UK/Europe compared to North America. The differences?

ORANGEHORSE said:
There are no bridlepaths in the USA (although I think in some areas there are some public trails). You could ride in some forests which are privately owned if you buy a permit. My sister said that she wouldn't ever ride on a road as you risked being run down.
Click to expand...

There's lots! Depends on where you live! Out west, there are vast tracts of public land that you can pretty much do anything you want. ATV, snowmobile, horse trails, back country camping trips. In some parts of the country (eastern) its alot more restricted.
 
I've got friends in california and although I have never been out there myself (they used to live over here & i'm hoping to spend a few weeks out there next year) some things are so different. They recently bought and equestrian centre but before they were at an eventing 'barn' and one of their horses came from a dressage barn etc. They have gone from doing everything themselves over here to relying on their various trainers and they seem to be a member of a sort of club/group that is run by their trainer. They also think nothing of flying a horse from one place to another just to try it out lol. They event now and the courses in their area seem so simple compared to the ones over here, the jumps arent very big and nothing seemed very technical (ofcourse i'm sure there are places that are). I do love the facilities they have though, the stables are lovely and all have a pen attached so the horses can go in and out during the day, the schools are huge, the riding is lovely and there is an xc course on site aswell and it doesnt cost a huge amount in livery yet in the UK is would cost a huge amount (well it would in surrey anyway). Oh and apparently they miss the variety of colours for things especially in pony sizes as apparently very few people have ponies (they took their 2 over aswell as buying horses there) so they can't get the bright pink sparkly headcollars etc in their local store lol.
 
Last edited:
It seems to me by some of the boards I've been on that you (the UK) have more rules governing your horse activities than we do here. Our instuctors aren't certified (our judges are, though), you seem to have more laws restricting trailer towing, the rules restricting what you can do with your horses/livestock (roping and branding comes to mind) is much tighter. Noone here cares if you decide to pick up a rasp and learn to shoe your own horses. You can brand your own horses here, you can even castrate your own horses here and provide most of their yearly vet care yourself. Can't say if its a good or bad thing or not, but it but we both seem to have the same welfare problems. Still skinny, abused and neglected horses are all over the place... it seems that more agencies and enforcement doesn't really help but cultural pressure does.

Passporting comes to mind as a nationwide edict. In the state I live in, brand inspections are required due to livestock theft, but thats not the case with the whole country. They seem similar to your passports, but are for horses as well as cattle and buffalo/bison.

One thing we can't seem to get our hands around is some of the abuses in the horse industry. The Big Lick/TWH industry comes up all the time, as does the Quarter Horse western pleasure stuff. I don't think these things are hard to control because of lack of rules and enforcement, but rather lack of peer/cultural pressure. Maybe the immense diversity of the horse industry here makes it impossible to get enough inertia going to stamp out these abominations.

Theres are so many different horse cultures here that its hard to even start to explain. Its almost like there is no "mainstream" horse culture here. How do I explain something like Mexican horse tripping (totally different from horse roping... two completely different things... one is illegal, one is not), or the Omak Suicide Race and put it in the same context as cutting horses, or bridleless reiners or calf roping horses? All uniquely "american" but at the same time worlds apart from each other. My point is that all things equestrian seem more standardized in the UK. Its refreshing for me at times to see the horse looked in less of a pop culture way.
 
eahotson said:
I am interested in this thread too.Confession time.I am English but don't boot up my horse to travel!!!
Click to expand...

Thank god for that, I thought I was the only one! :o I don't think I could get travel boots on over his feathers - all the hair will protect him!

This thread is really interesting, especially since I've always wanted to move to Canada so it's good to see how horses are managed there in case I ever did get the chance.
 
One thing comes out - more diversity because as well as all the extra activites referred to, the US still competes at the highest levels in the areas we take more for granted over here, i.e Eventing (Kentucky 4* anyone), SJ and DR - so more choice..

It doesn't surprise me that things are very different - just look at how feeding, rugs, training has evolved over here just in the last 20 years..
 
Well really, the things I'm curious about are...

The whole hunter thing, the way of going, classes and divisions etc.
Routine joint injections.
The really intense trainer/student relationships.
Seemingly sky high prices for not particularly outstanding horses alongside rock bottom prices for not so very different ones.

Mainly I'm just jealous that we don't have many frame overo horses in Europe...never fancied a 'normal' coloured but rather like these!
 
This is a great thread! Sorry, my post might get a little long...

