# Western Vs. English Riding



## BarrelRaceing (Aug 29, 2011)

I ride both and i do mainly western but i sometimes like to go jump out in the arena and there are alot of different choices of events english- jumping cross country dressage ect and western barrel racing reinning cuting cow ropeing team ropeing team penning ect


----------



## Ink (Sep 25, 2009)

I ride both! I started out riding English then switched to western for a time and I've been like a ping-pong ball going back and forth ever since! I like them both for different reasons.
I really haven't done much competition wise except on the Intercollegiate riding team while I was going to school. I didn't have a lot of opportunity as horseless kid unless I could bum rides off my friends' :lol:

I ride western horsemanship and pleasure style (no speed events for me!), and hunters (on the flat cuz I'm to much of a chicken to jump). And I'm sure some of the other English folks out there will argue that stock horse hunters are basically just western horses being ridden in an English saddle, although I've also started up with dressage as well. 

Anyway when you get right down to the basics of it they really aren't all that different other than the tack and specialized events you can go into.


----------



## GreenBrokeK (Aug 29, 2011)

Thank you for the responses! This was super helpful. I will continue my research into West vs. English and share any fun facts I stumble on!


----------



## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

Genrally I ride out western, but eventually I have to turn around and head east to get back to the house.


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Ink said:


> I ride both! I started out riding English then switched to western for a time and I've been like a ping-pong ball going back and forth ever since! I like them both for different reasons.
> I really haven't done much competition wise except on the Intercollegiate riding team while I was going to school. I didn't have a lot of opportunity as horseless kid unless I could bum rides off my friends' :lol:
> 
> I ride western horsemanship and pleasure style (no speed events for me!), and hunters (on the flat cuz I'm to much of a chicken to jump). And I'm sure some of the other English folks out there will argue that stock horse hunters are basically just western horses being ridden in an English saddle, although I've also started up with dressage as well.
> ...


 
And I can see from your Avatar photo that you are coming right along in dressage. It's a cute photo of a horse moving and stepping freely . Love it.!

I ride western and dressage. I got up on my friends horse in a huntseat saddle and had a hard time finding my balance there. It made me appreciate how much strength is requiered to ride hunt seat well.

I enjoy riding W and D because both of them are about riding from you seatbones. I don't do well with half seat or two point. But that's 'cause I am so darn lazy!


----------



## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

I've ridden just about everything under the sun. On the western side of things, I've ridden reiners, Western Pleasure horses, Horsemanship horses, barrel horses, working cowhorses, gaited horses, and trail horses. On the English side, I've done dressage, hunters (on the flat and O/F), have ridden a country english pleasure horse, done a bit of endurance, and am conditioning my TB for eventing. The one thing I have not tried is Saddleseat.

As for differences, every discipline in itself is so different from the next, yet they all are based off of the same principles. Posting is, of course, incorporated into many English disciplines, whereas Western riders in show do not post. Snaffle to curb bit is a change, though not so much if you're coming from the upper-level dressage world. The leg and seat aids remain the main source of aids, and in both English and Western, the best horses don't rely on rein aids.


----------



## Ink (Sep 25, 2009)

tinyliny said:


> And I can see from your Avatar photo that you are coming right along in dressage. It's a cute photo of a horse moving and stepping freely . Love it.!



Hehe thank you! It's taken me a while to get used to riding with so much contact, but I'm loving it so far.


----------



## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

Basically Western is more comfortable from a strictly riding perspective (not jumping).
English is great if you plan to jump. Although I've seen some plantation saddle designs that look like they might do the trick for both comfort and jumping.
I don't actually care much for "Western", because I dislike the horn ) . I like endurance saddles with the Western syle tree and seat. A Western saddle (for comfort) without the horn and less skirt. 
I begain riding English and I will say that for me it was best way to start. More difficult, but made me a better rider. Not because English riding makes you a better rider, but my instructor was incredible beyond belief and she taught English. If she'd taught Western I'm sure the end result would have been the same. Although I don't think I'd have learned some of the things I did by starting Western. 

After 31 years of riding I've come to the conclusion that the horses I've ridden like western better too. Probably because the Western style tree distributes the rider's weight evenly over a larger area. It's a bigger deal when you're riding hundreds of miles then it is for a weekend trail ride. Just have to make sure the tree fits properly.

At this point I seldom ride English, but do enjoy watching it. *laugh*


----------

