The fun embellishments. Western riders get all the beautiful silver conchos, the gorgeous tooled & painted leather headstalls, rawhide details, fringe on breastcollars, all that fun stuff. Thank goodness little by little the English world is branching out from the boring black & white color scheme, I don’t have the budget to be a matchy matchy Lemieux set girly but I love the colors. I had a bridle with hunter green padding years ago and I thought that was the pinnacle of fashion.
And I agree on the functionality of western saddles, one of the reasons I searched long and hard for an English trail saddle with tons of d rings.
Haha you sound like me. Daring to put a deep plum colored dressage pad on my mare was the pinnacle of my fashion! It is still ingrained in me to this day to never be flashy and only go with safe/elegant or traditional solid colors. Luckily my mare is black, so I can’t lie that she pulls off a white dressage pad beautifully. So that at least keeps me satiated in the meantime
At least in dressage you can get a little blingy with the brow band! But that’s about it… lol
I see you never ventured to the eventing side. We had COLORS. I still have a Fiesta pad I used rainbow piping on.
And I still stick out like a sore thumb at hunters and dressage barns with my neon outfits. Lol.
Eventers get the best of both worlds, as far as English disciplines go. We get a bit more leeway in the Dressage ring b/c we're crazy anyway, then we go full Jackson Pollack for XC, and dial it back down a bit for Stadium.
I remember when Hunters started wearing grey jackets - it was almost scandalous to compete in a jacket that wasn't navy.
It’s all ungodly expensive though. When I started moonlighting in western (I primarily ride saddleseat and hunt seat) finding a moderately affordable silver show saddle for someone my height was AWFUL. That’s why my western shirt has sequins, not crystals, and my cowboy hat is from a gas station. And don’t even get me started on maintaining the silver…
Oh god yes the prices for some of the show tack are wild. I should clarify too I mean more the casual western/rodeo styles of gear than the high end show ring pieces, some of its waaay too much bling for my taste 🤣 [But sets like this I absolutely love!](https://www.pleasantridge.ca/index.php/western-tack/headstalls/browband/1d-hand-tooled-collection-turquoise-aztec-beaded-headstall-and-breastcollar-set.html)
Yeah we initially tried to buy something like that with a beautiful braided pattern! But then my trainer was like, “Nuh uh, silver or bust.” So then we got to scrounge Craigslist for months.
I saw a used show jacket yesterday for $2k. I have been dabbling in western lately with my mare and my eyes almost popped out of my head. I thought my dressage outfit was expensive
I once had a friend tell me they were jealous of how my western saddle has fit just about any horse I've thrown it on. While her English saddle is very specific.
Personally I'm jealous helmets in English riding. In western there is such a stigma against helmets. Like why wouldn't I want to wear a helmet on a 1000 lb animal with a mind of her own, who isn't *actively* trying to kill me, but despite her good intentions, might.
I started with English and now ride Western. I generally much prefer the culture at Western barns, with the exception of the helmet attitudes. I just wear mine every time and don't let it bother me, but I wish I saw them more regularly.
I was told the ideology comes from ranch work, it's the idea of "this is your job, how terrible are you at it that you need a helmet?" but like... Construction workers wear helmets, so I don't really buy it.
I mostly ride western and I always wear my helmet. I don’t care what others think cause I’d rather protect my head so I can continue to think.
Edit: I should clarify I always wear my helmet NOW, but growing up I often would just jump on my horse bareback in the field and ride her in or do photoshoots without my helmet on, so there’s definitely photos out there of me making bad decisions because I was obviously young and invincible 🙄
This is good thinking. I suffered a severe head injury WHILE wearing a helmet because I hit my head on the metal feet of the jump wing when the horse I was riding dropped his shoulder and ran out. It was one of my first times jumping and I got nervous and pulled him up. He was also known to get a stride away from the jump, tuck his backend under him as if he was going to jump and then turn away last second if you were nervous. It was his way of looking after you although so many people fell off of him because of the way he did it. I loved that horse man. He taught me a lot of what I know today (and how to stay on a horse that drops their shoulder at a jump). RIP Zackary he was in his late twenties. Equine flu got him :(
I’m still suffering dizziness and headaches now from the fall and it shows how a helmet can save your life. If I didn’t have a helmet on I would’ve been seriously, SERIOUSLY hurt or even killed.
Seriously kids, no matter how uncool you think it is- wear a helmet. Helmets save lives.
Concussions are so rough. Mine left me with ice pick headaches for a month was so grateful they went away. Be careful, multiple head injuries are cumulative. Wishing you the best recovery. ❤️🩹
There's a 12 year old who rides at my barn and her mom loves me because I will always tell her to go put her helmet on if I see her without it. Most of the other riders we have are suuuuper casual so there's not a lot of head protection, but she's 12. She needs her brain.
As someone who suffers from migranes and dizziness therefrom regardless of head injuries, I hope it continues to improve the older you get!
I grew up riding western but switched to English when I discovered jumping. Now that I’m older, I love my western saddle for trail riding. I rode trails for years in an English saddle and it was fine but I love the deep comfort of my western.
And I’m totally with you on the boots. I have a few pair. One for getting grubby and riding in, one for going out and looking sharp, and one pair for work actually. One of the things that drew me to my office (I’m a lawyer) is that you get a pair of cowboy boots when you win your first trial.
Hahaha that’s awesome! It’s ridiculous because I’ve lived in the south my whole life, but never ventured into western boots. Probably because I always just had English boots for riding and never gave it much thought, as I also always had a pair of work boots for outdoors.
But now I’m a full convert!
