welshpony216
Well-Known Member
I have always wondered this, but never got to ask some one who lives in the UK. Don't know if this is the correct place to post this.
How different is the horse world in the UK than the USA?
- Thread starter welshpony216
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SussexbytheXmasTree
Well-Known Member
I think it somewhat depends on which part of the USA you’re in. My sister lives in Virginia and whilst there are differences to the UK it’s very familiar.
Meowy Catkin
Meow!
Docking tails, setting tails and soring would all be/are illegal here.
Different breeds are more common (unsurprisingly).
We don't have hunter/jumper classes.
The very dependant relationship between trainer and owner is not normal here but appears common at many yards/barns in the US (or at least appears to be from reading COTH).
I did read some comments once from some US people who hadn't seen headcollars with a buckle on the nose before (see pic).
I'm sure there's lots more and of course we use slightly different terminology for some things.
ETA - Western is a lot more niche here. I've never seen a UK trained western horse 'peanut rolling' but I'm not in the UK western scene so it may happen.
ETA 2 - we have some members on here who have lived and had horses in both the US and the UK so hopefully they will see this thread and give much more informed replies than mine is.
Different breeds are more common (unsurprisingly).
We don't have hunter/jumper classes.
The very dependant relationship between trainer and owner is not normal here but appears common at many yards/barns in the US (or at least appears to be from reading COTH).
I did read some comments once from some US people who hadn't seen headcollars with a buckle on the nose before (see pic).
I'm sure there's lots more and of course we use slightly different terminology for some things.
ETA - Western is a lot more niche here. I've never seen a UK trained western horse 'peanut rolling' but I'm not in the UK western scene so it may happen.
ETA 2 - we have some members on here who have lived and had horses in both the US and the UK so hopefully they will see this thread and give much more informed replies than mine is.
meleeka
Well-Known Member
Going by comments I’ve read online a lot of people in the US don’t have easy access to an equine vet, or even a vet at all. That’s not common here in the UK (although is sometimes the case in the remote islands off Scotland). I know I take it for granted there’s a vet close by that’s knowledgable about the species they are treating).
Meowy Catkin
Meow!
Yes I think I've read about the vet thing too. Plus I'm sure there was a discussion once about topical antibiotics on here - which can be bought over the counter in the US and is prescription only here - which horrified a few people on the forum (contributing to antibiotic resistance being the most cited concern). The question 'what do you put on a minor wound?' had quite different answers depending on where you came from.
windand rain
Well-Known Member
Might be a bit hollywood but it looks like dress is far more informal even in Englsh style riding, Barns here are to store hay and straw stables are where horses live usually on a yard. From other comments cross country riding isnt common although trail riding/trekking is.
shamrock2021
Well-Known Member
lessons programs don’t exist in the uk and Ireland .
a lot of the creams for skin and some breathing supplements are prescription only
We hack on roads ( trail riding)
There is more safety rules here in Ireland and the uk .
Clipping is very common in the winter there is loads of different types clips you can do it mostly for the level of work you’re horse is doing in Ireland and the uk.
rug sizes are different
cobs and Irish sport horse and Irish drafts and Connemara are extremely common breed.
There are loads of vets around and there loads of equine hospitals .
a lot of the creams for skin and some breathing supplements are prescription only
We hack on roads ( trail riding)
There is more safety rules here in Ireland and the uk .
Clipping is very common in the winter there is loads of different types clips you can do it mostly for the level of work you’re horse is doing in Ireland and the uk.
rug sizes are different
cobs and Irish sport horse and Irish drafts and Connemara are extremely common breed.
There are loads of vets around and there loads of equine hospitals .
SussexbytheXmasTree
Well-Known Member
Further to previous reply. In Virginia people mainly ride English style just like here. Fox-hunting is really popular and still legal whilst in the UK it’s no longer legal to hunt foxes with dogs. They definitely do Eventing, dressage and show-jumping as well as Hunter/Jumper the latter which we don’t have here but we do have a lot of different showing classes including Working Hunter as well as show hunters. Also hack, riding horse and cob classes, separate breed classes for all our native breeds. We call boarders liveries here. We call “the barn” stables or yard generally.
