# why did you start riding english?



## jillianjade (Oct 9, 2012)

Hey there! I'm writing a paper for my english class on why people start riding english. This is just for research and i would really love stories to use. Thank you


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

First couple decades, I rode only western because that is what was taught & every trainer I had worked with was teaching me. Then I took lessons from a lady who taught both but because she was straight from England, her instructions were more geared to English. During a group lesson, another student was becoming frustrated on their English horse & since I trained horse's at the time, she asked to trade horses & do some work with him. After that time I was hooked! I like the close contact, the posting, the light saddle, everything was so new but the same, hard to explain, it just " spiced up" my riding experience! I still ride & show western but English is my favorite.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

I rode Western when I started to ride because the only place I could ride at dudnt have lessons and all their rent-by-the-hour horses had Western tack. Later on I started working for an Arabian farm and all the riding Arabs went English, so off I went into the world of English! I've ridden in a Western saddle here and there since then and it doesn't feel comfortable to me anymore.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ElaineLighten (Jan 1, 2012)

Being from England, riding English is very much the norm!


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## Houston (Apr 15, 2012)

I did a little Western riding before I made the switch, but I wanted to get into English. It just seemed more "natural" my opinion, and it seemed like an excellent way to improve my abilities. 

Now after several lessons in English I can see that I made the right choice!


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

ElaineLighten said:


> Being from England, riding English is very much the norm!


:lol::lol: What she said


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## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Not much of other options available - in Latvia people ride almost 100% English, and there certainly are no Western lesson barns. So the choice is pretty obvious.


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## Inga (Sep 11, 2012)

My love of horses seems to have been born into me. I am from a non horsey family yet from very very young, I loved horses and couldn't get enough. My parents took me to the Kentucky Horse park when I was quite young. They were doing a demonstration on all kinds of riding. They had dressage, western, jumping and then... In came an American Saddlebred. I was sold, I thought that was the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen. 

When I got my first horse, it was an American Saddlebred and I never looked back. Still my favorite breed after all these years. So, I guess for me, it seemed natural too. I have ridden many different breeds and styles of riding over the years. English to me is most comfortable.


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## whiskeynoo (Mar 17, 2010)

I live in the UK so English is the main riding style over here. As for why i ride, it's just always been part of my life and something i feel comfortable with, and i always feel more relaxed around my horses as it's something i know, i've been lucky in that i grew up in a farming environment so we've always had a horse. I don't think there's been a year when i was growing up where we haven't owned one at some point.


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## Britt (Apr 15, 2008)

I started riding english because it was the only saddle I had at the time that fit my gelding... Though, after our fall earlier this year, I can't ride english anymore due to the pain it causes me, but can still ride western pretty well, (the pain isn't as bad).


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## wetrain17 (May 25, 2011)

When I was a kid my mom picked the barn I started taking lessons at. It was an English barn, so I rode English. All these years later I still ride English. I have no problem riding western and dont mind it from time to time, but I will always pick English over Western, besides I still love to jump.


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

Because everyone in my arena rode Western. Gamers; pleasure/trail riders, a lot of them. I didn't want to be like everybody else, so I set myself on riding English.

Which worked out pretty nicely for me. I found a lesson barn (the only one in the area!) that was sort of mixed disipline. The head trainer was an English rider through and through and started all her kids English, figuring that it would be easier to switch from English to western than western to English. However, several people there rode western, and a couple rode "endurance style" (as I decided to call it), which is a sort of mashup of western and English equitation styles for distance riding. Pick and choose for comfort and ease on the horse. Endurance saddles are also a bit of a hybrid between English and western, so it made sense.


Today, I'm not sure if I'm still an "English rider". I ride in an English saddle and my style of mostly Englishy, but I also ride a gaited horse and ride distance, so some modifcations have been made. If you just go on tack, I'm an English rider. But I don't ride in the "spirit" of the hunter/jumper I was trained to be.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

My first mentor was an Arabian show person and she was BIG into the English disciplines, so that's what I learned. 

I quit showing when my heart horse was 10 y/o (he despised it) and took up trail riding, but I never switched saddles or learned to ride Western. 

That was back when seeing someone riding in an English saddle out on the trails was an oddity. Back then (when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I rode a velociraptor) English riders either foxhunted or showed, so when I turned up at a trail ride with my saddleseat saddle, show breeches and patent leather bridle, I made quite the splash. Now nobody even bats an eye at my 'postage stamp' saddle. Of course, my tack has changed somewhat over the years even though I still ride in a 'show' saddle on my TB. :wink:


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

It just looked so "cool!". I loved the look of the saddle , so I tried it and loved it!


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## heymckate (Nov 23, 2010)

When my mom gave me riding lessons for Christmas when I was 9-years-old, the barn I rode at was an English barn. I thought I preferred western at first (my one prior horseback riding experience had been western)... but that slowly went away, and when I did my first jump it was all over: I was hooked on English.

As an adult, I ride English because it's what I love.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Because I want to do it all!


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## Lexiie (Nov 14, 2011)

I started western lessons at the age of 5 and when I got to be around 10/11 I started posting, so I was forced to ride english. I loved it, really, really fun
And I have been for the past 6 years


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

In Australia, english is a far more common discipline than western. There are a few places that give western lessons now, but when I grew up, they were very few and far between. Then, at the age of 16, I fell in love with dressage, and have been that way ever since.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

What Chiilaa said, mostly, except that I fell in love with jumping at the age of 7!!