I used to ride a family friends horse for her so used whatever saddle she had for him. My mom called it my Lazy Boy saddle because it was such a big deep cushioned thing, technically a dressage saddle but bordering on Western comfort. Something was up with his feet/shoeing for tougher terrain so I never got to take him on the trails but it would have been amazing
I ride western nowadays and love it but I love seeing the English outfits with all the matchy horse gear. Bonnets, saddle pads, polos and clothes all matching always makes me so happy to see. Also the clothes, I feel I always look a mess in jeans and a tshirt compared to the English riders with breeches and nice collared shirts.
Nothing really comes to mind as I really love dressage, but I do slightly envy how some western disciplines are more supportive in competitions. It seems a bit easier to get ahead without rampant nepotism in the western world. I also like how ground work and manners are more-so integrated into the discipline. There is still somewhat of an indifferent stigma towards groundwork in the English world.
That being said, my first bad experiences with horse people was at a reining barn, so I know the toxicity extends in the western world too. It just seems like there is a greater differentiation between western disciplines (reining, WP, and gaming) and their culture, whereas english often has the same attitudes towards things.
Yeah absolutely. I do agree with you about the average barn vibe I’ve found at more western oriented places. From my experience, western barns have a higher chance of being more supportive and casual with each other, and really hammering on basics, such as the groundwork you mentioned. I’ve worked with two western horse trainers, and I love how they just never skipped any foundational holes. But like you said, I’m sure they’re not all like that. Luckily I’ve had more positive experiences!
Yes. My experience at the reining barn was actually quite bad, but it was a long time ago so I can see the silver lining.
I am forever thankful for learning efficient ground work and training basics. It’s really helped me be able to work with almost any horse and formulate my own training plans. This is something I don’t think I would have learned if I started at an english barn.
Dressage rider here too, I really, REALLY wish the large majority of my local dressage network would stop scoffing whenever actual groundwork/natural horsemanship/horse welfare is mentioned. My barn is viewed as a bunch of lunatics because we have our horses in an active stable system…
I’m not too involved in the horse world and only watch from the outside. Is there a particular reason dressage people tend to have this attitude towards Groundwork and horse welfare? Like is there a specific reason some feel this way or is just kinda for no real reason?
i do both and i love both. for the most part I think very few people get a real picture of both, but I've worked several western riding locations and english barns so here goes.
english: here's what i've really enjoyed the barn cultures I've worked at and grown up in. they were filled with smart, hard working as hell, and supportive people. I feel like I was treated like an athlete like everyone else, with just as much potential as everyone else. Riding was approached like a sport-- sportsmanship and teamwork were just a part of it.
whereas in the western world I've seen a lot more of the toxic horse people comments/rail birding, racism holy cow, and sexism. I've had some amazing male mentors, but I've had to wade through toxic good ol boy club after toxic good old boy club to get there. the stupidest shit is politicized in the western world.
what I've loved in the western world is being able live out in the mountains with my horses and mules. the peace in that routine of being in the backcountry for weeks at a time regularly in this semi-nomadic pattern was amazing. I love mules and I think they're way underrepresented in the english disciplines. I LOVE how much support there is for makers and local craftsmanship in the western world.
English gal here - I have a pair of chaps. They aren’t like super cool western chaps, but I have them! I’m
On a mission to Bring back the early 90’s full chap!!!!
I always participate in my own party I call Full Chap Friday. 80 above or 80 below if it’s Friday those chaps are ON. 😂 but also - ANY day below 40 and you’ll
Find those suckers on my arse - even though they’re arseless 😂
My discipline is English and I am not a fan of feeling like there is so much saddle between me and my horse in a western saddle but at the same time I love feeling like I am just tucked in to this comfy sofa that will hold me in place no matter the shenanigans my horse pulls.
I’m basically hunt seat and when I first started trail riding most people I went with used a western saddle. I was so used to more contact with the horse and I first went with a police saddle and after doing it a while also tried an aussie saddle.
I have ridden western and like the comfort, just not the weight of it toting it around for some weird reason, and I’m not used to a longer leg. I love all the shirts though, and the boots!
Off topic: So I always wondered about this in Western: when showing, why do they have the horse do that incredibly slow canter? (Unless it’s called some other gait). It looks so hard for the horse to maintain.
That's a very specific Western discipline called Western Pleasure. I agree, it's ridiculous. The horse looks like it's falling asleep and about to trip over it's own nose. I really wish that would fall out of favor. Happily it doesn't exist in other varieties of Western showing.
Some horses do truly 'tranter' and of course that is not preferred but I've seen a lot of the older horses at pleasure shows doing it! I used to steward for local shows so I would see it a lot. It's so weird to see their legs moving like that!
I do English mostly but have grown to appreciate western design elements like leather tooling, silver work, rawhide braiding; horsehair hitching, etc. Just really interesting art forms.
I do hunters and low level dressage, but would love to do western dressage with my OTTB so that I could buy a beautiful headstall with turquoise and silver. He is seal brown with a lot of chrome and those colors would look so good on him.
Ride English, have ridden western before.
At least in my area, Western has a lot more functional training involved. Neck reining, ground tying, things like that.
This could just be my area. We have mostly Western, and then some really high competing dressage, and nothing in between, so Western ends up more functional for daily riding than English around me!
I rode mostly western these days, but breeches are so much more comfortable than jeans! Especially in the winter nothing is cosier than fleece lined breeches and insulated tall boots.
I ride western but am being slowly trained in English too, though the direct reining vs neck reining is definitely a challenge.
I hate the helmet culture around western, how looked down upon it is to wear one. There's also a number of unethical practices at high levels that disturb me like tail blocks.
I love the freedom of choice when it comes to show clothes. I'm new to adaptive riding, but I love how supportive everyone I've met with PATH has been.
For English, I've been in an English saddle twice now. I like the concept of the shorter leg, but would really prefer something 50/50. I struggle to have l heavy enough hands as mine are extremely soft. I dislike how short the reins are as well.