I moved to the UK about 10 years ago and came back in to the horse-world after a ten year gap about five years ago. And in as much as there are differences in the horsey culture in the UK vs USA, there are also differences regionally in the USA (and probably the UK, too) and even as I've found, amongst different livery yards! In the USA, I can only speak for the culture that I grew up in - which is East Coast and we bred and raised and showed Morgan horses...which is different from even showing/ raising Quarter Horses in the same area.

The main thing though that springs to mind (and even now, I have an aunt who keeps horses in the US, so we sometimes compare notes) is stuff like feeding differences. I never heard of chaff before I came here. Hay was always fed from small bales, usually just a flake or two am/pm. Hard feed as I know it in Scotland was called "grain" in the USA (and my welsh friends calls it Corn!) and we fed much more of it. A large scoop or two for my 14.2 per feeding for my show horses, with their meagre ration of hay. Turn out? Not in summer - or very rarely. And our horses were sometimes "blanketed" in the winter if they were clipped, and are rugged here in teh UK. I never owned a turnout rug...so as you might have guessed, our clippered horses weren't turned out if they were off with the trainer.

People always assume that being from America, that i must ride Western. Nope, I rode English - but the English folk over here wouldn't recognise it! I rode Saddleseat, which is reserved for high stepping (think Hackney type gaits) on a very very flat saddle, no knee roll (like a show pony saddle) straight cut and nothing to hang on to on very sharp horse! Also considered "English" style were your hunter/jumper divisions, but I know so little about these styles as I never really participated in them....though I did hunt twice over in the US when i was a teenager. I will say though, the Hunter and Jumper type horses went very differently from what I see here in the UK.

My own horses lived out all winter if they weren't working, no rugs no shoes and plenty of hay covering the snowy ground. We had tank heaters that were dropped in and plugged in to keep the ice from becoming too thick.

As I worked in a couple of different training stables things were different too...We had flexible rubber buckets (like tire - sorry, tyre material) that were D shaped for hanging on the wall for water - which were easy to unhook and smash the ice from. Beds were rarely stripped to the floor and left to air - but they were thoroughly cleaned each day. Never heard of deep littering as it's done UK way til I came here. And I thought it was rather peculiar that some people took great pains to "make a bed" that looks as if it's been done with a spirit level, and the edge at the front perfectly even, with perfect right angles leaving a gap at the front with bare floor for half/quarter/enough for hay droppings. In the US, I just beded wall to wall, and didn't care if it was even - though I'm rather OCD now about my perfect bed, LOL. Oh yes, and we cross tied everything in the middle of the aisle for tacking up.

Never used a saddle fitter in the US. Never used a hay net either. Never put carrots or apple in to my horses feeds. What do you mean you have to soak sugar beet?! LOL Equine Dentist? insurance? Maybe these are more a "new thing" compared to 20 years ago, but I certainly didn't use them in the US, but I do now. I never wore a "hat" unless it was a baseball hat. I don't think I even owned one--- but had to borrow one for taking hunting the two times I went. And it probably had an elasticated chin strap! Hacking was trail riding...which I did LOTS of because my "school" / aka riding ring was my field - so I used to cross a busy road and go off-roading for miles. Did this under saddle and in harness...and sometiems bareback.

And until I met the trainer that I went to work for - I was a complete DIY learner- I didn't even own a saddle til i got one for my birthday about a year after I started riding. I never ever ever had a lesson that I paid for til I moved here. Riding school? Whazzat?! But that's just me being a "hick".

I also knew of very posh trainers that had indoor heated arenas, with crystal chandaliers in the tack room etc etc...
 
Oh yeah, on the subject of travel....

I was really fascinated with horse lorries for sure--you mean ordinary folk have lorries? If I ever saw a horse lorry, it was typically from a massive show stable with a big name, and the big rig could probably travel a dozen. I never stepped foot in one but was agog at the spectacle. We had trailers-- and always booted up. Never used a tail bandage tho til I came here.
 
PucciNPoni said:
Oh yeah, on the subject of travel....

I was really fascinated with horse lorries for sure--you mean ordinary folk have lorries? If I ever saw a horse lorry, it was typically from a massive show stable with a big name, and the big rig could probably travel a dozen. I never stepped foot in one but was agog at the spectacle. We had trailers-- and always booted up. Never used a tail bandage tho til I came here.
Click to expand...

LOL... I got set straight about that on a different forum too. In a a loading discussion I mistakenly referred to loading in a lorry as trailering. I thought it a little strange that people haul horses in the same vehicle that Sears uses to deliver washing machines and freezers. It always makes me think of a U-Haul. The closest any of my horses have ever gotten to something like that was a stock truck or in the nose of a semi.