I do ride Western on occasion, and all my horses have been taught to neck rein simply because I am lazy and like riding with one hand when I'm on the trails, but jumping is my passion. My current horse, I taught a WP jog so that I could know I could control his speed within the gaits, and I have a western saddle (actually mum does, but it fits my boy and she doesn't have a riding horse at the moment, so I use it)... though the western usually only comes out when adult beginners are over, because it's more secure than either of my english saddles.


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## freia (Nov 3, 2011)

I grew up in Norway, where English is the norm. "Riding" is synonymous with "English". Now living in the Western US, I still get a lot of really weird looks when I ride a rough trail with my flat English-saddle. People give me looks like "Is she going to hold us back? Maybe she should go an easier route?" Not necessary folks - I can actually jump that obstacle without impaling myself. I decided to help some people who were rounding up some cattle one day, and they were short a few horses/riders. I showed up with the only type of saddle I have, resulting in more than a few giggles, and helped round up some lagging calves just fine. And everyone got a good laugh - a lovely day.
I don't switch to Western, because I'm in love with the close communication with the horse that I have in English. I can feel what the horse will do before it decides to do it.


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## HighstepperLove (Aug 6, 2012)

I was 5 and didn't have a choice LOL!!! My mom started me at a hunter/Jumper barn when I was about 5... started riding Saddlebreds saddleseat for show when I was about 7. Got my first saddleseat horse when I was 10.  I love it.. but I now ride western mostly b/c it's an easier trail ride... but I think I learned GREAT fundamentals in riding from riding English first.


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## Thyme (Sep 4, 2010)

I started english (grandmas choice lol), then tried western but went back and stuck with english, it feels more free, I have better contact with my horse and I feel more secure. I constantly feel like I am going to slip off/out of a western saddle and feel far away from my horse. if that makes sense. . .


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## 35391 (Jul 18, 2012)

Love this thread! It all began for me when I watched and old Disney movie: _The Horse in the Grey Flannel Suit. _It focused on jumping and how the main character could use horse shows as a means to sell his company's product Aspercel! And of course, that was the horse's name in the movie. After seeing that film, I begged for a couple years to ride. I finally started riding when I was about 8 when we lived in England. And now, all grown up, I own and train my own horses to do low level eventing. And I give my own daughter lessons and she loves jumping too


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

I started riding english so that I could compete in versatility competitions (western pleasure, hunter under, reining & barrels with same horse and 2 minute in the ring tack & wardrobe changes) and go after overall high point awards. I was around 7 when I started riding hunt seat & around age 9 jumping was added to the repertoire. I still ride both but spend most of my time in my western saddle (goes with the territory doing colt starting & owning qh's) but I do ride english a few times a week on my warmblood, love it!


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## OTTB (Aug 17, 2011)

Western sports do not attract me in the least. I have zero interest in racing around barrels or chasing down calves. I'm also highly annoyed at this new thing called 'Western Dressage' where someone is giving obvious cues and moving around in the saddle so much a toddler could see it. To me, a Western saddle is good for one thing - ranching. Anything else is just kind of boring to me. 

English always struck me as more in depth, requiring more skill, and no handy horn to grab onto when you're in trouble. I had this opinion before I started riding and had no real exposure to the horse world. My information was from books, magazines, and what I saw on TV. 

Now that I ride, I've used a Western saddle and can feel the difference between it, and even a cheap GP. In a GP I am required to pay attention to my balance. In a Western I can cheat and just sit there and grab onto something. In a GP I can jump without being stabbed in the gut by a horn. In a GP I can do training level dressage moves without having to swing bulky leather around so that my foot is in the proper position. I feel more connected to the horse, instead of feeling like I'm sitting in a chair with my feet planted on the ground.


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

Down here in Australia 99% of riding schools are English - so thats what I did. 

I was eight when I started and I didn't know there was anything else!


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## DrumRunner (Jan 26, 2011)

OTTB, bless your heart.. I honestly am very offended by your post. You may judge Western to your heart's content but don't think that bashing something you don't understand will make others happy. I don't ride English, I did and it's just not for me, but at the same time I respect it and know that while English Pleasure and the more laid back English disciplines aren't as hard as say Eventing but I'm not going to bash any of those because even though I ride Western I respect others and their choices. I'm not going to sit and say that I think English is slow and you all wear your stuffy clothes and no bling.. I can't understand that at all... But, I don't think like that.. I wouldn't wear the clothes or go without my bling but that's your choice and I respect that. That said, if you've never really ridden Western (Not just sat in a saddle and walked around) you have absolutely NOTHING to judge by except what you see. You have no idea what Barrel Racing, Reining, or Working Cowhorse..even the slower Western disciplines are like. Before jumping to conclusions as you did in your post I'd love for you to sit on a nice barrel horse and see that it is *FAR* more than just "A chair with your feet planted on the ground". It is FAR from that and you couldn't be more wrong about riding in a Western saddle.. Just like with your tiny little GP saddle, Western saddles have their individual purposes for that discipline. The horn isn't something that everyone hangs onto, there is a purpose for it in barrel racing but the absolute MOST important thing in ANY, absolutely ANY discipline, whether Western or English, is to have a good seat. I can run my barrel horses bareback, I don't have to have the horn.. And my little Western horses can play in the jumping ring if I ask them to. Your information you got from books, magazines, and TV are *VASTLY* different when you actually sit on a Western horse in a appropriate saddle and ride that discipline. If you're doing something RIGHT in a Western saddle there is NO reason to "cheat" and grab the horn if you're in trouble or that it takes no skill and you just "sit there". You couldn't be more wrong, so next time you want to take a stab at something and bash it at least know the facts and have that experience before you make a half-*** educated response and just stir the post between Western and English riders.. You'll find that you are one of the few people who don't have respect for others and their choice of discipline.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

What Drum said. 