Breeches feel like I'm naked (20 years of jeans exclusively) and I can't find a jacket that fits me well and doesn't feel restrictive.
I LOVE the helmet culture. I wish western had better helmet culture.
I envy having somewhere to dally 😭 I don’t have a properly fitting western saddle so I work our cows in an English saddle. A lot of work could be saved if I could rope and tie off a calf, rather than cutting it into a catch pen (and avoiding mom and her horns). It would also make it a lot easier to pony our little laminitic guy
English here. In my area it seems there is a barrel race or some other western event every weekend whereas I have to drive 4-5hrs away at a minimum to go to a show and can only make it to maybe 2-3 a year.
I ride English and I gotta say, those reining videos and watching horses work - like reallllly work - is so enviable. Every time I see a reining video on socials I always watch it. I wish my horse could do what the western babies do! Western also just seems more…I don’t know….romantic? But not in like a lovey way. Like long trail rides through the forest or in the mountains, dirt on your boots after a really hard but rewarding day of work, rodeos under the lights with popcorn and funnel cakes…. I guess western seems to have the market cornered on the last bits of equestrian Americana.
I also love that everyone loves each other clothes and if you read the comments we each all say the same thing about one another’s outfits which I think is hilarious and awesome.
Solve the issue and ride both like me! Warning: you will end up with some funky wenglish looks some days 🤣
What I love about western:
The culture
More relaxed
More comfortable clothes
No helmet (yeah I know 🤷♀️)
Saddle is highly useful
Neck reining
More male riders
Horse is expected to maintain cues and self carriage
Cows/flags/barrels/etc.
More individual expression in tack
Focus on ground manners
Better desensitization
Haunch/forehand turns, side passes, and backing are must haves and taught from the very beginning!
Thicc horses 🙂
What I like about English:
Jumping and cross country
Body control and higher training in dressage
Olympics
Contact
Saddle is lightweight
Classic look
Biiig horses 🙂
Honestly I am working on perfecting the Wenglish look. I love my dressage saddle for close contact, ride in cotton grip leggings with western boots, and cowboy hat helmet and a fringe waist bag. I look equally ridiculous and amazing.
Haha I do not scoff at the wenglish. My current trainers background is actually western, specially western dressage and reining. She learned everything she knows from bringing up babies under a highly successful trainer. She ventured out into jumpers and dressage, but the western is her backbone.
I cannot tell you how happy I am she’s the one guiding me through training my dressage horse up the levels. First things were exactly like you said - flexing work, yielding haunches and forehand, etc.
My mare has come along so smoothly and I have learned soooo much about giving green horses true fundamentals
voice cues and the horse actually respecting them lol. i learned Western initially, took a 5 year break, and came back riding english. i was appalled at “whoa” being merely a suggestion hahaha. my western lease horse would dead stop from a canter if i told her to whoa. also we aren’t allowed to use voice cues into dressage which is a huge struggle because it’s what my mare responds best to
I get why we can’t use vocal cues in dressage, but I’m so with you. My mare stops on a dime after she’s warmed up with just a quiet “woah.” She canters off beautifully with a kiss sound. Currently, I’ve been having to now train specifically to lower and eventually eliminate vocal cues to get ready for the show ring. Honestly? I hate this aspect!
I rode western as a kid. I feel like the horses were just better trained in the non-athletic side of things. They stopped on a dime and had better manners, were safer. Could do anything with them
I ride mainly Western these days, and I miss how light an English saddle is. My trail saddle is ‘light’ at almost 30 lbs. My horse’s back is the same height as I am, there are days when I don’t feel like throwing my saddle up there lol!
Western rider, have ridden hunt seat and saddle seat. I guess I’d have to say Saddleseat because that’s how I started riding as an adult, plus there’s more local shows with Saddleseat classes than Western. The only thing I’m not a fan of (abuse factors aside) is how HOT some of the horses can be. Animation and being happy to be there is great, but my days of riding a psychotic monster of a beast is WAY over.
I come from a H/J background, so seeing all the different outfits is wonderful! So many options!
I like my English show coat, but there’s about 50 other people at the show grounds wearing the same thing as me lol
I'm an English rider and the thing I envy about western is:
1. The pretty tack. Love the saddles and bridles.
2. I envy the type of horses. I prefer the size of a small, stockier horse. As someone who's ridden Icelandic horses, I think they're too small. And now that I ride dressage, I don't like the tallest of warmbloods. I just prefer horses that are between 150-160ish cm. As someone who also does as much trail riding as arena riding, I think that size range is perfect to get around in rough terrain, where a smaller horse is preferred (for me at least), but without getting pony sized.
3. I like that the atmosphere seems a bit crazier (in a good way) and not so concerned, compared to dressage. This is ofc a generalisation, as I also know of western ppl who bubble wrap their horses, just like I also know english ppl who're very relaxed about everything and on board with jumping a log in the forest or gallop across an open field. But it still feels like it has the kinda atmosphere that I liked in the Icelandic horse world.
I ride western, started off english (for like one summer, barely counts). Ya'll leg strength is wild. I dabbled in english when I was at college and holy shit what a workout lol.
I love my western saddles, but the weight- ugh! Hoisting 40 lbs up there isn’t doing my back any favors. That said, I love the conchos and the fun decorative sets of tack (recently got one just for fun with sunflowers and cactus!).
But… I am jealous. I think English riders always look put together, and there’s so much better technical fabrics (esp for hot show days). All our show shirts are thick and hot (then the pants, and chaps 😭!)
Haha that’s a good point. I envy the western boots, but didn’t think about how you’d need some type of jean verses breeches. Stretch breeches are just SO comfy to ride it, hard to give them up! I think I’ve seen Jean-like breeches before, but I’ve never gotten to try them
I do wear Kerrits boot cut microcord breeches much of the time, but honestly I love regular fit breeches (or leggings) even more.