Maybe the enormoous disparity in horse prices is due to the sheer number of horses here. ??
 
I've noticed from American based MBs that people over there are obsessed with what breed and what colour their horse is, and the answers get very complicated!

A lot of people over there consider Quarterhorses to be The Greatest Breed Ever, and The Most Popular Breed In The World. I wouldn't know one if it walked up and bit me!

Their 'English' showing classes are nothing like the ones we have over here.

We rise to the trot, they post

We rug horses, they blanket them

We plait manes and tails, they braid them

We keep our horses in stables on a yard, theirs are in stalls in a barn

They go one about two point and three point seat for cantering - no idea what that means!

They ride something called hand gallop - again not got a clue what that is!


:confused: :D
 
Honestly, there are such huge differences between not only regions but breeds/disciplines/cultures/schools of thought in North America, it's very hard to make a comparison. Yes, there are different styles of riding here but I find there's a commonality of experience that just doesn't exist in NA and people tend to have quite similar attitudes towards feeding etc.

Just on the subject of turnout . . .I lived most of my adult life quite near to where enfys lives now and I saw pretty much every variation. Many of the breeders I worked for had horses turned out in huge fields, some 24/7 some in part of the day (often in during the day in summer, at night in winter). Quite a few of the boarding stables (livery yards to y'all) also had extensive turn out. The Arab and QH people I knew were much more likely to have horses in dry lots (if they turned out at all). I'm sure people have reasons for what they do but quite often they're "cultural" as much as practical.

I found moving into AQHA showing was almost as dislocating as coming to the UK. I learned my lesson and only rode the Arabs at home. :D

Part of the trainer culture comes, I think, because in many parts of the continent you can't really show seriously without some sort of indoor facility, which means people tend to be grouped, for at least part of the year, at a commercial barn owned/staffed by a trainer. Also, larger shows tend to be multi day and require travelling, so it tends to make sense for people to go in groups. If you're thinking of going to Florida/California/Scottsdale or wherever the "winter mecca" for your particular discipline is, almost everyone is with a barn/coach, not just for the logistics but because those pools are so deep - and so expensive - people want to maximise their chances.

I do agree people here are generally less "trainer dependant", although many of the people I've met that compete at higher levels (say 1.20+ or Adv Medium) seem to get regular coaching, which would be inline with North America. Outside of urban areas/at lower level shows you are more likely to see people going it alone. Also, eventers are much more likely to get occasional lessons and keep their horses at a more general facility. Again, culture.

And cities tend to be organised differently. If you lived in downtown Toronto, say, you would simply not be able to keep a horse on DIY out of the city because of the distances and logistics involved.

"American" hunters, you really can't compare. Yes, it's showing of a sort but it's a HUGE enterprise there and there isn't really anything comparable here. There's a whole school of riding behind it (which may be done well or badly) and it leads into high level showjumping, which we seem to be okay at, so obviously it has its uses. ;)
 
Last edited:
I was a working pupil in a big fancy dressage barn in New Jersey. The major differences I found were that it was so hot in summer that horses had to be worked before 9am or after 6pm, and in between they stood in their fan cooled stables. We led them out in hand twice a day as well as their ridden work, but turnout was only for broodmares and youngstock. The other difference was the clients. People would turn up to ride and have the horse handed to them completely ready. They never rode unless it was a lesson with the trainer. They never though for themselves on the horse. They had thousands of dollars worth of gear and immaculate nails, hair and makeup, but never seemed to be enjoying it at all. The trainer almost rode the horse through them. They didn't compete, trainer did that, and we WPs kept the horses ticking over. It was odd, but apparently quite standard. And they paid thousands per month for this.
 
Lots of good points made here and much of it is very true. The thing I want to point out is that within the US there can be just as big of differences in horse keeping from state to state as if you go to Europe. Depending on what State you are in it can be like night and day with how your horses are kept.


I'll speak for Wisconsin

I have never lived in the UK but I have spent years on here reading and the differences in opinion fascinate me. We do not have the same strict hat ( helmet in the US) culture here that is for sure. We also do not put as much of an emphasis on rugging ( Blankets) that the UK does. Stabling is not done to as great of a degree either. I live in Wisconsin and our winters are brutal here and the horses are hardly ever clipped and live out in wooly coats not stabled in rugs. Even the arabs and TBs ;) Most horses you see here are Quarter horses though and they are such easy keepers in general and some of the most laid back horses you will ever meet.