I'm an English rider all the way, and I found OTTB's post to be extremely offensive, ignorant, and completely uneducated. If you have bias against certain disciplines maybe you should actually take some lessons in them first, before pontificating on how 'easy' they are to do.

NO riding discipline, regardless of the saddle type, is easy if done correctly. Flopping about on a Western saddle with no idea of how to ride in it properly hardly makes you an expert on Western disciplines.


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## HorseMom1025 (Jul 17, 2012)

When Kitten (my daughter) showed an interest in riding, we sent her to horse camp. This camp was at a primarily English barn. Her Godmother, who she adores, rode English growing up. So, when she came home begging for lessons, we found an Instructor who trained both English and Western.

Kitten prefers her English saddle. Her balance and seat are better than her Western only classmates. Heck, my 9 year old tears around barrels and poles one handed in her English tack (gives me both a heart attack and swells my heart with pride at the same time). .

She likes her Western saddle and usually uses it for trails, playdays, and working cows...but if you asked her, she would tell you English was her favorite. She tells me that he just likes the "fit" better and feels closer to Acey.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I started English when I started Hunt Seat lessons in 1972. Sorry this thread unbraided into an argument between styles. It's easy to bash somebody else's favorite style of riding, especially if you've had a bad experience with it. The ONLY thing I don't like about Western is the dogged insistance pf saddlery's on selling the saddle with a horn made for roping cattle to people who probably will never use it for that. *We really don't all need it.* MY preference is for the Mexican type horn, low, fat and flat bc I think it's safer for trail riders. Too many accidents bc of that darned horn.


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

I started riding English because it looked um... "slow and quiet". Basically I just had a really bad instructor for Western riding with an attitude-filled horse who believed in bolting on a constant basis. 

English may not have a "handy horn" but it does have a grab strap. Same thing....

I enjoyed English riding although I found out very quickly it's most definitely not "slow and quiet"!! So I have continued with it.

Recently my new neighbor who is a Western trainer conned me into "Doing some REAL riding" (according to him) and I am really enjoying it. A lot of the basics are the same but since his horses are trained very differently than mine, I am learning a lot. He's now trying to get me into Mounted Shooting...... I don't think he really comprehends that I have a greenish, spazzy Morgan who finds life itself terrifying!

I am enjoying both. I will say though, there is something to the neighbor yelling "hey, school bus doesn't drop off for another 45mins, lets go!" and since I live in jeans/boots, I can just drop everything and be on a horse within 5mins. Whereas if I was going to head out in my English saddle, I've got to go change into breeches and tall boots or half chaps.

Oh and herding cattle could come in real handy. I ended up herding calve, for weaning, in nothing but a towel this month.... I think the neighbors would greatly appreciate it if I didn't do that again!


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Delfina said:


> I am enjoying both. I will say though, there is something to the neighbor yelling "hey, school bus doesn't drop off for another 45mins, lets go!" and since I live in jeans/boots, I can just drop everything and be on a horse within 5mins. Whereas if I was going to head out in my English saddle, I've got to go change into breeches and tall boots or half chaps.


Not quite true - I also live in jeans and boots, and I ride almost exclusively English. I ride in jeans ALL the time, usually because I'm too lazy to get changed, and my saddles are both synthetic. My favourite jeans have holes wearing through the insides of the knees and the seams are getting a bit threadbare, and I've worn the butt out of a couple of pairs, but then, I've also worn the butt and knees out of a few pairs of joddies...


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## HorseMom1025 (Jul 17, 2012)

Kitten rides English in just about anything as well. She's worn jeans, capris, etc. She also only has paddock boots (not big enough for tall boots and her trainer isn't a fan of half-chaps).

As long as she has a proper heel and cloth of some type between her and the saddle, she's good to go.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

blue eyed pony said:


> Not quite true - I also live in jeans and boots, and I ride almost exclusively English. I ride in jeans ALL the time, usually because I'm too lazy to get changed, and my saddles are both synthetic. My favourite jeans have holes wearing through the insides of the knees and the seams are getting a bit threadbare, and I've worn the butt out of a couple of pairs, but then, I've also worn the butt and knees out of a few pairs of joddies...



I tried riding in jeans, oh trust me I tried. I had purply black bruises oozing blood within 30mins. I tried multiple brands to see if that would help but it didn't.

I have an autoimmune disorder that I routinely take steroids for, so I do have very thin skin, bruise/bleed very easily and take forever and a few days to heal. 

So no jeans + English for me. Thankfully jeans + Western is fine as is English + full seat breeches (the knee patch ones I tried rubbed and bruised).


