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 Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 4:02 pm
I just have to say to everyone who says English saddles are not secure enough:
You should not be relying on your saddle for security! I don't know how serious everyone here is about riding. I guess if you're content to just have fun hacking out on trails or whatever, that's totally cool with me. But for myself, I want to become the best rider I can possibly be, and that includes learning other disciplines. I feel just as secure in a english saddle as a western, and that's because I've spent years developing my balance (including riding bareback a lot) and keeping my mind open to trying new things. I've done a lot of trail riding, but I've also run barrels, jumped, done dressage, worked cattle, and a lot of other things. Doing all of that has helped improve my overall riding, so that I can pretty much get on a horse and do whatever I want to with it (within the horse's ability, of course).
Sorry guys, it just bothers me a bit when people won't get out and try new things, and keep making excuses about why they won't.
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Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 7:38 pm
Ahrihliir I just have to say to everyone who says English saddles are not secure enough: You should not be relying on your saddle for security! I don't know how serious everyone here is about riding. I guess if you're content to just have fun hacking out on trails or whatever, that's totally cool with me. But for myself, I want to become the best rider I can possibly be, and that includes learning other disciplines. I feel just as secure in a english saddle as a western, and that's because I've spent years developing my balance (including riding bareback a lot) and keeping my mind open to trying new things. I've done a lot of trail riding, but I've also run barrels, jumped, done dressage, worked cattle, and a lot of other things. Doing all of that has helped improve my overall riding, so that I can pretty much get on a horse and do whatever I want to with it (within the horse's ability, of course). Sorry guys, it just bothers me a bit when people won't get out and try new things, and keep making excuses about why they won't.
I agree, I just read through all these posts and I'm just thinking, wha?
Why do we need to say which disipline is better than the other - which on develops the horse better, ect. We're all doing the same thing, riding a horse.
You learn things in english that you can't in western, but at the same time, you learn things through western riding that you can't throw an english saddle. And why aren't we including all the other disiplines? Such as the australian stock, arabian, saddleseat, bareback? Shouldn't we be fair if we're all going to start saying, "Omg, western is so different than english! I just don't get it!" or vise versa.
Like Ahrihliir said, you shouldn't feel insecure in any saddle - if you do, you need to develop your balance again. Your saddle shouldn't have anything to do with it. Now, thats not to say it should be completely a uniformed feeling - english saddles do feel different than western, they are designed differently for different purposes.
I can go from either or, but I'm not completely comfortable riding the canter bareback, but because of that I've been doing that more than anything. To become a well rounded rider you should try anything and everything.
For example, I've only gone to a few dressage shows, and honestly - I thought it was worse that watching paint dry. It looked like a fancy schooling session to me - but I want to learn how to do it, just to have the knowledge. Sometime in my life.
Not only is knowning all sorts of different disiplines better for you as a rider, but it's also great for your horse. My gelding Jag has always strictly been an western pleasure horse, but I got him out and we trail rode for the first two years of getting to no eachother. That alone has helped him tremendously, especially now that he's been introduced to english and jumping. I feel sorry for horses that are in rut of the same thing their entire life - I think your horse should learn as much as you. It's not bad for them not to be strictly a hunter/jumper, or a roper/barrel racer. It makes them a better horse in the long run and because you are varing their activities, they seem to be more willing to work - at least that's what I've seen with Jag. Horses that do the same thing day after to day seem so bored with life - I make sure to go on a trail ride at least once a week if not more to get out of the arena - we switch between english and western all the time, and add bareback into the mix.
I get compliments all the time of how relaxed and calm Jag is about new things, that's because he isn't just doing one thing. Just like riders who do one disipline feel insecure in a new saddle or disipline - if you just learn different things it'll make you a more relaxed and better rider.
Since this thread was posted a million years ago, I'm not really going to comment on the actual 'Mindy' question, I'm assuming you've taken care of that.
I just wanted to add in my two cent.
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 6:31 pm
@ Ahrihliir & Scotch Megafleet
I understand when you talk about saddle security and learning other forms of equestrian discipline to become an overall good rider.