There are plenty of vets and other professional services in Virginia no different from the UK. You need way more vaccinations than we do and Coggins test for EIA which is not required in the UK. We basically only vaccinate for flu and tetanus here.
As above we can’t buy antibiotics over the counter so need a prescription from a vet. My sister used to keep injectable Banamine for colic episodes due to distance from vet and I don’t think it’s common for horses to be insured for vets fees like it is here. Sawdust from woodmills delivered in a tipper to a bay seems a common bedding in Virginia whereas we get indidually wrapped bags of various really expensive bedding such as wood shavings.
One thing I’ve noticed is that American barns usually have both hot and cold water and a heated wash stall as pretty much standard. In the UK people are proud to have the most basic provision and boast about it. The worse the better.
There are plenty of vets and other professional services in Virginia no different from the UK. You need way more vaccinations than we do and Coggins test for EIA which is not required in the UK. We basically only vaccinate for flu and tetanus here.
As above we can’t buy antibiotics over the counter so need a prescription from a vet. My sister used to keep injectable Banamine for colic episodes due to distance from vet and I don’t think it’s common for horses to be insured for vets fees like it is here. Sawdust from woodmills delivered in a tipper to a bay seems a common bedding in Virginia whereas we get indidually wrapped bags of various really expensive bedding such as wood shavings.
One thing I’ve noticed is that American barns usually have both hot and cold water and a heated wash stall as pretty much standard. In the UK people are proud to have the most basic provision and boast about it. The worse the better
.
Mule
Well-Known Member
I have the impression that competing is more expense in America.
SBJT
Well-Known Member
A lot of the above plus there’s a huge emphasis here in the western states and provinces on what the UK seems to call natural horsemanship (although I am curious as it seems to be derogatory there yet here it’s just horsemanship and it’s quite popular). We do have a larger range of clinicians though. Yes hunter / jumper, as well as extreme cowboy, working equitation and a few others I can’t think of right now. Hacking is different from trail riding as in the UK there’s much less country to go round as a lot is privately owned, but there are bridle ways. There’s also a lot more accidents. There’s also trap driving in the UK that you don’t do here.
It’s been a while since I lived in the UK and I never owned there, I just rode and leased. I own in Canada now so I can’t give too much comparison.
One thing I do here about in the UK is that there’s much more pasture management and concern about rigging due to the wet and humid weather. Where I am a lot of horses live out all year round and a lot without rugs, even to -30degC. The humidity in the UK does make the cold very different though.
Oh there is one other thing. In the UK do you blow dry off horses? We do here in Canada as it’s so b****y cold that you wouldn’t want to wait around for them to dry.
It’s been a while since I lived in the UK and I never owned there, I just rode and leased. I own in Canada now so I can’t give too much comparison.
One thing I do here about in the UK is that there’s much more pasture management and concern about rigging due to the wet and humid weather. Where I am a lot of horses live out all year round and a lot without rugs, even to -30degC. The humidity in the UK does make the cold very different though.
Oh there is one other thing. In the UK do you blow dry off horses? We do here in Canada as it’s so b****y cold that you wouldn’t want to wait around for them to dry.
rara007
Well-Known Member
0 tolerance to nsaids competing here in the UK.
Way more accessible €€€ wise in the UK
Way more accessible €€€ wise in the UK
soloequestrian
Well-Known Member
On the same lines as the antibiotics, we don't have 'daily wormers' here as I understand exist in the US. Perfect ways to promote resistance....
Mule
Well-Known Member
I dont think it's natural horsmanship that's unpopular but some of the big names are seen to be primarily interested in marketing. I do think that has coloured people's view of it.
I blow dried my mare's feathers once, the hairdryer caught fire.. I didn't do that again
SBJT
Well-Known Member
I dont think it's natural horsmanship that's unpopular but some of the big names are seen to be primarily interested in marketing. I do think that has coloured people's view of it.
I blow dried my mare's feathers once, the hairdryer caught fire.. I didn't do that again
That’s fair and funnily enough those names in the UK aren’t popular here and a few have a bad reputation. I can understand that. My worry is when I move back to the UK if I want to lease and tell people I learnt that way they’ll run a mile thinking I’m a Monty Roberts or Parrelli nut...