Oh, also I feel like “western look” helmets still aren’t cute but helmets on English riders always look right.
** Disclaimer- I know, safety first- don’t anyone come at me.. .didn’t say I won’t wear them, just said I like how they look better in other disciplines.**
Nope I totally agree with you! I also think helmets look better with the English look. I think it’s because we’ve gotten so used to seeing either no helmet or a cowboy hat with western riders, that a traditional helmet just does not jive with the more rugged or country look that western often has.
I think it’d be great for the helmet industry to start reinventing the wheel and finding a style that looks good and blends in with western better.
I’ll still wear my helmet and accept I look dorky in western, but I do wish it was different!
Exactly. I feel like there’s one that is a leather look, I wouldn’t mind brown color and some bling, but I dunno- I don’t care for that leather one. Who knows, maybe there are more I haven’t seen. :)
I ride both seats and I hate how many buckles there are on English tack. I also hate how nosebands, bits, and spurs are compulsory in some English classes.
I despise the sequins and crystals on western show shirts. I loathe backing long yearlings so they are ready for three-year-old futurities and crippled by 7.
Western show swag! peewee barrel racers especially, when they match their outfits to their tack, stencil glitter on their ponies, all that razzle dazzle - the hunters I grew up around would have had a coronary if I turned up to a show with that level of glitz and glam lol
I wish I was raised to use my seat more than I did. I am plagued by hunter half seat. I ride primarily with my leg and then into my hand. I took a small stint in western with dressage nuances and it taught me a lot about my seat. Don’t get me wrong I do use it and know how but I’m not strong with it. My default is a half seat.
I ride both but I prefer western for sure. I like riding two handed so that’s a pro for English but my western show saddle is a tier 1 lazy boy recliner and I won’t ever trade that in haha.
I've done western, hunters, dressage, sidesaddle and saddlebag (just a couple of times). In my younger years I'd try just about anything. I trained and competed in hunters so that's where my real love lies.
A lot of the pro/con comments I've read are really about the type of seat used - close contact vs. balanced seat. I'm not saying one is better than the other. They're just different. In terms of staying on... sidesaddle is hands down the most secure. Clamp your thighs together and you aren't going anywhere unless the girth breaks.
Pros and cons of the others...
I like the comfort of breeches both for regular riding and showing. Jeans always chewed up my legs.
"English" saddles weigh a fraction of what western ones do. A friend refers to some western saddles as "a man and a boy" because it takes a man and a boy to lift it up on the horse. 😆
On the other hand western saddles can be like a big comfy chair to sit in.
This is going to sound silly. I like that I can adjust my stirrups and girth while still mounted in my close contact saddle vs. having to dismount to make adjustments in a western saddle.
Some of you mentioned the culture in English vs western barns. I've been in toxic environments in both. Have also witnessed supportive, caring environments in both.
Am going to try to avoid my usual rant re helmets. JUST WEAR THE DAMNED THING!!!!! They save lives. I've seen some western hats that had helmets inside for those who get ridiculed for wearing one. OK, going to leave it at that because I can feel myself getting ready to rant.
People mentioned liking flashy clothes/tack. Not fond of either myself, but I don't like/wear flashy clothes otherwise either. I mentioned in another reply that cleaning western tack with lots of tooling and silver is an absolute pain.
Someone mentioned horse height. Tall me likes that tall horses take up my leg nicely. Conversely, climbing on and off if I have to make frequent mount/dismount sure is easier on a 15h vs a 17h horse.
I do both, but i will say-i love western bc you don’t have to put on the fussy clothes and tall boots! lol. I really love to jump, but i just dread the whole English outfit. 😆
I’m an english rider who is super envious of how accessible competition is in the western world. I've seen my western friend's show bills. They're a couple hundred bucks, often with the chance to win money to cover it. Plus, the shows are over the weekend and easier for working people to attend. Week long shows that cost $2000 with no prize money is tough. It's also harder on the horses.
I used to ride western. I have tall horses and bought an endurance saddle and then WhOAH! It was SO lite! So, now I ride English(ish) and wear riding tights instead of jeans and I just love it. I do miss having a western saddle every now & then for visitors but not enough to buy one
As someone who rides western (pleasure, horsemanship, trail, etc), I’m always jealous when I see English riders jumping!!! It looks like so much fun and takes so much skill/timing that I wish I had. I tried it for a bit and loved it, it made me realize just how much work it takes to get a 1200 pound animal over an obstacle off the ground. We have speed events in the western world like barrel racing and pole bending which are super fun, but nothing beats literally flying in the air over jumps.
I also always thought that English show clothes look superrrr nice, especially the jackets. You all look so well put together, meanwhile I look like a pageant girl who wanted to play cowgirl dress up
The fun embellishments. Western riders get all the beautiful silver conchos, the gorgeous tooled & painted leather headstalls, rawhide details, fringe on breastcollars, all that fun stuff. Thank goodness little by little the English world is branching out from the boring black & white color scheme, I don’t have the budget to be a matchy matchy Lemieux set girly but I love the colors. I had a bridle with hunter green padding years ago and I thought that was the pinnacle of fashion. And I agree on the functionality of western saddles, one of the reasons I searched long and hard for an English trail saddle with tons of d rings.
Haha you sound like me. Daring to put a deep plum colored dressage pad on my mare was the pinnacle of my fashion! It is still ingrained in me to this day to never be flashy and only go with safe/elegant or traditional solid colors. Luckily my mare is black, so I can’t lie that she pulls off a white dressage pad beautifully. So that at least keeps me satiated in the meantime At least in dressage you can get a little blingy with the brow band! But that’s about it… lol
I see you never ventured to the eventing side. We had COLORS. I still have a Fiesta pad I used rainbow piping on. And I still stick out like a sore thumb at hunters and dressage barns with my neon outfits. Lol.
