# Western Tips



## tiffanyp1980 (Jul 15, 2007)

I am soon getting my first horse in 10 years. Before I was an English rider, doing Dressage, Stadium Jumping, Cross Country and 3 days eventing. What tips can you give me on switching to a western mount.


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

You shouldn't have any trouble going to western with a good english foundation. I'm pretty sure the leg cues are the same. less direct reining, and of course the saddle weighs a lot more :lol: I've never learned anything english but there are lots of members who do both, so I'm sure you will get lots of responses and help.


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## sunburst (Mar 6, 2008)

less contact and sit the trot . I alway feel like I can relax a bit more western.


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## El Gato (Aug 21, 2007)

It is easy to go from english to western, but next to impossible vice versa...
You just have to become laid back, literally.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

El Gato said:


> It is easy to go from english to western, but next to impossible vice versa...
> You just have to become laid back, literally.



I disagree. I started western, and switched to english about five years later. Now I ride both and show and place consistently. 

It's a common misconception that Western riders cant ride English just as well as someone who started on English -- With work of course as with learning anything new. 

Western takes more work than you give western riders credit for.


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

El Gato said:


> It is easy to go from english to western, but next to impossible vice versa...
> You just have to become laid back, literally.


I disagree that it's impossible, but I do agree that it is much easier to learn english and switch to western than vice versa.


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## nikelodeon79 (Mar 3, 2008)

sunburst said:


> less contact and sit the trot .


I think one of the most difficult things must be to learn to sit the trot. ;-) No posting in Western! I've had judges "yell" at me before (good naturedly) "Sit down on that horse!" and I'm not even an English rider! One of the points of western (especially Western Pleasure) is to look/be comfortable. Your horse should look like a pleasure to ride. ;-) There has to be a good balance of appearing relaxed, yet still being in control and not looking/being lazy.

Western horses neck rein rather than direct rein. I rely a lot on leg pressures with my horses, to the point that I could almost go bridleless. Cues should be nearly invisible. ;-)

What specific western events do you plan on doing?


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## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

^^ Very well said and described! ^^


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## tiffanyp1980 (Jul 15, 2007)

Well I am going to start off in WP, but want to run barrels evntually and pole bending!


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

nikelodeon79 said:


> sunburst said:
> 
> 
> > less contact and sit the trot .
> ...



I'm sorry, this just sounds odd... 90% of your riding should come from the seat.... I was taught as a young kid to sit my trot - hours and hours of no-stirrup work helped a ton. 
When I start teaching again, this is one thing I'll impress upon EVERY student... I can't imagine not being able to sit!


Sorry, I'm a little flabberghasted...?


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## nikelodeon79 (Mar 3, 2008)

Sit the trot, meaning no posting. ;-)

As I said, I have only done a short bit of English riding and didn't originally learn that way (also I have never had a trainer/riding instructor), so I have never been instructed to do no stirrups work and was not aware that is a normal thing in English riding. 

My horse is extraordinarily bumpy, so it's natural to post, and bone jarring to sit deep in the saddle. :lol:


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## HrsGrl323 (Nov 6, 2007)

I started english and switched to western. The hardest thing I found to learn was not to lean forward as much as you do in english. About sitting at a trot while riding english. I took about 2 years of lessons and only once sat the trot, I never rode without stirrups other than the ocassional dropping of one.


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## mayfieldk (Mar 5, 2008)

Haha, just mentioning--it is really hard for most western riders to switch to english, because most of them (even good ones) don't have a secure seat. I went to the University of Findlay for western riding, and when we had 'english week'... a lot of the kids fell off/looked bad/couldn't control their bodies.
Not saying it can't be done (some could do it well), just that with all that saddle, it's hard to learn how to balance on your own.
With that being said. No contact in western, so don't grab at their mouths, you're using a lot more bit. The hardest thing for me was to SIT BACK! I was used to leaning a tad bit forward for a hunt-seat position. 
Good luck!


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## tim (Dec 31, 2007)

mayfieldk said:


> Haha, just mentioning--it is really hard for most western riders to switch to english, because most of them (even good ones) don't have a secure seat. I went to the University of Findlay for western riding, and when we had 'english week'... a lot of the kids fell off/looked bad/couldn't control their bodies.


Yea, that's what annoys me about my competitors in western. Many of them simply can't ride. Still I think that claiming that even good western riders have a difficult time moving to english is a bit bold. 

Heres the thing about a great western horse. It's very sensitive to subtleties. If you mount up on a world champion pleasure horse, don't be surprised to find that even slight twitches of your legs will bring about results. Pleasure horses and riders can be deceptive. The idea is to make the horse look like it requires the least input possible while riding. However, this doesn't mean that you teach the horse to drive itself. Riders need to be constantly adjusting their horses, especially in pleasure classes where a perfect frame and optimal movement are essential. This sets up the potential for western riders to be utter failures. They can either lean on the sensitivity of their horses and simply get lazy, or they can make the most of that sensitivity and become just as sensitive and specialized as their horses. 