Lol I’ve seen a few hairdryers smoking in my time, and had a couple of my own. I switched to a dog dryer a year or so ago as they seem to hold up better.
Mule
Well-Known Member
The mare was impressively chilled out when it happened. I got more of a fright than she did
jnb
Well-Known Member
The thing I notice more (admittedly from watching Youtube/Vlogs) is how different the desired "way of going" is in US/Canadian show (and dressage?) classes. You rarely see a horse even remotely on the bit and definitely not behind the vertical.
To my (showing) eye they all seem strung out / downhill with quarters trailing behind, heads on the floor.
I guess to the US eye, our horses all look extremely upright/uphill and held together?
Can any US HHO explain why this is desirable please (genuine question not being nasty)
Also - WTF are the leather straps below kids knees in show classes? DO they not possess jodhpur clips?
To my (showing) eye they all seem strung out / downhill with quarters trailing behind, heads on the floor.
I guess to the US eye, our horses all look extremely upright/uphill and held together?
Can any US HHO explain why this is desirable please (genuine question not being nasty)
Also - WTF are the leather straps below kids knees in show classes? DO they not possess jodhpur clips?
atropa
Well-Known Member
I've always been fascinated by the whole US 'trainer' thing, like someone else mentioned above it seems a very tightly intertwined relationship where the owner is almost obliged to take a certain number of lessons, let the trainer ride, pay show fees for the trainer, let them make care decisions about their horse etc etc. I would be really interested to learn more about that relationship, and happy to be corrected if I have the wrong end of the stick.
welshpony216
Well-Known Member
@atropa this is a thing with the idiots who are in the horse world that have horses for the money and try to get them in to as many shows as possible to the highest level, but they are usually non horse people, and so they let their trainer do everything for the horse. They are usually the ones with the wicked 'trainers' (who actually untrain) because as non horse people they have no clue what is bad about the trainer as the 'trainer' does all the work. I have never seen this (really hope I will never, ever see it), but have heard a few stories about this, and read some books this happening. Its cruel, and the horse always falls to the bottom, people who do horses for money...
Meowy Catkin
Meow!
It could be Western pleasure and 'english' pleasure classes that you are talking about here? They appear to require the same way of going, just with different tack? I think these are the ones where peanut rolling (having the horse's head as low as possible) occurs.
Yes they definitely use slightly different equipment even when things look otherwise familiar. EG jumping in tailcoats and standing martingales. Having said that, I'm not sure that our love of tweed jackets is a thing in the US. Too hot maybe?
welshpony216
Well-Known Member
@jnb -no, the horses I have watched on YouTube that are in the UK, are very excellent to watch, supple and well ridden(well, a lot of them are). I think a lot of the problems here, is that lessons are a lot of times very expensive. That's YouTube though. There is also (extremally sadly) less laws to protect horses from cruelty, which means there is often more horses that have not been cared for, but their is also very many rescues that take them in, get them healthy again and put them out to be adopted if possible. people adopt them, and they a lot of times go into dressage- but they have bad habits in there head, people cant ride properly, the horse experienced trauma and has a hard time doing things properly, ect. Most times though, its people who have no idea how to ride. as seen above-many ride with reins a bit to long-but they look like they are at a show and some times they ask for 'stretchy' trot
alishaarrr
Active Member
Hello from an American currently living / horse owning in the UK.
Half of the examples above to me are very indicative of discipline- or region-specific differences, rather than things that are generalizable across the US as a whole ... we're a big place and there are wide variations in horse culture from place to place and sport to sport.
However, as a general observation:
I feel Americans do not have the same "just kick on with it" attitude about horse behavio(u)r. I think this is why "natural" horsemanship is more popular in the States -- in my experience, Brits put up with a lot more bad behavior from their horses than Americans do. What Brits describe as "bolshy" or "cheeky" or "bold personality" or whatever would not be tolerated by a lot of Americans. I attribute a fair bit of this to the breeding/backing of a lot of the UK's young horse stock in Ireland, where horse starting is a bit more "rough and ready" and on the whole those basics are not well-established in horses' earliest years, and then horses end up being produced as 3-5y.o.'s by a lot of amateur owners who have no business with horses that young. Perhaps a broad generalization but that's my own observation.