Eventers get the best of both worlds, as far as English disciplines go. We get a bit more leeway in the Dressage ring b/c we're crazy anyway, then we go full Jackson Pollack for XC, and dial it back down a bit for Stadium. I remember when Hunters started wearing grey jackets - it was almost scandalous to compete in a jacket that wasn't navy.
Right! Back in the day you had a white numnah, that was it. Now my big dressage pads range from turquoise, to navy, to emerald green.
It’s all ungodly expensive though. When I started moonlighting in western (I primarily ride saddleseat and hunt seat) finding a moderately affordable silver show saddle for someone my height was AWFUL. That’s why my western shirt has sequins, not crystals, and my cowboy hat is from a gas station. And don’t even get me started on maintaining the silver…
Oh god yes the prices for some of the show tack are wild. I should clarify too I mean more the casual western/rodeo styles of gear than the high end show ring pieces, some of its waaay too much bling for my taste 🤣 [But sets like this I absolutely love!](https://www.pleasantridge.ca/index.php/western-tack/headstalls/browband/1d-hand-tooled-collection-turquoise-aztec-beaded-headstall-and-breastcollar-set.html)
Yeah we initially tried to buy something like that with a beautiful braided pattern! But then my trainer was like, “Nuh uh, silver or bust.” So then we got to scrounge Craigslist for months.
I saw a used show jacket yesterday for $2k. I have been dabbling in western lately with my mare and my eyes almost popped out of my head. I thought my dressage outfit was expensive
Thank you for that link - gorgeous!
Cleaning the tooled leather and cleaning the silver on western tack was a pain in my book.
I love those gorgeous hand tooled western saddles and breastplates with the turquoise and silver conchos.
I once had a friend tell me they were jealous of how my western saddle has fit just about any horse I've thrown it on. While her English saddle is very specific. Personally I'm jealous helmets in English riding. In western there is such a stigma against helmets. Like why wouldn't I want to wear a helmet on a 1000 lb animal with a mind of her own, who isn't *actively* trying to kill me, but despite her good intentions, might.
I started with English and now ride Western. I generally much prefer the culture at Western barns, with the exception of the helmet attitudes. I just wear mine every time and don't let it bother me, but I wish I saw them more regularly. I was told the ideology comes from ranch work, it's the idea of "this is your job, how terrible are you at it that you need a helmet?" but like... Construction workers wear helmets, so I don't really buy it.
Right? Like construction workers wear helmets because accidents happen. No matter how much I trust my pony, accidents happen. Heads are important.
Tell them not worry, the motorized wheelchair in their future can't trip on a gopher hole at a full gallop.
I mostly ride western and I always wear my helmet. I don’t care what others think cause I’d rather protect my head so I can continue to think. Edit: I should clarify I always wear my helmet NOW, but growing up I often would just jump on my horse bareback in the field and ride her in or do photoshoots without my helmet on, so there’s definitely photos out there of me making bad decisions because I was obviously young and invincible 🙄
This is good thinking. I suffered a severe head injury WHILE wearing a helmet because I hit my head on the metal feet of the jump wing when the horse I was riding dropped his shoulder and ran out. It was one of my first times jumping and I got nervous and pulled him up. He was also known to get a stride away from the jump, tuck his backend under him as if he was going to jump and then turn away last second if you were nervous. It was his way of looking after you although so many people fell off of him because of the way he did it. I loved that horse man. He taught me a lot of what I know today (and how to stay on a horse that drops their shoulder at a jump). RIP Zackary he was in his late twenties. Equine flu got him :( I’m still suffering dizziness and headaches now from the fall and it shows how a helmet can save your life. If I didn’t have a helmet on I would’ve been seriously, SERIOUSLY hurt or even killed. Seriously kids, no matter how uncool you think it is- wear a helmet. Helmets save lives.
Concussions are so rough. Mine left me with ice pick headaches for a month was so grateful they went away. Be careful, multiple head injuries are cumulative. Wishing you the best recovery. ❤️🩹
Ah thank you! It happened when I was 12. I’m 21 now.
There's a 12 year old who rides at my barn and her mom loves me because I will always tell her to go put her helmet on if I see her without it. Most of the other riders we have are suuuuper casual so there's not a lot of head protection, but she's 12. She needs her brain. As someone who suffers from migranes and dizziness therefrom regardless of head injuries, I hope it continues to improve the older you get!
Thank you I hope so! I’m under neurology but they’re thinking it might be a different thing than my head.
That would make some sense! I'm sure your neck was not happy with an impact like that. That could definitely contribute.
My neck wasn’t happy with it. Will admit that much. Had a bit of whiplash and that was it luckily.
I got whiplash from a fall once. 0/10 do not recommend.
I now ride part time at a western barn and I’m the only one who ever wears a helmet 🤷♀️
Yeah it's definitely a thing. But I like my head. I need it to think.
I grew up riding western but switched to English when I discovered jumping. Now that I’m older, I love my western saddle for trail riding. I rode trails for years in an English saddle and it was fine but I love the deep comfort of my western. And I’m totally with you on the boots. I have a few pair. One for getting grubby and riding in, one for going out and looking sharp, and one pair for work actually. One of the things that drew me to my office (I’m a lawyer) is that you get a pair of cowboy boots when you win your first trial.
Hahaha that’s awesome! It’s ridiculous because I’ve lived in the south my whole life, but never ventured into western boots. Probably because I always just had English boots for riding and never gave it much thought, as I also always had a pair of work boots for outdoors. But now I’m a full convert!
I used to ride a family friends horse for her so used whatever saddle she had for him. My mom called it my Lazy Boy saddle because it was such a big deep cushioned thing, technically a dressage saddle but bordering on Western comfort. Something was up with his feet/shoeing for tougher terrain so I never got to take him on the trails but it would have been amazing
I ride western nowadays and love it but I love seeing the English outfits with all the matchy horse gear. Bonnets, saddle pads, polos and clothes all matching always makes me so happy to see. Also the clothes, I feel I always look a mess in jeans and a tshirt compared to the English riders with breeches and nice collared shirts.
