# Do you ride in more than one discipline?



## Houston (Apr 15, 2012)

I'm _really _trying to get into endurance with my mare. Unfortunately, there are not many rides within a reasonable distance, and the one that was nearby I was stuck working!

There is another in March that I am praying to make it to. Will also give me plenty of time to get my mare back in shape (winter is messing us up a bit!) and ready for a 25 miler! 

But, because endurance rides appear to be few and far in between for me, I'm wanting to get into something else; I recently started (restarted?) taking lessons. This time with a goal of hunter/jumper and maybe low levels of eventing (the little stuff!). Seemed like a fun, all around discipline choice for me and my mare to do along side endurance!

We have a long way to go, a lot to learn as the jumping world is totally new to me, and I need to get back into the swing of lessons! I'm afraid I've picked up my bad habits from taking a break from weekly lessons (I still get a "chair seat"), but hopefully I'll get it soon! 

Just curious! Do you ride in more than one discipline/sport? Do you compete in different disciplines? 

(oh, and any tips on someone totally new to jumping would be nice! :shock


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

I compete english and western equitation and pleasure classes. Once in awhile when I feel brave (I am chicken bones about jumping), I will do a low hunter class.


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## GamingGrrl (Jan 16, 2013)

Yep! I show all around so I compete in halter, showmanship, hus/english pleasure, english eq, western pleasure, western eq, and trail.

Separate from showing I also ride on a drill team.

I also dabble in barrels (not as much anymore since I sold my barrel horse) and cow work. I think it's good to be a well rounded rider and to mix things up for your horse.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## gigem88 (May 10, 2011)

Yup, I sure do trail, western pleasure and dressage.


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## Incitatus32 (Jan 5, 2013)

When I used to show I did western pleasure, barrels, english pleasure, halter, and a little jumping class (I only did that for fun though and never placed because my mare had a habit of running through the jumps instead of jumping:lol. I did all of these on my mare. 

I don't compete anymore but I ride WP/recreational western, (trying to get into the faster stuff again with my mare but no one around here does cattle work anymore ), I also ride english and dressage and trail. 

Personally I believe that it makes a better rider and horse to do as many disciplines as you can. Some may not agree but I think you can take something from every other discipline to improve your work in your 'main' discipline. (like use jumping to help a WP horse in some area).


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## paintedpastures (Jun 21, 2011)

I have dappled in a few things:lol: I've shown primarily at breed shows but also enjoy trail riding I've done Speed events{barrels/poles/ stake} tried goat tying & breakaway roping once each :lol: Cattle penning a few times & other than that interests lies in WP,HUS,Trail SMS & halter:lol: So tried a few things:lol:,one day I'd like to do some jumping:wink:


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## disastercupcake (Nov 24, 2012)

I rode Western to start (still do), with a bit of hunt seat, sold my QH and got a Walker, rode exclusively Saddleseat for about 4 years. Then trail rode competitively, and for a job, now doing mostly Dressage and just trail riding for fun, also still show Hunt and Saddleseat and Western.


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## LynnF (Jun 1, 2011)

I grew up on a ranch riding western and started riding English in my early teens, there is nothing wrong with riding in more that one discipline and I feel that it makes for more rounded horse and rider.


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## Red Gate Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

I ride western and had ridden english. I've jumped, done gymkhana, driven and tried dressage once.

Next summer Nick and I are going to start the medieval games on horseback. That should be fun!


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

OMG yes haha! I used to rodeo (when I had a QH - my first horse that passed away several years ago now) and we did barrels and poles and cutting and team penning. I have a QH-rescue baby that is started under saddle and hopefully will get big enough for me to rodeo again. I have several other horses as well and I event, do some dressage (though don't really compete), fox hunt, hunter pace, trail ride, go camping with my one horse, do jumpers, and hunters. Little bit of everything haha! I always wanted to get into endurance with my trail horse bc he's an off the track arab and can go all day but I don't have the time, and he's older now (19) and I don't want to push him either bc he's had some back issues. My friend does endurance (she's on these boards too) and I know it's a TON of work and conditioning to do it right, and I definitely don't have the time or experience for that so I'll still to (all the other) disciplines I do know more about


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

I think it's good/fun to do multiple things if you are riding primarily for fun, do what you want. If you are competing or focusing it is best to do similar things (my trainer grew up "western" (reining?) and said it was extremely similar to good dressage), and if you are a serious competitor you should stay focused. For example, I have noticed "eventing" dressage is very different from "real" dressage, perhaps because the focus is more on the jumping. Not a bad thing if you event but if you want to be showing FEI dressage it would probably be better to focus just on that.