I actually found that english riding was easier than I had anticipated. The saddles are a bit smaller so the balance does become more important, but it seems so generous in terms of acceptable... I dont know... use of your tack? Obvious cues? Maybe even the level of control you're allowed to exert over your animal resulting in some horses that don't maintain the same personal discipline that many of the nice pleasure horses will. 

I mean, in english classes, riders are allowed to keep their horses on the bit, and even post (which after beginning to ride english, I believe this is a tool that english people take for granted). Those two things alone seem so generous to western riders. To be allowed to have that kind of contact with your horse's mouth and provide such a dramatic demonstration of the desired cadence you wish to achieve through posting, you can make much more straightforward commands to your horse.


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## deannatwb (Aug 14, 2007)

mayfieldk said:


> Not saying it can't be done (some could do it well), just that with all that saddle, it's hard to learn how to balance on your own.
> With that being said. No contact in western, so don't grab at their mouths, you're using a lot more bit.


That is a popular misconception... I see why many people would think that because there are some Western saddles that are absolutely horrible. I always ride Western in a saddle that has the skirt cut out above the fenders, so it's a close contact saddle that allows you to really feel the horse. Anyone who rides western correctly rides with much less contact on the horse's mouth than when riding English. You have to use mostly leg to ride correctly Western. 

English bits are designed for constant contact, Western are not. Bad hands on a Western bit is much harsher for the horse than bad hands on an English bit.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

mayfieldk said:


> Haha, just mentioning--it is really hard for most western riders to switch to english, because most of them (even good ones) don't have a secure seat. I went to the University of Findlay for western riding, and when we had 'english week'... a lot of the kids fell off/looked bad/couldn't control their bodies.
> Not saying it can't be done (some could do it well), just that with all that saddle, it's hard to learn how to balance on your own.
> With that being said. No contact in western, so don't grab at their mouths, you're using a lot more bit. The hardest thing for me was to SIT BACK! I was used to leaning a tad bit forward for a hunt-seat position.
> Good luck!


This is true...I guess I was just lucky in a way. When I started riding the people who were teaching me made me ride bareback for oh...the first year or so. So I never had a problem wuth my seat.


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## I Love Lane (Dec 11, 2007)

> mayfieldk wrote:
> Haha, just mentioning--it is really hard for most western riders to switch to english, because most of them (even good ones) don't have a secure seat. I went to the University of Findlay for western riding, and when we had 'english week'... a lot of the kids fell off/looked bad/couldn't control their bodies.
> Not saying it can't be done (some could do it well), just that with all that saddle, it's hard to learn how to balance on your own.
> With that being said. No contact in western, so don't grab at their mouths, you're using a lot more bit. The hardest thing for me was to SIT BACK! I was used to leaning a tad bit forward for a hunt-seat position.
> Good luck!


I think that this statement is competely WRONG - I have won world chapionships in BOTH hunter and pleasure - does this mean that i as a "good one" can't ride an english horse - my world championship in Hunter Under Saddle speaks otherwise.

If it is so hard to change from Western to English - why does EVERY show programme for the western breed also contain around 40 ENGLISH events?????? Clearly someone out there must be able to ride both english and western well or they wouldnt hold these classes would they?

I am not trying to attack you but it is a very BOLD statement as Tim said that IMO is completely wrong. :wink: :evil:


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

I Love Lane said:


> > mayfieldk wrote:
> > Haha, just mentioning--it is really hard for most western riders to switch to english, because most of them (even good ones) don't have a secure seat. I went to the University of Findlay for western riding, and when we had 'english week'... a lot of the kids fell off/looked bad/couldn't control their bodies.
> > Not saying it can't be done (some could do it well), just that with all that saddle, it's hard to learn how to balance on your own.
> > With that being said. No contact in western, so don't grab at their mouths, you're using a lot more bit. The hardest thing for me was to SIT BACK! I was used to leaning a tad bit forward for a hunt-seat position.
> ...



I dont think she was trying to attack you either. While they're both similar, English and western are both also super differant. I think it's equally hard to go English to western as it is to go western to English. Especially if you're riding properly not just pretending to be a cowboy.

I too am holder of a world title. But I will admit, switching can be difficult at first


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## I Love Lane (Dec 11, 2007)

i guess what i was trying to get across was that with a trained rider - your thighs are your "seatbelt" and if you hold on properly with your legs (not death grip with your calves but with your seatbelt area) you should be able to ride in any type of saddle or without a saddle  I just think that it is insulting to the style of riding to say that "most of them don't have a good seat". It is simply incorrect..... maybe at the beginner level - but not at the show level......


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