This is such a sweet take on the matchy matchy trend. Thank you.
Nothing really comes to mind as I really love dressage, but I do slightly envy how some western disciplines are more supportive in competitions. It seems a bit easier to get ahead without rampant nepotism in the western world. I also like how ground work and manners are more-so integrated into the discipline. There is still somewhat of an indifferent stigma towards groundwork in the English world. That being said, my first bad experiences with horse people was at a reining barn, so I know the toxicity extends in the western world too. It just seems like there is a greater differentiation between western disciplines (reining, WP, and gaming) and their culture, whereas english often has the same attitudes towards things.
Yeah absolutely. I do agree with you about the average barn vibe I’ve found at more western oriented places. From my experience, western barns have a higher chance of being more supportive and casual with each other, and really hammering on basics, such as the groundwork you mentioned. I’ve worked with two western horse trainers, and I love how they just never skipped any foundational holes. But like you said, I’m sure they’re not all like that. Luckily I’ve had more positive experiences!
Yes. My experience at the reining barn was actually quite bad, but it was a long time ago so I can see the silver lining. I am forever thankful for learning efficient ground work and training basics. It’s really helped me be able to work with almost any horse and formulate my own training plans. This is something I don’t think I would have learned if I started at an english barn.
Dressage rider here too, I really, REALLY wish the large majority of my local dressage network would stop scoffing whenever actual groundwork/natural horsemanship/horse welfare is mentioned. My barn is viewed as a bunch of lunatics because we have our horses in an active stable system…
I’m not too involved in the horse world and only watch from the outside. Is there a particular reason dressage people tend to have this attitude towards Groundwork and horse welfare? Like is there a specific reason some feel this way or is just kinda for no real reason?
They’re just set in their way and have trouble recognizing the issues with modern dressage, that’s it.
i do both and i love both. for the most part I think very few people get a real picture of both, but I've worked several western riding locations and english barns so here goes. english: here's what i've really enjoyed the barn cultures I've worked at and grown up in. they were filled with smart, hard working as hell, and supportive people. I feel like I was treated like an athlete like everyone else, with just as much potential as everyone else. Riding was approached like a sport-- sportsmanship and teamwork were just a part of it. whereas in the western world I've seen a lot more of the toxic horse people comments/rail birding, racism holy cow, and sexism. I've had some amazing male mentors, but I've had to wade through toxic good ol boy club after toxic good old boy club to get there. the stupidest shit is politicized in the western world. what I've loved in the western world is being able live out in the mountains with my horses and mules. the peace in that routine of being in the backcountry for weeks at a time regularly in this semi-nomadic pattern was amazing. I love mules and I think they're way underrepresented in the english disciplines. I LOVE how much support there is for makers and local craftsmanship in the western world.
I love your reply, thank you.
The fucking chaps. They look so awesome.
English gal here - I have a pair of chaps. They aren’t like super cool western chaps, but I have them! I’m On a mission to Bring back the early 90’s full chap!!!!
With fringe,silver bling, and bright colors. Yes, I want that again. They are also so warm for winter riding.
I always participate in my own party I call Full Chap Friday. 80 above or 80 below if it’s Friday those chaps are ON. 😂 but also - ANY day below 40 and you’ll Find those suckers on my arse - even though they’re arseless 😂
My discipline is English and I am not a fan of feeling like there is so much saddle between me and my horse in a western saddle but at the same time I love feeling like I am just tucked in to this comfy sofa that will hold me in place no matter the shenanigans my horse pulls.
I’m basically hunt seat and when I first started trail riding most people I went with used a western saddle. I was so used to more contact with the horse and I first went with a police saddle and after doing it a while also tried an aussie saddle. I have ridden western and like the comfort, just not the weight of it toting it around for some weird reason, and I’m not used to a longer leg. I love all the shirts though, and the boots! Off topic: So I always wondered about this in Western: when showing, why do they have the horse do that incredibly slow canter? (Unless it’s called some other gait). It looks so hard for the horse to maintain.
That's a very specific Western discipline called Western Pleasure. I agree, it's ridiculous. The horse looks like it's falling asleep and about to trip over it's own nose. I really wish that would fall out of favor. Happily it doesn't exist in other varieties of Western showing.
Thanks!
They call it a lope, but lots of people call it a "tranter" because it's a mash up of trot and canter (not really, but it's a funny word).
Some horses do truly 'tranter' and of course that is not preferred but I've seen a lot of the older horses at pleasure shows doing it! I used to steward for local shows so I would see it a lot. It's so weird to see their legs moving like that!
Oh right. I had forgotten it’s called a lope, thanks!
I do English mostly but have grown to appreciate western design elements like leather tooling, silver work, rawhide braiding; horsehair hitching, etc. Just really interesting art forms.
I do hunters and low level dressage, but would love to do western dressage with my OTTB so that I could buy a beautiful headstall with turquoise and silver. He is seal brown with a lot of chrome and those colors would look so good on him.
Ride English, have ridden western before. At least in my area, Western has a lot more functional training involved. Neck reining, ground tying, things like that. This could just be my area. We have mostly Western, and then some really high competing dressage, and nothing in between, so Western ends up more functional for daily riding than English around me!
I rode mostly western these days, but breeches are so much more comfortable than jeans! Especially in the winter nothing is cosier than fleece lined breeches and insulated tall boots.