I do think a good dressage foundation is good for many disciplines, and cross training helps your horse too. I think a good all around horse can do a little bit of everything. I also think some disciplines are more open to cross training than others (say endurance, you aren't required to ride a certain way). Also, I think a lot of professional riders have the basic knowledge to cross-train even if they don't focus on it at all. I would expect any professional rider to be able to pop a decent horse over a few cross-rails without disaster striking. 

I do mostly trail riding so just ride, I enjoy dressage and while I would like to jump would also like to focus on dressage. A little torn right now lol.


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## laurapratt01 (Oct 3, 2012)

I do team penning, cattle sorting, show huntseat, trail ride, and drive my QH gelding. I've also done relay races and such. He's kind of the "Jack of all trades, master of none..."
I'm in the same boat as you. I tried a lot of new disciplines because of what is available in my area (and I have a different horse). Also, because of the costs involved with the competitions of some disciplines. I used to only do lower level Dressage and Jumping. I think it's great to diversify. You'll learn a lot, meet a lot of great people and your horse will never get bored


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## Houston (Apr 15, 2012)

Thanks for the responses guys!

Yeah, my goal isn't really to go big. If I find that me and my mare are excelling in one area I might start to concentrate on that. But for now, I am perfectly happy with sticking with lower level shows and doing a few different disciplines! Just think it's good fun to ride honestly, but a little competition thrown in might make things interesting!


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## jbarring (Nov 10, 2013)

I just do jumping and regular englush.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

I was showing in dressage and carriage driving with my Arabs and half Arabs while I was doing endurance. 

Do you live in west Texas? 

Nancy


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## Houston (Apr 15, 2012)

greentree said:


> I was showing in dressage and carriage driving with my Arabs and half Arabs while I was doing endurance.
> 
> Do you live in west Texas?
> 
> Nancy


I do live in West Texas! El Paso. For now at least. In a few months I'll be moving back home to Houston.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

I think it may have been mentioned above, but I think it's slightly less realistic to compete in more than one discipline when you get to the higher levels. Simply for a horse to be built for upper levels of any discipline, it won't be very likely they are built for something very different. IE-I wouldn't try barrels with my Hunter, because he's just not built for it. xD

But if you're just looking to do lower level/fun stuff, I don't see why you couldn't.
I had two surgeries on my heel, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to put my heel in the Hunter/Eq position, so I dunno if I will be competing in that anymore... I may look into other options when I go to purchase another horse.


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## eventrider (Dec 27, 2013)

Yup i compete successfully in many disciplines like eventing, hunters, jumpers, and dressage. Its great to have a well rounded horse, same for the rider


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## Rideordie112 (Dec 7, 2013)

English and western!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## HorseMom1025 (Jul 17, 2012)

My daughter is the rider, but while she focuses on English, she rides all disciplines and we are working hard to make her mare a decent "all-arounder". A list of what she has done so far:

English Equitation
Hunter Under Saddle
Western Pleasure
Western Horsemanship
Showmanship
Trail (arena)
Trail Riding
Competitive Trail
Barrels
Poles
Goat tying
Team Sorting
Other "Play Day" games

She hopes to try jumping soon. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Rechellef (Dec 28, 2013)

In 1980 I started lessons with a hunter/jumper barn. I trained and competed in several hunter over fences classes until about 1996 when I found a job managing a dressage farm. I was starting to get a little older and the discipline aspect of dressage began to appeal to me, so I worked with several trainers over the years in dressage. I only went to a few schooling shows for this particular discipline. Over the years, I rode and trained horses in both H/J and dressage. However, now that I am 46, dressage is what I prefer as I don't "bounce" as well as I used to. With that said, I do a lot of trail riding here in TN and in a western saddle nonetheless. I also own my first racking horse and he is a wonderful TWH gelding named Sam, so I as they say "when in Rome..." So now I do a little bit of everything, except jumping as arthritis has caught up with me and I do find trail riding and dressage to be mentally relaxing.


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