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

*taking mod hat off* I am also highly offended by OTTB's post. It is naive, judemental and frankly tactless to speak so poorly (and off base) of that which you don't know. 



OTTB said:


> Western sports do not attract me in the least. I have zero interest in racing around barrels or chasing down calves. I'm also highly annoyed at this new thing called 'Western Dressage' where someone is giving obvious cues and moving around in the saddle so much a toddler could see it. To me, a Western saddle is good for one thing - ranching. Anything else is just kind of boring to me.


I tend to agree about the Western dressage. Won't go into that, that's for another thread another day. There are many things western that are not boring just as there are things english that are not boring. Both styles have disciplines that some would find boring. I am saying this as someone who has spent 20+ years riding both english & western and in the more "adrenaline rush" disciplines. There is nothing boring about sitting a 20+ ft sliding stop (with NO horn, I could do the same in my close contact or bareback) riding a well trained cutting horse, a 1D barrel horse just as there is nothing boring about jumping. Are there things I think are boring about english, darn right but I wouldn't go spouting off about western being better just because I find english flat classes horrifically redundant and boring. 



> English always struck me as more in depth, requiring more skill, and no handy horn to grab onto when you're in trouble. I had this opinion before I started riding and had no real exposure to the horse world. My information was from books, magazines, and what I saw on TV.


This is offensive. Rarely do western riders grab a horn when they are in trouble. I can ride out a bucking fit, spook, bolt english or western or bareback for that matter. When I'm in a sticky spot, I generally drop my stirrups - I do better with having the total freedom of using only my seat. There is skill in both western & english riding and to think otherwise is ridiculous. 



> Now that I ride, I've used a Western saddle and can feel the difference between it, and even a cheap GP. In a GP I am required to pay attention to my balance. In a Western I can cheat and just sit there and grab onto something. In a GP I can jump without being stabbed in the gut by a horn. In a GP I can do training level dressage moves without having to swing bulky leather around so that my foot is in the proper position. I feel more connected to the horse, instead of feeling like I'm sitting in a chair with my feet planted on the ground.


Ride a quality reining saddle. I feel as close to my horse in my reiner as I do in my close contact (neither were cheap I can assure you.) There is no cheating, just sitting there grabbing onto a horn. If that is what you have seen and what you think western is, you've been watching poor riders. If I ever felt like I was sitting in a chair with my feet on the ground I wouldn't own a single horse, let alone a dozen.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Delfina said:


> I tried riding in jeans, oh trust me I tried. I had purply black bruises oozing blood within 30mins. I tried multiple brands to see if that would help but it didn't.
> 
> I have an autoimmune disorder that I routinely take steroids for, so I do have very thin skin, bruise/bleed very easily and take forever and a few days to heal.
> 
> So no jeans + English for me. Thankfully jeans + Western is fine as is English + full seat breeches (the knee patch ones I tried rubbed and bruised).


oh ouch!! I have 3 toes rubbed raw to bleeding at the moment but I can only imagine what you suffer would be much worse. I do get rubbed knees sometimes, and occasionally more, er, private places, but that happens in jods just as badly as it does in jeans so I live with it.

I can't wear full seat jods/breeches because one of my saddles is suede and full seats pill and wear through REALLY fast, as well as causing rub marks on the saddle more quickly... well actually one of my pairs of show jods is full seat but I only wear them for jumping because my close contact is the one that's the plastic-y fake leather.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

I also prefer english to western, but with my current horse, that wasn't an option.

I'll tell you what, Western is a heck of a lot tougher than I thought it would be.
It is by no means a chair planting your feet to the ground. Sheesh.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Amazing, OTTB, you have managed to offend a lot of people it seems. I'm not offended, but I do feel sorry for you, because you have not had the experience to really RIDE western, rather than sitting in a Western saddle.

As I said, I started English, I later converted to Western, and now I ride mainly English again. I believe both seats require effort to ride them properly, and both require a lot of skill to do them properly. 

I DO think that the untrained rider can sit on, and hold on better in a Western saddle, but I also believe that to be a competent western rider takes a lot of training and effort. I had the extreme pleasure of riding a finished reining horse, just once in my life, and although I totally lacked the skill to do her any justice, I defy anyone to do that in an English saddle.


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## DrumRunner (Jan 26, 2011)

MHFoundation Quarters said:


> This is offensive. Rarely do western riders grab a horn when they are in trouble. I can ride out a bucking fit, spook, bolt english or western or bareback for that matter.* When I'm in a sticky spot, I generally drop my stirrups - I do better with having the total freedom of using only my seat*. There is skill in both western & english riding and to think otherwise is ridiculous.


You're not the only person who does this.. I feel as though I have a great seat period but when I do run into trouble I'd rather have my legs free.

Edit.. This stupid phone keeps autocorrecting me! Geez..


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

DrumRunner and MH - I do it too but I do it because if my feet are already out of the stirrups, a) I can emergency dismount more easily if I have to, and b) there's almost no chance of getting dragged because what's going to drag me if not the stirrups?


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

Glad I'm not the only one that prefers no stirrups. I think of it like one of those desk things that balances on the little point with the long arms to the side, my center of balance sure as heck isn't in my feet - it's that point in the middle. 