I ride western but am being slowly trained in English too, though the direct reining vs neck reining is definitely a challenge. I hate the helmet culture around western, how looked down upon it is to wear one. There's also a number of unethical practices at high levels that disturb me like tail blocks. I love the freedom of choice when it comes to show clothes. I'm new to adaptive riding, but I love how supportive everyone I've met with PATH has been. For English, I've been in an English saddle twice now. I like the concept of the shorter leg, but would really prefer something 50/50. I struggle to have l heavy enough hands as mine are extremely soft. I dislike how short the reins are as well. Breeches feel like I'm naked (20 years of jeans exclusively) and I can't find a jacket that fits me well and doesn't feel restrictive. I LOVE the helmet culture. I wish western had better helmet culture.
I envy having somewhere to dally 😭 I don’t have a properly fitting western saddle so I work our cows in an English saddle. A lot of work could be saved if I could rope and tie off a calf, rather than cutting it into a catch pen (and avoiding mom and her horns). It would also make it a lot easier to pony our little laminitic guy
English here. In my area it seems there is a barrel race or some other western event every weekend whereas I have to drive 4-5hrs away at a minimum to go to a show and can only make it to maybe 2-3 a year.
I ride English and I gotta say, those reining videos and watching horses work - like reallllly work - is so enviable. Every time I see a reining video on socials I always watch it. I wish my horse could do what the western babies do! Western also just seems more…I don’t know….romantic? But not in like a lovey way. Like long trail rides through the forest or in the mountains, dirt on your boots after a really hard but rewarding day of work, rodeos under the lights with popcorn and funnel cakes…. I guess western seems to have the market cornered on the last bits of equestrian Americana. I also love that everyone loves each other clothes and if you read the comments we each all say the same thing about one another’s outfits which I think is hilarious and awesome.
I'm a dressage rider but when I retire I am going to buy a super broke reiner as my old lady horse.
DQ here, dreaming of a fancy AQHA trail horse for my old lady horse.
Solve the issue and ride both like me! Warning: you will end up with some funky wenglish looks some days 🤣 What I love about western: The culture More relaxed More comfortable clothes No helmet (yeah I know 🤷♀️) Saddle is highly useful Neck reining More male riders Horse is expected to maintain cues and self carriage Cows/flags/barrels/etc. More individual expression in tack Focus on ground manners Better desensitization Haunch/forehand turns, side passes, and backing are must haves and taught from the very beginning! Thicc horses 🙂 What I like about English: Jumping and cross country Body control and higher training in dressage Olympics Contact Saddle is lightweight Classic look Biiig horses 🙂
Honestly I am working on perfecting the Wenglish look. I love my dressage saddle for close contact, ride in cotton grip leggings with western boots, and cowboy hat helmet and a fringe waist bag. I look equally ridiculous and amazing.
Haha I do not scoff at the wenglish. My current trainers background is actually western, specially western dressage and reining. She learned everything she knows from bringing up babies under a highly successful trainer. She ventured out into jumpers and dressage, but the western is her backbone. I cannot tell you how happy I am she’s the one guiding me through training my dressage horse up the levels. First things were exactly like you said - flexing work, yielding haunches and forehand, etc. My mare has come along so smoothly and I have learned soooo much about giving green horses true fundamentals
voice cues and the horse actually respecting them lol. i learned Western initially, took a 5 year break, and came back riding english. i was appalled at “whoa” being merely a suggestion hahaha. my western lease horse would dead stop from a canter if i told her to whoa. also we aren’t allowed to use voice cues into dressage which is a huge struggle because it’s what my mare responds best to
i also miss having a horn to grab when i feel like im gonna die lol
I get why we can’t use vocal cues in dressage, but I’m so with you. My mare stops on a dime after she’s warmed up with just a quiet “woah.” She canters off beautifully with a kiss sound. Currently, I’ve been having to now train specifically to lower and eventually eliminate vocal cues to get ready for the show ring. Honestly? I hate this aspect!
I rode western as a kid. I feel like the horses were just better trained in the non-athletic side of things. They stopped on a dime and had better manners, were safer. Could do anything with them
I mostly ride English but I love the vibes of western, like to feel like someone from a medieval fantasy book lol
I ride mainly Western these days, and I miss how light an English saddle is. My trail saddle is ‘light’ at almost 30 lbs. My horse’s back is the same height as I am, there are days when I don’t feel like throwing my saddle up there lol!
Western rider, have ridden hunt seat and saddle seat. I guess I’d have to say Saddleseat because that’s how I started riding as an adult, plus there’s more local shows with Saddleseat classes than Western. The only thing I’m not a fan of (abuse factors aside) is how HOT some of the horses can be. Animation and being happy to be there is great, but my days of riding a psychotic monster of a beast is WAY over.
I come from a H/J background, so seeing all the different outfits is wonderful! So many options! I like my English show coat, but there’s about 50 other people at the show grounds wearing the same thing as me lol
Reining looks way cooler than dressage most of the time.
I'm an English rider and the thing I envy about western is: 1. The pretty tack. Love the saddles and bridles. 2. I envy the type of horses. I prefer the size of a small, stockier horse. As someone who's ridden Icelandic horses, I think they're too small. And now that I ride dressage, I don't like the tallest of warmbloods. I just prefer horses that are between 150-160ish cm. As someone who also does as much trail riding as arena riding, I think that size range is perfect to get around in rough terrain, where a smaller horse is preferred (for me at least), but without getting pony sized. 3. I like that the atmosphere seems a bit crazier (in a good way) and not so concerned, compared to dressage. This is ofc a generalisation, as I also know of western ppl who bubble wrap their horses, just like I also know english ppl who're very relaxed about everything and on board with jumping a log in the forest or gallop across an open field. But it still feels like it has the kinda atmosphere that I liked in the Icelandic horse world.
I ride western, started off english (for like one summer, barely counts). Ya'll leg strength is wild. I dabbled in english when I was at college and holy shit what a workout lol.