Accessibility of horse riding in the UK is much easier than in the US due to differences in land use and the relative economics of equestrian activities.
Differences in land use make regular hacking / trail riding a lot easier in the UK than for many people in the US. You can keep a "happy hacker" pretty much anywhere in the UK, while in the US you have to be more intentional about finding a barn/yard with good trail riding access immediately off property, or just haul your horse somewhere whenever you want to go trail riding.
Obviously, big difference in the US hunter-jumper world vs. British showjumping ... totally different way of riding, and I notice a lot less focus on precision equitation here in the UK (I have to consistently encourage my British riding coaches to focus on my equitation!). However, there are a lot of very talented riders in the UK who have been able to ride consistently since they were children -- very solid seats and legs, can jump anything, nice forward riders. Plenty of US H/J-big eq riders can't ride their way out of a tough spot.
Eventing is much more popular in the UK than in the US, and it's much easier to find eventing professionals here than in the States.
As above, in the US there are somewhat more formal relationships with trainers who have an established "program" for their riders/horses. This includes more hands-on support for competing, whereas in the UK my experience is I have to seek that out and set it up with my coaches in the UK. In the US, trainers definitely build a reputation not just for their own competition accomplishments but those of their students -- I don't see that quite as much in the UK, though I do certainly see it.
Big big differences in horse breeds as well. Lots of US-based breeding for Western horses, but less diversity in breeding for English riding horses. In the English disciplines in the US, you basically have OTTBs as your first tier of horses, then move quickly up to imported warmbloods with a substantial five-figure price tag -- there is not as much middle ground for sports horses in the US, whereas in the UK you have a lot of nice mid-range Irish Sport Horses for grassroots competitors. Those are steadily available due to consistent breeding (government-subsidized, I believe) in Ireland, whereas in the US I have not seen the same degree of sport horse breeding, especially for mid-budget horses ($5-$15k).
Half of the examples above to me are very indicative of discipline- or region-specific differences, rather than things that are generalizable across the US as a whole ... we're a big place and there are wide variations in horse culture from place to place and sport to sport.
However, as a general observation:
I feel Americans do not have the same "just kick on with it" attitude about horse behavio(u)r. I think this is why "natural" horsemanship is more popular in the States -- in my experience, Brits put up with a lot more bad behavior from their horses than Americans do. What Brits describe as "bolshy" or "cheeky" or "bold personality" or whatever would not be tolerated by a lot of Americans. I attribute a fair bit of this to the breeding/backing of a lot of the UK's young horse stock in Ireland, where horse starting is a bit more "rough and ready" and on the whole those basics are not well-established in horses' earliest years, and then horses end up being produced as 3-5y.o.'s by a lot of amateur owners who have no business with horses that young. Perhaps a broad generalization but that's my own observation.
Accessibility of horse riding in the UK is much easier than in the US due to differences in land use and the relative economics of equestrian activities.
Differences in land use make regular hacking / trail riding a lot easier in the UK than for many people in the US. You can keep a "happy hacker" pretty much anywhere in the UK, while in the US you have to be more intentional about finding a barn/yard with good trail riding access immediately off property, or just haul your horse somewhere whenever you want to go trail riding.
Obviously, big difference in the US hunter-jumper world vs. British showjumping ... totally different way of riding, and I notice a lot less focus on precision equitation here in the UK (I have to consistently encourage my British riding coaches to focus on my equitation!). However, there are a lot of very talented riders in the UK who have been able to ride consistently since they were children -- very solid seats and legs, can jump anything, nice forward riders. Plenty of US H/J-big eq riders can't ride their way out of a tough spot.
Eventing is much more popular in the UK than in the US, and it's much easier to find eventing professionals here than in the States.
As above, in the US there are somewhat more formal relationships with trainers who have an established "program" for their riders/horses. This includes more hands-on support for competing, whereas in the UK my experience is I have to seek that out and set it up with my coaches in the UK. In the US, trainers definitely build a reputation not just for their own competition accomplishments but those of their students -- I don't see that quite as much in the UK, though I do certainly see it.
