Western Riding

hellsdarkrose

hellsdarkrose

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I'm curious how many people on here do western riding rather than English riding.

I was mainly wondering what do you do with your horses? just hack?

Feeling very inquisitive today
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i do both hacking.
not done so much western lately though cos i`ve seen saddles much better than mine and i can`t afford one,also, they are so darn heavy so when i go in the tack room i say `oh,i`ll just use the light one today`lol
 
I tried barrell racing and poles - and had a go at Cowboy Mounted Shooting - in the USA earlier this year, mounted games for grown ups!

The latter ain't legal here, but the first two are great fun.
 
Hi there, I'm an avid western rider and compete in Western Equestrian Society events around the UK. They don't include barrel racing or polebending but have got many classes for reining, trail and horsemanship etc.

http://www.wes-uk.com/

Here's me and my old horse Ichi at a show:

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I ride my current Appaloosa "Jazz" in western tack all the time and she is currently being trained to be ridden one-handed in a curb bit.

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I also have an "english" horse Leo who has just started his eventing career with my boyf- here they are in action:

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I'm so proud of my boys! I ride Leo to school him and find that the western and english styles really complement each other. In western your horse has to be extremely responsive to your bodyweight and leg aids, something which helps my english riding as I don't rely on the reins too much.
 
I'm taking the riding club to the mendip stud for a taster evening in a couple of weeks. I've been very curious about it for a long time. I've always ridden with a very light contact and am a firm believer in letting the horse have a say in whats happening (A say that is, not letting them make the decisions!) I think its come from working with driving horses who were not broken to ride untill their teens. They were all superbly balenced provided you let them get on with it. I'm not saying your can't work them "correctly," if anything they are truly using themselves. I ride mags (17hh 20yr old 3/4 shire) in a headcollar with two lead ropes bareback and he is the lightest horse in the world and instantly moves from your leg yet if you put a bridle and saddle on him and try to "ride" him he WILL buck you off or bolt.

Western is the closest I could get to vienna school style classical equitation!
 
Lucky you, having the Mendip Stud nearby. I haven't visited, but like their website- seems very professional.

I think more people would try western if they really understood what it involves. Its considered a bit of a "cop out" when compared to english riding, but believe me, to do the classes properly and win is pretty complex!

Doing a trail class with numerous obstacles whilst steering the horse one-handed with style and precision is pretty darn tough.

WES in the UK welcomes all types of horses and standards of riders. They are a really friendly bunch and the venues they use for shows are excellent. There are fun clinics and gatherings too.

PS thanks for the nice comments about my two neddies- Bit of a contrast between the two, but it keeps me on my toes!
 
I ride western pretty much exclusively these days. Once in a while I'll ride English if I want to jump or am working with someone else's horse which is ridden English.

I Team Pen with some of my cattle horse QHs when I have the time. I love Team Penning
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. My horses were all bred to work cattle so the ones that I take to do this, have a blast too!

My guys and me cut a lot of trails; they are all amazing at this; even the young ones are great when I am cutting trails. I like to take my youngsters at the head of the trail; cutting trails not only allows me to have far more wonderful rides but also teaches my youngsters an awful lot. Sometimes it can be tricky; I cut a brand new trail this week with a young horse on our own and he was fantastic; I was the one letting us down somewhat as I had no idea where to cut, Lol! He was great though and just weaved through all the trees and stood perfectly quietly while I was cutting; didn't bat an eyelid to all the branches falling around him, Lol!

We run barrels at home too; my daughter sometimes competes barrel racing so I will introduce the horses to the barrels initially and then I leave her to it. If they are any good then she likes to take them to the local fairs to barrel race.

I enjoy western riding far more than English these days. I can't actually be bothered with all the "control" of English riding. I can have my horses do whatever I ask with a simple touch of my leg, or by slightly turning my wrist of the hand holding the reins ... actually my cutting horse turns before I even turn my wrist; he just seems to know I am about to do this even before I have done it. He is a wonderful horse though and sooo sensitive to my subtle aids.

Have you ever done it? What did you think? If not, are you about to embark on this different style of riding? If you do try it, make sure you get to ride a well trained one as then you will truly see what they have to offer.
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I ride western. Both shows and hacking. I agree with Tia, if you get the chance to ride a fully trained horse you can really appreciate the art of western riding.
Went to a show at Abergavenny last week, and during the break, they let the local kids who were on livery there have a go at the trail course on their ponies helped by a qualified wes instructor. With any luck we may get a few more converts!
P.S. Mendip stud has great facilities. Enjoy your visit.
 
I would love to learn to ride western and I reckon it would do my boy some good as well as he is very sensitive to shifts in body weight - have no idea where to start though - am in south lincs and I don't think there is anyone around here that teaches western.
 
I was looking at maybe getting a Criollo as my first horse in 2 years time which was why I was so interested. I already know I will be just a happy hacker but as I have only ever ridden english and most criollos are western trained I wondered what it was like.

I think I will have to find the time to have a few lessons and see what I think
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Re the Criollos- my friend bought one from a dealer last year. It was allegedly "Western Trained" but was actually barely broken in!

Just because a horse wears a western saddle and bridle does not mean it is trained western.

This horse was totally unresponsive to the leg, fought the bit and couldn't do any basic moves eg sidepass, rein back, turn on hindquarters, gate opening etc etc.

The worse thing was, my friend paid around £4500 for this thing, when she could have got a nicely trained appy or QH for the same or less! It ended up at a trekking centre.

I strongly reccommend you visit a few WES shows to see what you can get for your money. Also check out the list of WES approved instructors on their website.

Even if you are a happy hacker, its far more pleasant to ride a schooled hack than a grumpy, awkward beast! Good luck!
 
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