There's that too BEP  I can't remember the last time I had to bail but if I do I most definitely don't want to be dragged. Never had it happen & don't intend for it ever to.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

MH, I have come off a bucking horse (thankfully he stopped and stood stock still!) and had my foot stuck in a stirrup. Landed on my other foot but was stuck for a good second! Ever since, I prefer to ride a bucking horse without stirrups, tyvm... and my current horse doesn't stop when you come off so if it happened with HIM, I would be dragged. And probably stepped on.

I can actually ride out a bigger bucking fit bareback or stirrupless than I can with them - from experience the ONLY time current horse has bucked me off was when he decided to throw in 3 or 4 good ones at riding club (in a flat lesson :/ made me look a right idiot of course) and I was just gone. The other day I was bareback and rode a big one in a canter transition without even moving, and a couple of months ago I was stirrupless (dressage saddle, so same saddle as the one time he's actually bucked me off) and asked him to canter, he threw in a big one and bolted, bucking every 1-2 strides. Would have stuck on 6 or 7 without being in any danger of coming off before he quit bucking and I could turn him in a circle and slow him up. Haven't had to ride out a REAL bronc-fest though.

I think it's because I had a pony that bucked something dreadful, never big but for some reason always horribly unseating, that I rode, for 3 months straight, bareback, because I didn't have and couldn't afford a saddle that would fit him. Had him 2 years then outgrew him and sold him to a little girl who adores him - and not a crow-hop in sight.

You'd think after all that I would trust Monty a bit more not to throw things at me I can't handle, or myself a bit more to handle what he throws at me, but nooo.


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## SouthernTrails (Dec 19, 2008)

OTTB said:


> To me, a Western saddle is good for one thing - ranching. Anything else is just kind of boring to me.


Well it seems you have missed the joys of taking a 5 day camping trek on a Horse.

I do not ride English, so excuse my ignorance, but can you do that in an English Saddle?

.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

SouthernTrailsGA said:


> Well it seems you have missed the joys of taking a 5 day camping trek on a Horse.
> 
> I do not ride English, so excuse my ignorance, but can you do that in an English Saddle?


I would if camping trek outfits had a choice of saddles! :wink:

Isn't that what pack horses are for? To pack all the crap I can't carry on my own saddle?


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## SouthernTrails (Dec 19, 2008)

Speed Racer said:


> I would if camping trek outfits had a choice of saddles! :wink:
> 
> Isn't that what pack horses are for? To pack all the crap I can't carry on my own saddle?


I guess if you do the paid trekking or just a couple of friends with no spare Horses, I have done the latter as I am broke 

.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Speed Racer said:


> I would if someone let me! :wink:
> 
> Isn't that what pack horses are for? To pack all the crap I can't carry on my own saddle?


So would I! Actually my mother is planning, with a friend, a distance ride over several days, to take place in a few years when Mum's filly is old enough and has had time to get fit enough... we ride English, as do several of the people who want to come. My saddles don't even have D-rings but for the front pair that you attach a breastplate to.

In theory we will carry snacks and water for us, and ride bitless so the horses can snatch a mouthful here and there, then meet up with the ground support crew at set intervals to overnight in portable yards [and tents for the humans], give the horses plenty of water, feed & hay. And move on again in the morning.


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

blue eyed pony said:


> MH, I have come off a bucking horse (thankfully he stopped and stood stock still!) and had my foot stuck in a stirrup. Landed on my other foot but was stuck for a good second! Ever since, I prefer to ride a bucking horse without stirrups, tyvm... and my current horse doesn't stop when you come off so if it happened with HIM, I would be dragged. And probably stepped on.


That gives me goosebumps thinking about it. Getting hung up is one of my big fears. I did get my boot caught in a fence and pulled off once, that's as close as I've came..I made a big effort to listen to my mom's ranting about my toes pointing out after that day. 



> I think it's because I had a pony that bucked something dreadful, never big but for some reason always horribly unseating, that I rode, for 3 months straight, bareback, because I didn't have and couldn't afford a saddle that would fit him. Had him 2 years then outgrew him and sold him to a little girl who adores him - and not a crow-hop in sight.


It's always the ponies, isn't it? Rotten little ******s! :lol:


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

OTTB said:


> Western sports do not attract me in the least. I have zero interest in racing around barrels or chasing down calves. I'm also highly annoyed at this new thing called 'Western Dressage' where someone is giving obvious cues and moving around in the saddle so much a toddler could see it. To me, a Western saddle is good for one thing - ranching. Anything else is just kind of boring to me.
> 
> English always struck me as more in depth, requiring more skill, and no handy horn to grab onto when you're in trouble. I had this opinion before I started riding and had no real exposure to the horse world. My information was from books, magazines, and what I saw on TV.
> 
> Now that I ride, I've used a Western saddle and can feel the difference between it, and even a cheap GP. In a GP I am required to pay attention to my balance. In a Western I can cheat and just sit there and grab onto something. In a GP I can jump without being stabbed in the gut by a horn. In a GP I can do training level dressage moves without having to swing bulky leather around so that my foot is in the proper position. I feel more connected to the horse, instead of feeling like I'm sitting in a chair with my feet planted on the ground.