Big big differences in horse breeds as well. Lots of US-based breeding for Western horses, but less diversity in breeding for English riding horses. In the English disciplines in the US, you basically have OTTBs as your first tier of horses, then move quickly up to imported warmbloods with a substantial five-figure price tag -- there is not as much middle ground for sports horses in the US, whereas in the UK you have a lot of nice mid-range Irish Sport Horses for grassroots competitors. Those are steadily available due to consistent breeding (government-subsidized, I believe) in Ireland, whereas in the US I have not seen the same degree of sport horse breeding, especially for mid-budget horses ($5-$15k).
Meowy Catkin
Meow!
Thanks for taking the time to type that out alishaarrr, an interesting read.
dogatemysalad
Well-Known Member
I love the closed front horse rugs in the US. Horseware made a great quarter horse stable rug with no chest closures for a while which were so quick to slip on and had no buckles to catch on haynets.
Meowy Catkin
Meow!
I had a think about this paragraph and I believe that there is another element at play here also. The 'cheeky pony' element.
I have known more than one person who has sold a calm, well trained horse and bought a more sharp or green one because the former was 'boring' compared to the ponies they had as children/teens. Those ponies definitely do teach the whole 'sit up and kick on/get on with it' thing.alishaarrr
Active Member
It could be Western pleasure and 'english' pleasure classes that you are talking about here? They appear to require the same way of going, just with different tack? I think these are the ones where peanut rolling (having the horse's head as low as possible) occurs.
Yes they definitely use slightly different equipment even when things look otherwise familiar. EG jumping in tailcoats and standing martingales. Having said that, I'm not sure that our love of tweed jackets is a thing in the US. Too hot maybe?
I think this is a style thing -- US hunter classes definitely favor "long and low" and a more stretchy/relaxed way of going but still should be balanced (i.e. not traveling on the forehand) and have good hind end engagement. But if you look at how American eventers ride or anyone with some dressage training, you should see the same degree of togetherness and engagement from a horse traveling in a more upright outline as you do in the UK.
welshpony216
Well-Known Member
I agree, mostly with the people who started riding in their late teens, or as adults. I think its because they never had the years ridding ponies.
.I think the trainers are the same to, in the USA. If your horse bucks or bolts once you either spend the rest of the lesson trotting on a lounge line, or doing flatwork/polework instead of the planed jumping session. we don't wear tweed jackets (I would love to though in the weather of New England)
these are general descriptions of what we wear at shows (for jumping disciplines)
Hunters (judged on how well the horse goes pace, leads, manners, pleasantness, and in some classes conformation. in short, would the judge want to hunt him) kids wear a dark color hunt coat, tan breeches (adults) and jodhpurs (kids-obvious but whatever
) and black helmet and boots(never saw anyone wear brown). the straps under kids knees are supposed to prevent your pants from twisting, which makes no sense, because we wear jodhpur clips too. or maybe they are supposed to keep kids from hitting their knee when they open gaits on the hunt feild? I don't know... I just remember the torcher from wearing them. they scratched my precious saddle (something I used to cry over, because it was so expensive and beautiful, and new looking ) oh, wait! I think they keep the stirrup leather from pinching kids legs. kids also wear hair bows. fitted fluffy white saddle pad. lots of people wear a standing martingale because it looks good, even if the horse was dragging its nose on the ground.equitation (judged on the riders position) same as hunters
jumper (I believe it is the same everywhere-other wise everyone would get confused at worldwide events) polo shirt for low levels hunt coat for higher levels. half chaps or tall boots hair up in a hair net. some kids wear their jodhpur boots so their parents don't have to by half caps and what not. neutral color saddle pad. (optional) horse boots, which must way under (I forget
) grams
welshpony216
Well-Known Member
that's me-the more well behaved the more boring (to all the kids out there, make the most of your pony years!!! those little ponies will repay you, even if It doesn't seem like it!)I had a think about this paragraph and I believe that there is another element at play here also. The 'cheeky pony' element.
alishaarrr
Active Member
I had a think about this paragraph and I believe that there is another element at play here also. The 'cheeky pony' element.
I didn't grow up on ponies but yes, I definitely don't see that same nostalgia among Americans for the naughty ponies of their childhood!