We mainly put horses to pasture spring through fall and obviously have no choice but to feed hay all winter as there is no grass in sight. I also have never met anyone who soaks hay and if you get a good enough quality hay you really have no need to grain most horses. I also have never heard of anyone making a hot mash of feed on cold days like I have heard people doing on here. We also have to keep our water heated in winter or it would be a solid block of ice within an hour.

I think even though our winters are far colder and dumped full of snow that the reason it may be harder on a UK horse is the wet. Our winters are quite dry and the horses stay fluffed up and dry in the midst of it ( even in a blizzard) where a typical UK horse is in more wet conditions. My assumption is that your whole winter is a lot like our spring.....wet and muddy. Those are hard conditions of horses so I can see why you may stable at night, rug and clip to avoid rain rot . I also imagine it is harder on the hooves to be in mud for long periods of time. That reminds me...my horses are barefoot



As for Wisconsin I will agree that we have a huge lack of bridleways and public trails. I get very jealous when I see people showing pictures of places you have to hack there and the seemingly open culture of horses being ridden all over urban areas. You hardly ever see that here and you either have to travel to a public trail (that are all closed in winter) or you ride on private land by permission only. It is either that or the roads. Out west here it seems that it is a lot more horse freindly and a lot more public land to ride on. The towns also appear to be more horse friendly than in the urban areas of Wisconsin.

One other thing is that I think the UK has more of a 'dress code' for riding where here the average person just throws on some jeans and boots and riding ( besides shows) is a very casual thing. Wisconsin is more into the Western riding and you do not see as many English style riders that you would in the East. Where a horse person may be seen as a 'snob' in the UK the very opposite opinion is true here. Being 'Country" and into horses here is a very down to Earth and relaxed thing to be involved in with respect to most things western.

Most kids here learn to ride on a horse and you do not see very many well trained ponies around. Horses are usually started at the age of two here under saddle and I know that is taboo in the UK. Another things that seems taboo is how we tie a horse up.Tying up with twine for breakaway is not something I have ever seen here and most horses are taught to tie at a young age by just tying them to a strong hitching post and letting them figure out they are not getting away from it. :rolleyes:


Our horses do not have passports....rarely are insured and we call headcollars "halters"


that is about all of the random nonsense I can think of for now :D


Oh! And putting a horse on lengthy 'Box rest" is not something advised here as common as it seems to be there.
 
I knew I would forget something......

We do not have hardly any DIY livery yards here. We call them boarding stables and most of it is full service with feed and bedding included in your monthly board fee. If you have your horse put in a stall at night then your horse will be fed, turned in/out and your stall cleaned daily for you in most cases. Most of these boarding stables have indoor arenas otherwise working a horse in Wisconsin in winter is very difficult. Solid frozen ground of all ice and snow does not make for good footing :D
 
sallywhoa said:
Maybe the enormoous disparity in horse prices is due to the sheer number of horses here. ??
Click to expand...

I also think the sheer size of the US and all of the open country makes a difference as well. The UK is far smaller and land for horse keeping is less available and less affordable . That can drive horse prices up as well and makes them more of a commodity.

It shocks me what horses cost there sometimes and shocks me even more at what equestrian properties with very samll acreage cost! You can get far more house, land and farm here for your money than anywhere there.
 
The US is huge compared to Brittain and we have traditional cultural influences that are not part of UK culture, mostly the Spanish influence on the SW cattle ranches.

We also have climate extremes, from subtropical areas that never see snow to areas that will have snow on the ground from November to March.

And then there are the dual matters of land availability and PRICE. In Southern California, Los Angeles and San Diego people keep horses on 1/4 acre. They are kept in covered runs with no grass. People in Arizona and New Mexico also have no grass, though they can have bigger (much bigger) fields. It's to DRY.

In many places there are no public trails.

There is nothing comparable to the BHS, pretty much anyone can claim to be an instructor or trainer, at least for a while. We do have Pony Club.

Speaking of ponies, we don't do pony jumpers. I saw an old show on Hourseanddcountry.tv. OMG, those kids are amazing riders but George Morris would have had a heart attack. Those girls would have their hair tucked up under their helmets and they would be trotting poles without stirrups till they lost all their drive.

Show hunters....the aim is to have as steady a round as possible, with minimal variation is speed. I don't think a standing martingale is actually mandatory but it may as well be. The most boring round wins. And probably could not and certainly would not even think of a gallop cross country.

Equitation, well that's GM's domain. The horses are "broke to death" and cost $$$$$$ The riders have amazing ring craft though their over all horsemanship may be lacking. EQ and PC are pretty much mutually exclusive.