My issue is that I just want to focus on one or two disciplines at a time and master them before I start another and confuse myself or pick up even more bad habits, y'know?
I love to get out and do some trail ridding, and I would like to try other disciplines like maybe eventing, endurance racing, non thoroughbred racing, driving, polo, etc.
I've never felt truly safe in western saddles and that may just be a balance issue, but I'll state it right here and now, I don't like western saddles, at all. Forcing me to ride in one is just going to stress me out.
I'm not saying I only like english saddles, I'm just saying I don't like western saddles. They've always felt restrictive and stiff to me. I don't like having a horn built atop a obscenely high raised pommel in front of me, having thick, stiff bulky stirrups with thick stiff leather flaps. It's just too much between me and the horses and that's what puts me at ease. I feel safe when I can feel the horse's muscles move beneath me and the feeling of my legs conforming to the horse, not a saddle. I'd rather canter or gallop bareback any day than ride in a western saddle. The only western styled-liked saddle I've found that I can somewhat stand is a McClellan saddle, and even it's high pommel kind of irks me.
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Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2009 2:08 pm
Trite~Elegy Yes, I know the legs and seat come into the equation for english. xd
It's just she did not want me to use the reins for anything other then holding them. She just wanted me to steer and stop with my legs.
I can do both, but I normally do so in conjuction with the reins, and usually I can touch the horse stare
I was sitting back in the saddle, but she kept trying to get me to go farther and farther etc. - to the point that I would almost have to lay down to get at what she wanted. It was insane. I can't sit on my spine and sit up straight at the same time! Okay. So I was a western rider before i switched to english. Have you tried just pushing down in the saddle with your legs to turn the horse? That works if you cant touch there sides to do the "door" turning. Now Im not sure what 'Mindy' is trying to teach you.. its harder to go from western to english then from english to western.. so I think she might not like english very well eek
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 7:06 am
Saikano If you don't want him to bee line, Slow him down and give a few half halts on his reins. If he doesn't listen, halt him all together and ask him to walk it. Kicking the horse while your own him Won't hurt him. Trust me. They weigh about 1500 pounds. We are around 100-200 pounds. We are a hat to them. Crops don't hurt them when you ask them nicely. Crops only give a small sting to tell them to get it in gear. Kicking them is only asking them to move it now cause you mean business. I've done english on and off for about 6 years, and one year of western. First time I started riding english I was told I have the posture that all riders want. Years don't matter sweetie. There is a 13 year old who has had about 6 lessons and can walk, trot, trot without stirrups, canter and jump 1 foot to 1'6'' just from those 6 lessons. It's not the years, it's the coach. I have been at maybe 7 different stables to learn to ride at, and I am sticking with Riverbend stables because Julie is breaking down what we learned and building it back up again. Western will be taken by ANY rider. I bet Ian Miller even had a few years of western riding. Any rider will do western at some point, and it helps you learn better. I learned to handle hot headed geldings that want to be with the group of horses on the other side of the other field riding the opposite direction and I had faulty stirrups in a western saddle (meaning, the stirrups were attached with bailer twine) . If you can handle that brute of a gelding and tell him who's the boss, then you can go back to english and jump 5 feet. Sorry but I don't entirely agree. Just because you can stop a horse from buggering off with other horses (faulty stirrups or no faulty stirrups) does not mean you have the balance,stamina or leg muscles to then go and jump 5ft! let alone the proper position or hands.
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 7:09 am
Brat_and_a_half Having good, well taught basics in either english or western is universal. Basics are basics, they don't vary much between the 2. It's when thing start getting a bit more complicated (working on lateral, going round, etc) that it's honestly more helpful to learn english, and then western. I've riden english almost completely (limited western experience), but the first time I got on a western horse, I was able to make him do the whole western pleasure super slow jog, and the tiny lope. All with his head down, and using his back, western round. But then you see some western riders try english and even jump, and they fly all over the place (i didn't say ALL western riders, I said SOME). Agreed
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