Bear with me here, but I also notice a very different attitude toward things like customer service and demand for perfection between the US and UK. Brits will put up with a lot of s**t that Americans would never stand for -- it amazes me constantly in my day-to-day life. Another example of cultural differences -- Brits very much more "oh it's fine, just get on with it" vs. Americans much more inclined to say, "I'm sorry, this is unacceptable and needs fixing." *shrug*
Caol Ila
Well-Known Member
Another expat living in the UK.
Agree with everything alisharrr said. I roll my eyes when people generalize "American style" riding because it's a BIG country with many riding disciplines and traditions and plenty of dodgy sh1t as well as fantastic training and riding. That said, in the West, we do have a tradition of groundwork, but I did not see so much of that when I lived in Massachusetts from 2001-2005. I'm going to lightly attribute that to the history of cattle ranching -- if you were in the middle of nowhere on a five thousand acre ranch fixing fences or caring for cattle, you could not afford to have a bolshy or otherwise difficult to handle horse. There are reasons why Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt and all those people came out of the western tradition.
Whereas here, lots of people think "that's how he is." Including the bloody pros! My friend sent her cob off to a pro for three weeks of training, and she asked the pro about fixing the horse's habit of dragging her off every time he saw a bale of hay or (someone else's) feed bucket. And there are plenty around, as liveries put buckets in front of stables for staff to feed horses. Pro trainer said, "He is a cob. You can't expect him to not try to get feed or hay. The yard should not have feed buckets or hay lying about." I was floored and said, "That's the biggest pile of bullsh1t I have ever heard." I proved that by 'fixing' it in 30 seconds when I was leading the horse, but he still does it with his owner. Feel and timing.
The 'training barn' thing is less common than it seems online, especially amongst people who don't do hunter/jumpers. If you read COTH, it seems like it's everywhere, but the whole nature of that system very easily leads to fraught relationships and crazy politics, so naturally, people bitch about it on forums.
One thing that really surprises me whenever I have to look for yards here is the run-down derelict nature of so many yards. When I first got off the plane, I was shocked. I didn't want to keep my horse in a dilapidated shed. This may be a reflection of where I've lived in the States, but all the boarding barns in the area were reasonably well-maintained. Some were fancier than others, of course, but none were quite going for the stable door tied on with baling twine level of dilapidation.
Horses are cheaper here, for sure. Unless you want a PRE or a highly-bred warmblood -- they get expensive, but they are even more expensive in the US. You can't get out of bed without stepping on a Gypsy cob in the UK, whereas they are considered a fancy, unusual breed in the US and sell for a zillion dollars (anyone want to start an export business?). Same with the Irish breeds. On the other hand, the US has Morgans, which are awesome, and the gaited breeds. And millions of quarter horses, which is what we all learned to ride on.
Agree with everything alisharrr said. I roll my eyes when people generalize "American style" riding because it's a BIG country with many riding disciplines and traditions and plenty of dodgy sh1t as well as fantastic training and riding. That said, in the West, we do have a tradition of groundwork, but I did not see so much of that when I lived in Massachusetts from 2001-2005. I'm going to lightly attribute that to the history of cattle ranching -- if you were in the middle of nowhere on a five thousand acre ranch fixing fences or caring for cattle, you could not afford to have a bolshy or otherwise difficult to handle horse. There are reasons why Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt and all those people came out of the western tradition.
Whereas here, lots of people think "that's how he is." Including the bloody pros! My friend sent her cob off to a pro for three weeks of training, and she asked the pro about fixing the horse's habit of dragging her off every time he saw a bale of hay or (someone else's) feed bucket. And there are plenty around, as liveries put buckets in front of stables for staff to feed horses. Pro trainer said, "He is a cob. You can't expect him to not try to get feed or hay. The yard should not have feed buckets or hay lying about." I was floored and said, "That's the biggest pile of bullsh1t I have ever heard." I proved that by 'fixing' it in 30 seconds when I was leading the horse, but he still does it with his owner. Feel and timing.
The 'training barn' thing is less common than it seems online, especially amongst people who don't do hunter/jumpers. If you read COTH, it seems like it's everywhere, but the whole nature of that system very easily leads to fraught relationships and crazy politics, so naturally, people bitch about it on forums.