 
I actually agree with you to a certain degree. It probably is easier to ride Western in a slouch, out of contact with the horse and still get away with it. And, the horn is pretty handy , from time to time (although, I have never had the presence of mind to grab it when the horse is in the process of bucking me off). And, it will jab you in the tummy if you jump anything higher than about 18 inches. 
But most Western riders don't go around relying on it for balance the way so many English newbies do relying on the reins. They have the reins so tight , with a straight , braced elbow, and are totall relying on them for their balance and posting. One sees this a LOT. Western riders cannot use their reins as an aid to balance. This was one of the best things I learned when I started riding Western; how to trust the hrose with a loose rein. So many English riders have the horse on a tight rein, even when just standing around shooting the breeze or ambling down the trail. Learning how to have a loose rein unless I really needed to have a tight rein has been helpful to learn, and translated back into English riding quite nicely.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

tinyliny said:


> It probably is easier to ride Western in a slouch, out of contact with the horse and still get away with it.


That's not riding Western tiny, that's just riding poorly in a Western saddle. Two entirely different things.

It's the same thing as slapping an English saddle on a horse and thinking you're now an English rider. Um, no.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

MHFoundation Quarters said:


> That gives me goosebumps thinking about it. Getting hung up is one of my big fears. I did get my boot caught in a fence and pulled off once, that's as close as I've came..I made a big effort to listen to my mom's ranting about my toes pointing out after that day.
> 
> 
> 
> It's always the ponies, isn't it? Rotten little ******s! :lol:


Yup, scared the crap out of me. Quit riding in those particular boots (good heel but they had a bit of tread so they didn't slip out as easy as they could have), got help in stopping that horse from bucking in the form of an amazing piece of equipment that costs $3 to make out of fine soft rope, and sorted him out.

Have been pulled off by catching a boot in the fence too, and my current horse once copped a spur dug into his side because he wouldn't get the hell off my leg, toe was out so I could get the spur on, and he stepped half a step diagonally towards the fence (INTO my leg telling him to do the opposite). Served him right I reckon. Stayed on that time luckily.

And yeah, always is the ponies. I can ride a HUGE buck, heels above ears (with head up - have ridden the same size with head down too), but as soon as a pony so much as crow-hops I'm off.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Speed Racer said:


> That's not riding Western tiny, that's just riding poorly in a Western saddle. Two entirely different things.
> 
> It's the same thing as slapping an English saddle on a horse and thinking you're now an English rider. Um, no.


 
Yes, that is certainly true.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

blue eyed pony said:


> And yeah, always is the ponies.


Ponies are evil because they're closer to Hell than regular sized horses. :twisted:


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

Speed Racer said:


> That's not riding Western tiny, that's just riding poorly in a Western saddle. Two entirely different things.
> 
> It's the same thing as slapping an English saddle on a horse and thinking you're now an English rider. Um, no.


Agree, there's a huge difference between being a passenger and a rider. There's horrid examples in every discipline.

I do agree with Tiny though in a way, look at trail riding outfits that haul out first time "riders", having that horn and weight spread out over a larger area is a good plan and is likely easier for "rider" and horse alike. Do we consider those folks riders, not likely but what are they going to tell their friends when they go home? They rode a horse. Poorly most likely but still rode. Let's call it riding by technicality :lol:

I very much agree with the rest of Tiny's post. There's a darn good chance that watching any beginner rider either discipline that it will be ugly at some point. For me starting out western gave me super soft, quiet hands that translated well when I started riding english. 

What bothers me most about this is that being critical of other disciplines without the knowledge is kind of sad. Being closed minded takes away the opportunity to try and possibly like something new or learn something different that you can use as general horsemanship. I've never shown dressage or pleasure driving, still on the list though.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Yep Speed, so so SO true. One of the reasons I love them. Mine had a super-evil magic bucking power that meant he didn't have to put any actual effort in, but barely anyone could stay on for more than 2 or 3 in a row. I stand by the statement that if you can ride a naughty pony, you can ride ANYTHING.


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

Speed Racer said:


> Ponies are evil because they're closer to Hell than regular sized horses. :twisted:


Or because they are usually as wide as they are tall and it's not easy to ride out a bucking fit doing the splits :lol:


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

blue eyed pony said:


> I stand by the statement that if you can ride a naughty pony, you can ride ANYTHING.


And that is why I'm firmly in favor of starting kiddies on ponies, first the school master, then the errr 'pony full of character', weeds out those who don't want to put the effort in, and teaches you to sit on, I may not be the greatest rider in the world, but I can stick fairly well, due in part to my small pony training as a kid.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

I never had any pony training indoctrination as a youngster because I never got to ride until I was an adult, but I think pony sized Arabians count!


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

Golden Horse said:


> the errr 'pony full of character', weeds out those who don't want to put the effort in


This made me giggle. My kiddo arranged herself a free lease pony over the summer, a cute, roly poly little welsh cross that rode & drove (jumped but she is not yet - mean mom says no). He was a cute litle guy but he was the typical as you called it errr 'pony full of character'. They got along fine but he was rotten. Summer ends, time to decide if we were buying and she says "We can take him back mom, he was fun but I want to ride Missy now." She gave up the cute roly poly for the 16.3 gentle giant :lol:


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

Late to the game here…
I started riding at 3 and I rode in whatever the adults put me in, which was sometimes western because that is how they rode, but more often than not it was just bareback.
Everyone where I lived rode western and laughed at anything other than, even my bareback riding, so that was the norm.