Then there are the Western or Stock breeds. Most aim to show how versatile they are. It is not at all unusual to see a horse compete in Western Pleasure (how slow can you go?), trail, and English hack or hunter under sadde at the same show, with appropriate tack and attire for each. They tend to have more gear than 3 day eventers.

And we also have gaited horses, saddebreds, Tennessee Wakers and others. They were bred for giving a comfortabe ride over long distances. In many cases they still do but there is big money to be had with show animals and in the case of Tn Walkers the government is really cracking down on abusive practices, IOW soring of the "Big Lick" show horses. A few years ago "Gypsey Vanners" were a big fad. One with lots of hair and spots could sell for 20,000 euro. I think that market has cooled off though.

A unique subset is the "Natural Horsemanship" movement. We are blessed with several big name trainers, and many lesser knowns. They range from pretty darn good to downright awefull. In part they are a result of our lack of a consistant instructor base. They also spring from the "cowboy" culture. I know of none who come from an "English" backround. If an "English" rider is having trouble with a horse they will send him to a cowboy. Just as anyone in the hunter world knows who GM is, most people know Prat Pepperoni and either worship him or hate him.

Here are pictures of my place, the good the bad and the ugly
http://picasaweb.google.com/carolp3231

The pictures of my reef tank were put up for my younger daughter who also has a reef tank. It is often easier to send a link than a bunch of pictures. Also my husband's work network will strip attachments so sending a link gets pictures through
 
Last edited:
Jade, you mentioned lots of things I forgot! ;) yep, baling twine for tying up a horse baffled me....WHY would you WANT it to break! LOL

And many of these things I did have gone by the wayside as I've adopted a more English approach. Some of the American ways I actually prefer, but find it easier to just fit in. For example, I really prefer cross tying - but there's simply no place to do so at my yard.
 
"Jade, you mentioned lots of things I forgot! yep, baling twine for tying up a horse baffled me....WHY would you WANT it to break! LOL"

I can't see the point of it either annd I'm in the U.K.! :D when I learnt to ride we tied them up with a quick release and now I rarely tie up for simple jobs any way.(And I much prefere riding/driving out in modern clothes I feel comfortable in rather than looking like someone from the 1950's(And who the heck invented pale coloured jodpurs etc we don't all have washing machines or paid servants to do it for us L.O.L.)
 
pastie2 said:
And at your age madam!!! Lol! Tied either side.
Click to expand...

That reminded me of the old stables I used to board at years ago. I thought it was so silly that they installed a set of cross ties right at the main entrance to the indoor arena. Although it was handy to the tack room it was the most irritating thing in the world otherwise. If you had your horse in cross ties someone ALWAYS wanted to take their horse into the arena so you had to unclip the lead on one side to let them pass. Not a smart spot to put them in a busy barn.
 
I know Pastie2, I know, but still cann't understand why they need to X tie, now it's be explend and dont the horses try to go forward or rear or back up????? I know another numpty question, holding my head in shame.:eek::eek::eek::eek:
 
sidesaddlegirl said:
How I learned it, a hand gallop is an extended canter, not a flat out gallop. Like what I've seen done in the working hunter classes here.
Click to expand...

Ah!! thank you!

2 point position is forward seat, 3 point cantering is sitting to the canter. :)
Click to expand...


okaaayy, I must be getting it barse akwards, cos I was counting my seat bones as 2 points, and was having horrors trying to figure out what the 3rd point was!!! :D
 
Echo Bravo said:
I know I sound like a numpty, it's because I am.:p:pBut what is cross tying:confused::confused::confused:
Click to expand...


This is cross tying - no they don't panic or pull back etc.
45795_1570772437602_1484246008_1500359_6611552_n.jpg
 
Cross tying is so useful. My current horse is used to it, but my previous horse freaked out when I tried it.

As a lot of posters have pointed out, the USA is so vast that it is difficult to make generalisations about conditions.

I can remember having a conversation about trailers with my sister (who was in the USA). I was sure that she didn't need a 6 cylinder car to pull a trailer - but I hadn't seen the trailer of course!

I thought things were about as expensive in $ as they are in £ over here. But generally people had more disposable income. The vet was a lot more expensive, and some show horses just make mega $$$$ - at least they did, I don't know if things have cooled down a bit.
 
**sigh** just been looking at FB photos of my friend's TWH, his Saddlebreds and his Hancock QH doing Western Pleasure and Cowboy Mounted Shooting. Wish I was there!!!
Although the pics would probably get ripped apart on here, him sitting too far back on a funny saddle, using a long-shanked bit, his hands being too high, not wearing a hat, yada yada yada.....he's only been riding for 60 years....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top