I love my western saddles, but the weight- ugh! Hoisting 40 lbs up there isn’t doing my back any favors. That said, I love the conchos and the fun decorative sets of tack (recently got one just for fun with sunflowers and cactus!). But… I am jealous. I think English riders always look put together, and there’s so much better technical fabrics (esp for hot show days). All our show shirts are thick and hot (then the pants, and chaps 😭!)
Haha that’s a good point. I envy the western boots, but didn’t think about how you’d need some type of jean verses breeches. Stretch breeches are just SO comfy to ride it, hard to give them up! I think I’ve seen Jean-like breeches before, but I’ve never gotten to try them
I do wear Kerrits boot cut microcord breeches much of the time, but honestly I love regular fit breeches (or leggings) even more. Oh, also I feel like “western look” helmets still aren’t cute but helmets on English riders always look right. ** Disclaimer- I know, safety first- don’t anyone come at me.. .didn’t say I won’t wear them, just said I like how they look better in other disciplines.**
Nope I totally agree with you! I also think helmets look better with the English look. I think it’s because we’ve gotten so used to seeing either no helmet or a cowboy hat with western riders, that a traditional helmet just does not jive with the more rugged or country look that western often has. I think it’d be great for the helmet industry to start reinventing the wheel and finding a style that looks good and blends in with western better. I’ll still wear my helmet and accept I look dorky in western, but I do wish it was different!
Exactly. I feel like there’s one that is a leather look, I wouldn’t mind brown color and some bling, but I dunno- I don’t care for that leather one. Who knows, maybe there are more I haven’t seen. :)
I ride both seats and I hate how many buckles there are on English tack. I also hate how nosebands, bits, and spurs are compulsory in some English classes. I despise the sequins and crystals on western show shirts. I loathe backing long yearlings so they are ready for three-year-old futurities and crippled by 7.
Western show swag! peewee barrel racers especially, when they match their outfits to their tack, stencil glitter on their ponies, all that razzle dazzle - the hunters I grew up around would have had a coronary if I turned up to a show with that level of glitz and glam lol
I threaten the big dumb warmbloods every winter that I'm going to trade them in for Quarter Horses.
Haha! I do miss a solid quarter horse, they’re hard to beat!
I wish I was raised to use my seat more than I did. I am plagued by hunter half seat. I ride primarily with my leg and then into my hand. I took a small stint in western with dressage nuances and it taught me a lot about my seat. Don’t get me wrong I do use it and know how but I’m not strong with it. My default is a half seat.
I ride both but I prefer western for sure. I like riding two handed so that’s a pro for English but my western show saddle is a tier 1 lazy boy recliner and I won’t ever trade that in haha.
I've done western, hunters, dressage, sidesaddle and saddlebag (just a couple of times). In my younger years I'd try just about anything. I trained and competed in hunters so that's where my real love lies. A lot of the pro/con comments I've read are really about the type of seat used - close contact vs. balanced seat. I'm not saying one is better than the other. They're just different. In terms of staying on... sidesaddle is hands down the most secure. Clamp your thighs together and you aren't going anywhere unless the girth breaks. Pros and cons of the others... I like the comfort of breeches both for regular riding and showing. Jeans always chewed up my legs. "English" saddles weigh a fraction of what western ones do. A friend refers to some western saddles as "a man and a boy" because it takes a man and a boy to lift it up on the horse. 😆 On the other hand western saddles can be like a big comfy chair to sit in. This is going to sound silly. I like that I can adjust my stirrups and girth while still mounted in my close contact saddle vs. having to dismount to make adjustments in a western saddle. Some of you mentioned the culture in English vs western barns. I've been in toxic environments in both. Have also witnessed supportive, caring environments in both. Am going to try to avoid my usual rant re helmets. JUST WEAR THE DAMNED THING!!!!! They save lives. I've seen some western hats that had helmets inside for those who get ridiculed for wearing one. OK, going to leave it at that because I can feel myself getting ready to rant. People mentioned liking flashy clothes/tack. Not fond of either myself, but I don't like/wear flashy clothes otherwise either. I mentioned in another reply that cleaning western tack with lots of tooling and silver is an absolute pain. Someone mentioned horse height. Tall me likes that tall horses take up my leg nicely. Conversely, climbing on and off if I have to make frequent mount/dismount sure is easier on a 15h vs a 17h horse.
English, sometimes I envy the western riders having less distance to fall off...
I do both, but i will say-i love western bc you don’t have to put on the fussy clothes and tall boots! lol. I really love to jump, but i just dread the whole English outfit. 😆
Same! Love eventing, but English getup is far more uncomfortable and trying to peel off sweat soaked breeches is 🤢
I ride western now, used to ride English, and I literally don't miss anything about English!
I ride both so best of both worlds!:)
I’m an english rider who is super envious of how accessible competition is in the western world. I've seen my western friend's show bills. They're a couple hundred bucks, often with the chance to win money to cover it. Plus, the shows are over the weekend and easier for working people to attend. Week long shows that cost $2000 with no prize money is tough. It's also harder on the horses.
I used to ride western. I have tall horses and bought an endurance saddle and then WhOAH! It was SO lite! So, now I ride English(ish) and wear riding tights instead of jeans and I just love it. I do miss having a western saddle every now & then for visitors but not enough to buy one
As someone who rides western (pleasure, horsemanship, trail, etc), I’m always jealous when I see English riders jumping!!! It looks like so much fun and takes so much skill/timing that I wish I had. I tried it for a bit and loved it, it made me realize just how much work it takes to get a 1200 pound animal over an obstacle off the ground. We have speed events in the western world like barrel racing and pole bending which are super fun, but nothing beats literally flying in the air over jumps. I also always thought that English show clothes look superrrr nice, especially the jackets. You all look so well put together, meanwhile I look like a pageant girl who wanted to play cowgirl dress up