At 12 or 13 my mom dug out an old (old!) English saddle of hers from way back and told me she was going to give me some lessons (she was trying to revisit her english years from her own childhood.)
Hated it. Saddle was 100 times too big and meant to fit a fin backed horse, not my plump tabletop Morgan mare, who had the worst high leg action and fast trot to boot because she had been driving horse. Plus a person really can’t teach what they don’t know so it was a disaster. 
Ugh! Swore I would never suffer the bruises upon bruises ever again.

A few years later we moved to an all English, pony clubbing, HJ, foxhunting and eventing area. So now I was laughed at for my western saddle and attire. 
I was of an age where I didn’t really want to stick out and draw attention so decided to give it another try, this time from a qualified instructor with proper fitting saddles on well trained horses.

I swear I heard harp music and the clouds parted for a sunbeam to shine down upon me! It was almost as good as riding bareback in terms of communication and feel, but more secure. Riding English fit me like a glove and made me feel like I had sprouted wings, so I never looked back! Over the years from time to time I have had to sit in a few western saddles and they feel so clunky. Like there is a wall between me and the horse….. I can’t tell what they are thinking or feeling, or if they are bunching their muscles for something like a spook fit or a jump or anything. Makes me feel like a sitting duck on something I can‘t read.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Golden Horse said:


> And that is why I'm firmly in favor of starting kiddies on ponies, first the school master, then the errr 'pony full of character', weeds out those who don't want to put the effort in, and teaches you to sit on, I may not be the greatest rider in the world, but I can stick fairly well, due in part to my small pony training as a kid.


hahahahahaha my only naughty pony experience came when I got the pony I was talking about, when I was 14! Beforehand I had been on schoolmasters, the put up with ANYTHING type. Naughty one put up with anything but was a brat in the process. Amazing with kids though... just rotten for me!


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## OTTB (Aug 17, 2011)

'Why did you start riding English?' was the title of the thread and I answered it. If I spent all of my time being concerned about offending a few people, I'd never get anything done. If your skin is so thin that you took offense to my VERY general opinion, then perhaps you should seek some professional help as to why people on the internet hurt your feelings.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Lol, OTTB, Bless your heart, how does that attitude usually work for you? I tend to think that if one person is upset, they are thin skinned, if many are, then maybe it is something I said, YMMV


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

OTTB said:


> 'Why did you start riding English?' was the title of the thread and I answered it.


Nope, you made a bunch of ignorant and uninformed generalizations based on no actual real experience. 

You could have easily left off all the sneering and holding your nose in the air, and answered the question without acting as if you're far superior to people who choose to ride different disciplines.

Why do all the people who act like flaming rudesters claim it's someone elses problem when they come off as the southbound end of a northbound donkey?


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## freia (Nov 3, 2011)

SouthernTrailsGA said:


> Well it seems you have missed the joys of taking a 5 day camping trek on a Horse.
> 
> I do not ride English, so excuse my ignorance, but can you do that in an English Saddle?
> 
> .


Yup, you can. Take a week-long "horse-trekking" vacation in Norway or Iceland (highly recommended, BTW), crossing rough, spectacular wilderness, and you will be in an English saddle. Though in fairness, the gear is not carried on your own horse/saddle.

I think a skilled rider can pretty much do the things they enjoy doing in either discipline (well, except you might not want to do too much high jumping in a Western saddle or rope calves in an English). English or Western: Communicate with your horse. Be balanced. Have a good seat. Enjoy the ride. Enjoy your partnership with your horse. Enjoy the sights and smells. That's what it's about.

My family learned to ride from an officer in the Norwegian cavalry. When we emigrated to the US, he visited us: 75 years old, weathered, leathery, sinewy, crotchety. He showed up at SeaTac Intl. in his jodhpurs and tall riding boots (They were the only clothes I ever saw him in). It took less than a day for his infamous comment: "Americans can't ride" (referring to Western riding). So we drove him out to the Pendleton Roundup for giggles. We expected him to be proud and stonefaced and in denial. He had the time of his life. In the car on the way home, I remember him smiling and clapping, then suddenly exclaimed "Americans (Western) CAN ride!", and took a Western saddle home with him as hand-luggage.


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

blue eyed pony said:


> MH, I have come off a bucking horse (thankfully he stopped and stood stock still!) and had my foot stuck in a stirrup. Landed on my other foot but was stuck for a good second! Ever since, I prefer to ride a bucking horse without stirrups, tyvm... and my current horse doesn't stop when you come off so if it happened with HIM, I would be dragged. And probably stepped on.
> 
> I can actually ride out a bigger bucking fit bareback or stirrupless than I can with them - from experience the ONLY time current horse has bucked me off was when he decided to throw in 3 or 4 good ones at riding club (in a flat lesson :/ made me look a right idiot of course) and I was just gone. The other day I was bareback and rode a big one in a canter transition without even moving, and a couple of months ago I was stirrupless (dressage saddle, so same saddle as the one time he's actually bucked me off) and asked him to canter, he threw in a big one and bolted, bucking every 1-2 strides. Would have stuck on 6 or 7 without being in any danger of coming off before he quit bucking and I could turn him in a circle and slow him up. Haven't had to ride out a REAL bronc-fest though.
> 
> ...