One thing that really surprises me whenever I have to look for yards here is the run-down derelict nature of so many yards. When I first got off the plane, I was shocked. I didn't want to keep my horse in a dilapidated shed. This may be a reflection of where I've lived in the States, but all the boarding barns in the area were reasonably well-maintained. Some were fancier than others, of course, but none were quite going for the stable door tied on with baling twine level of dilapidation.
Horses are cheaper here, for sure. Unless you want a PRE or a highly-bred warmblood -- they get expensive, but they are even more expensive in the US. You can't get out of bed without stepping on a Gypsy cob in the UK, whereas they are considered a fancy, unusual breed in the US and sell for a zillion dollars (anyone want to start an export business?). Same with the Irish breeds. On the other hand, the US has Morgans, which are awesome, and the gaited breeds. And millions of quarter horses, which is what we all learned to ride on.
Orangehorse
Well-Known Member
I would hesitate to make broad generalisations as the USA scene can depend what part of the country you live in. I had a relative who lives in Washington State. They bought their house as it has access to a very large forest for hacking, by permit, and several people also trailered in to ride there. According to this person you simply never rode on the roads, as they aren't all that wide and the traffic would just run you down (nice) although once I did see someone riding next to a road where there was a good wide grass verge.
Their Pony Club was organised by the local church, but rallies and competitions were a long, long trailer ride away so they didn't do much. I guess the distances are so large that is why lots of people keep their horse at a barn, where everything is available including competitions and training.
Looking at things available in the local tack/feed store and advertisements for horses, it seemed pretty much the same as UK. I know that winter feed was alphalfa hay and they didn't get much else.
My knowledge of Western was from a Montana riding holiday! Where the horses were parelli trained and mostly in bitless bridles and we, the Brits, were constantly told off for having too much contact! The horses were all very nice. We went to a sort of family rodeo and one of the girls was put on a naughty horse that was trying to buck and I must say we were impressed with her skills and how she got the horse going and competiting, with roping, etc.
Children get put on reliable, well schooled, usually older horses and don't get chucked off as much as British children on their naughty ponies.
There is also the Saddleseat and showing scene. Which is in the UK, but in a very, very small niche.
Driving - never heard of the sulkie with the fringe on top? Driving is big in the USA, but you are siting a lot lower down, I thought, so hope the horse doesn't decide to kick, maybe this is why they put a bearing rein so they can't get their heads down?
I think the thing about the USA not putting up with naughty horses, or those with a bad temperament are right. A horse is still a working animal and they just couldn't deal with something that was going to be difficult. Think of why USA breeds have become quite popular in the UK - the Morgans, quarter horse, saddlebred, etc. and generally no 1 is the temperment. Much more human friendly than the historically UK bred horse that is half TB, and can often have the TB's challenging "make me" attitude.
Their Pony Club was organised by the local church, but rallies and competitions were a long, long trailer ride away so they didn't do much. I guess the distances are so large that is why lots of people keep their horse at a barn, where everything is available including competitions and training.
Looking at things available in the local tack/feed store and advertisements for horses, it seemed pretty much the same as UK. I know that winter feed was alphalfa hay and they didn't get much else.
My knowledge of Western was from a Montana riding holiday! Where the horses were parelli trained and mostly in bitless bridles and we, the Brits, were constantly told off for having too much contact! The horses were all very nice. We went to a sort of family rodeo and one of the girls was put on a naughty horse that was trying to buck and I must say we were impressed with her skills and how she got the horse going and competiting, with roping, etc.
Children get put on reliable, well schooled, usually older horses and don't get chucked off as much as British children on their naughty ponies.
There is also the Saddleseat and showing scene. Which is in the UK, but in a very, very small niche.
Driving - never heard of the sulkie with the fringe on top? Driving is big in the USA, but you are siting a lot lower down, I thought, so hope the horse doesn't decide to kick, maybe this is why they put a bearing rein so they can't get their heads down?
I think the thing about the USA not putting up with naughty horses, or those with a bad temperament are right. A horse is still a working animal and they just couldn't deal with something that was going to be difficult. Think of why USA breeds have become quite popular in the UK - the Morgans, quarter horse, saddlebred, etc. and generally no 1 is the temperment. Much more human friendly than the historically UK bred horse that is half TB, and can often have the TB's challenging "make me" attitude.