring a horse to practise archery on and have been doing regular archery for a while.

 

[eventer and proud]

eventing 'style' though riding the racehorses (on the gallops) is great fun.....can you tell i like going fast with short stirrups?? I love the dressage aspect to though

 

[Mule]

I like hacking and dressage. Not necessarily the competing bit (for me that's stressage) but I enjoy learning how to better communicate with the horse.
I think Trec looks fun aswell. I like the look of western riding. I'd say herding cattle would be great fun

I used to love xc but I seem to be losing interest in jumping. Recently i get more pleasure out of things like feeling the horse becoming more supple after schooling than galloping and jumping.

 

[milliepops]

Wot JFTD said...
But my passion for my own horse training is in dressage.

I came to it via pony club (all disciplines incl -esp- mounted games :lol western in the US, hunting and BE in the UK.. it's just where I've found my place

 

[Landcruiser]

I've ridden western since I had my own horses (10 years now!) and used to love western trail (obstacles) best. Now I do TREC which suits me down to the ground, as well as fun rides and hacking. I'd never go back to english tack or style, I love the practicality of western kit and the comfort and security of a western saddle.

 

[alainax]

Classical mixed with german style. My bedside reading is Sylvia loch and kurd albrecht von ziegner

 

[nikkimariet]

Any style of riding where the horse and rider are both having fun

I would love to have a go at the stunt type stuff but I'm malcoordinated to the extreme and fear I'd likely get it badly wrong!

 

[holeymoley]

I'm defo a happy hacker but I was lucky that both myself and my horse were trained classically by a very very good horsewoman(she evented at badminton and was picked for the olympics) so I enjoy flatwork too. I can't sit in a gp/jumping saddle as I have been taught with very long sitrrups and open hips. We do enjoy having a go at everything though for a bit of fun

 

[Dave's Mam]

Jack of all trades, master of none. Not even nearly.

I just like a bit of everything, as long as Fatchops & I are having fun.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

Definitely happy hacker, I tend to do this western style when walking e.g. longish reins with one hand on the reins the other resting on my leg unless he's spooking or there's a car obviously! This is in English tack would love a go at trying a western trained horse e.g. doing sliding stops/ spins etc.

Definitely favourite thing to do is go for a gallop hacking, booked into a beach ride while on a recent holiday as never got to do it due to horse not travelling or being near enough to hack to one. So want to do it again was absolutely fantastic don't think I stopped smiling! While we didn't gallop cantering along was such fun!

Used to love jumping and liked doing fairly high e.g. about 1m ones but bottle has well and truly gone probably due to horse being a stopper who did get better but was always in my head he may stop then I'd tense and hed see reason to stop also hopeless at seeing a stride so now we do teeny tiny jumps sometimes he's 20 now so we mainly hack. I'm not sure if I'd get back into it if I had something that would just take me round off any stride etc.

Would love a chance to sit on something with all the moves established especially to do things like tempis/ piaffe etc

Did like xc when I was into jumping never competed due to horse not travelling or liking new jumps but hired one down the road once and enjoyed it the yard also used to have a few xc jumps and when he got the hang of it enjoyed going round some of those.

Have done a few shows at the rs he is kept at and enjoyed them obviously not county level!

Won't be getting another horse after my current one as different things to save for and loss of interest however will look to do some ad hoc riding e.g. book another beach ride/ book a.western lesson/ save and book school master lesson etc.

 

[JFTDWS]

I've ridden western since I had my own horses (10 years now!) and used to love western trail (obstacles) best.

I really like watching extreme trail horse / extreme cowboy stuff. It's like TREC on steroids - and I'd love to try it. I'd also really like to do some cattle work.

I bought a quarter horse to play polocrosse (after a fashion) and I want to veer off in every direction. She'd enjoy archery too, I'm sure - it's on my list for her!

(eta - she has natural crazy stops, spins and turns. I can confirm they are insanely fun to play with!)

 

[Cortez]

I've had many favourites along the way as I've come across them (never ending journey, and all that), but currently I am greatly admiring doma vaquera training (Spanish bull herding technique). I have previously done very serious competitive dressage up to FEI levels (very po faced), jousting and other stunt-y stuff, and really loved my gaited (non showing) horses in the US. Don't do any of the woo-woo "natural" stuff (on purpose), 'though.

 

[tankgirl1]

Hacking is where my heart lies, not interested at all in schooling, showing, dressage, jumping etc. I would like to have a go at endurance sometime too if the opportunity ever arose

 

[tankgirl1]

Definitely happy hacker, I tend to do this western style when walking e.g. longish reins with one hand on the reins the other resting on my leg unless he's spooking or there's a car obviously! This is in English tack would love a go at trying a western trained horse e.g. doing sliding stops/ spins etc.

I ride out like that too in english tack... I do tend to wear jeans rather than jods tho

 

[Mule]

I ride out like that too in english tack... I do tend to wear jeans rather than jods tho

I'm the same It took me ages before I could bring myself to take up a contact for dressage.

 

[sasquatch]

I personally am a jack of all trades type of rider, and my favourite style is definitely staying on lol. I just tell myself I haven't found my niche yet.

I would love to try side saddle, I think it just looks so classic and elegant.

I do quite love watching some of the eventers, I love how cool and confident some of them look as they go round the cross country course because I know the thought of it terrifies me.

 

[Auslander]

Dressage is my thing, but now the old boy is getting creaky, we mostly just hack around on the buckle. Sometimes we plod, and sometimes we leap around/spook/tranter/pissage - it entirely depends on how jaunty his lordhship is feeling. I leave the decisions up to him - it's interesting letting him choose where we're going - never the same route twice in a row!

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I leave the decisions up to him - it's interesting letting him choose where we're going - never the same route twice in a row!

I love doing this-to me, nothing beats a great hacking horse-one that enjoys it and is forward (without being mental).

 

[Auslander]

I love doing this-to me, nothing beats a great hacking horse-one that enjoys it and is forward (without being mental).

I love that he chooses! There's one track that goes off to the right, just before we get to the road that leads home, and he often decides to go down it. It annoys our usual hacking companion intensely, as it adds another 20 mins to the hack, just when she thinks we're nearly home. She gets even crosser when he turns right instead of left at the end of that track, which adds another half hour on!

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I love that he chooses! There's one track that goes off to the right, just before we get to the road that leads home, and he often decides to go down it. It annoys our usual hacking companion intensely, as it adds another 20 mins to the hack, just when she thinks we're nearly home. She gets even crosser when he turns right instead of left at the end of that track, which adds another half hour on!

he is such a character I do love an inquisitive horse that likes going places.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

If I let Ernie choose the route we'd wander down every drive way and stare in every window.

I've always had a very straight long, dressage style of riding and when I started schooling E I thought he was a little lazy and behind the leg. This wasn't the case at all, he simply hadn't got used to me. I realised he preferred a hunter style seat with a more forward leg position. We're adapting to each other now.