Hey there! You mentioned that your horse doesn't stop when you come off. Here's a trick to teach him, the Arabs train their horses in the desert to do this, because if their horse runs off.....they're dead! You have to actually have mock fall offs to train this, but it's real handy. Tie a string to your horses bit, fall off and hang on! Say whoa.......horse learns to stop when you fall off......they only learn if you teach em, and when you're in a real bucking party the last thing you're thinking about is the horse running off.....I've never done this, but I might try if I feel brave enough to dive off my horse until he learns it....hope he's a fast learner......


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

OTTB said:


> Western sports do not attract me in the least. I have zero interest in racing around barrels or chasing down calves. I'm also highly annoyed at this new thing called 'Western Dressage' where someone is giving obvious cues and moving around in the saddle so much a toddler could see it. To me, a Western saddle is good for one thing - ranching. Anything else is just kind of boring to me.
> 
> English always struck me as more in depth, requiring more skill, and no handy horn to grab onto when you're in trouble. I had this opinion before I started riding and had no real exposure to the horse world. My information was from books, magazines, and what I saw on TV.
> 
> Now that I ride, I've used a Western saddle and can feel the difference between it, and even a cheap GP. In a GP I am required to pay attention to my balance. In a Western I can cheat and just sit there and grab onto something. In a GP I can jump without being stabbed in the gut by a horn. In a GP I can do training level dressage moves without having to swing bulky leather around so that my foot is in the proper position. I feel more connected to the horse, instead of feeling like I'm sitting in a chair with my feet planted on the ground.


Hahaha! Your comments on saddles is laughable. Get your butt on a high level reining horse in a high end slick seat reining saddle, ride a sliding stop and a spin with no contact on your horses face and no touching the saddle, it's horn or the horse and come back and talk about it.

Actually I'd like to see you on a cutting horse in your English saddle......

(BY THE WAY I grew up riding English - so I'm not ignorant to it)


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## AndersonEquestrian (Sep 25, 2012)

It was more comfortable for me! I have a dislocating hip and dressage made my hips stronger so they wouldn't pop out of place or click all the time!

Not too mention the saddles are typically less bulky so it didn't put so much pressure on it.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Muppetgirl said:


> Hey there! You mentioned that your horse doesn't stop when you come off. Here's a trick to teach him, the Arabs train their horses in the desert to do this, because if their horse runs off.....they're dead! You have to actually have mock fall offs to train this, but it's real handy. Tie a string to your horses bit, fall off and hang on! Say whoa.......horse learns to stop when you fall off......they only learn if you teach em, and when you're in a real bucking party the last thing you're thinking about is the horse running off.....I've never done this, but I might try if I feel brave enough to dive off my horse until he learns it....hope he's a fast learner......


Hi 

Well... he does NOW, because I put in a heap of training doing pretty much what you're talking about, except landing on my feet. Started at a walk, dropped my stirrups, leaned forward, and swung off. Stayed at a walk until he stopped every time, then moved up to a trot, and then canter. I can leap off at full gallop now and he'll stop every time.

What he doesn't do, is stop when he's in the middle of a bucking fit, but I think that's because he's an honest horse so if he's bucking he's doing it because he's hurting. The one time he got me off, best we can determine he'd been stung by a bee. He was still bucking when I got to my feet (was winded so that took a bit). His other bucking fits, either his saddle has been a bit tight, or his loins have been sore.


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

blue eyed pony said:


> Hi
> 
> Well... he does NOW, because I put in a heap of training doing pretty much what you're talking about, except landing on my feet. Started at a walk, dropped my stirrups, leaned forward, and swung off. Stayed at a walk until he stopped every time, then moved up to a trot, and then canter. I can leap off at full gallop now and he'll stop every time.
> 
> What he doesn't do, is stop when he's in the middle of a bucking fit, but I think that's because he's an honest horse so if he's bucking he's doing it because he's hurting. The one time he got me off, best we can determine he'd been stung by a bee. He was still bucking when I got to my feet (was winded so that took a bit). His other bucking fits, either his saddle has been a bit tight, or his loins have been sore.


Haha! Well that's perfect isn't it! Yes I must start jumping off my guy randomly to see what he will do!! He's so darn broke he will probably sense my shift and stop and politely wait for me to get off!!! Perhaps I need to let a few angry bees loose in the arena??? :lol:


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

You should! Starting at walk of course. They learn very quickly that dropping your stirrups means halt. Mine is very very lazy so it suited him just fine!

The one thing I can't do any more is stirrupless work because if I drop my stirrups he stops. I have to ride with stirrups, or bareback, or fight with him because he thinks he's supposed to be standing still.

I have absolutely no interest in letting angry bees loose - I would get stung too!


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

blue eyed pony said:


> You should! Starting at walk of course. They learn very quickly that dropping your stirrups means halt. Mine is very very lazy so it suited him just fine!
> 
> The one thing I can't do any more is stirrupless work because if I drop my stirrups he stops. I have to ride with stirrups, or bareback, or fight with him because he thinks he's supposed to be standing still.
> 
> I have absolutely no interest in letting angry bees loose - I would get stung too!


Haha just take an ibuprofen and some Benadryl before hand


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

bahahaha muppet but it still hurts to get stung!! -is a wimp-


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Such a shame the OP hasn't been around for a couple of weeks, I'm sure she would of got so much more material for her paper than she ever thought


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