Easterners, Do You Ride Western? Why?

[pony_grandma]

I love seeing a blue jeaned male ass sit a western saddle like they do. Like George Strait videos!

My oldest daughter, rode western very well (and English), she was told that she rode like a man. She sat a western saddle flawlessly. I think it has to do with the way an individual’s pelvic floor is built.

I rode English but learned Western to teach my kids BOTH styles. They can switch hit and it garnered then tons of respect. My youngest one could show up at a gaming event and pick up catch rides bc as they said the kids could ride anything.

Personally I switched to a western saddle bc after having 3 kids in 4.5 yrs I got too top heavy for the English balanced seat. I was so much more comfortable sitting up and back. We did tons of extreme trail riding in wilderness areas so all day in a western seat was less strain on my body. I ride in a reining saddle for the free movement fenders.

We also use a western saddle to start young horses beginning with simple lunging and the saddle fenders flapping on them, the stirrups are also excellent for ground driving reins. The saddle is far safer for riding out young horse shenanigans. (with no roping horn!)

[MsM]

Funny, I never really thought of English and western as locations - just as riding styles! (And we aren’t generally English in the eastern US!)

IME most of the DIYers at least started Western because of the perception that it was more secure and easier and that their rental string experience had likely been western. The folks who “wanted to jump” gravitated toward hunt or balanced seat while those interested in trail riding or games (and most of the boys!) rode western.

I was a horseless kid and got some lessons in both depending upon what was available. When I got a horse as an adult I rode in both styles. Then I ended up with dressage…

[IndysMom]

I grew up riding h/j, then I did dressage for my 20s-40s. However, I’m “fluffy” and I got tired of the prejudice about body size so I started western It seems a bit less (but not a lot) judging about body size. I also no longer wanted to jump, but still enjoy learning so I took up trail. I love my QH and have had lots of fun in the past 20 years. Still use what I learned in dressage , btw.

[four2farm]

@pony_grandma

love seeing a blue jeaned male ass sit a western saddle like they do. Like George Strait videos!

Please do not bring up the George Strait videos, after watching Troubadour who needs Chick Flicks…

[Rackonteur]

Like you, I’ve seen a lot of it.

[Willesdon]

I’m an outsider, living in the nation that invented “English” riding. I’ve riden on 4 continents, in heaven only knows how many different saddles and bridles. I find that horsemanship and horsemen are to be found in many places, that tack is habitually designed to suit the job for which it is intended, that horses respond to humans in a very consistent manner, and that it really good fun to learn about new ways to do things. When I first visited the USA on the east coast, I rode in a western saddle because that was the horse available for hire. When I was ‘out west’ I was in a western saddle because my friend trains western disciplines. Favourite ever saddle for a week on a horse was a French trail saddle, a sort of hybrid western-english that was really comfortable: light, balanced, variable girthing options, plenty of room to tie on kit, easy on the human’s seat.

[endlessclimb]

It takes skill to know how to “throw” a heavy western saddle up without slamming it down. I’m super short and can do it, but I’m also quite strong for my size. There are a few ladies at the barn who can’t do it - they’re the same ones that pick their stalls in 5 gallon buckets because they can’t lift the normal sized muck buckets. I’d imagine there’s a strength/physical issue. Regardless, their horses start getting anxious as soon as they realize the saddle is about to go up, because they’re anticipating the back slam.

I use the same “throw” motion for my dressage saddle, to keep the offside billets from getting stuck under the saddle.

[Incantation]

Perhaps it is the area you are from, or the circles you ride in? Heck, I started riding that way 45 years ago, on a pony bought at auction, and kept in the dog pen in Worcester. I know a heck of a lot of people that did the same throughout my life. Most of them I would meet on the trail. While a few boarded at our farm, most kept the horses in their back yard. The town we had moved to when I was young, so we could get more horses, had horses everywhere, many in the center of town.

Some took lessons and showed, while many more could not afford lessons, or thought they didn’t need them. Sadly now, that town requires a special permit to keep a horse, no matter how many acres you own, (unless you are running a boarding/lesson/breeding operation on more than 5 acres).

Most of the men that I have known that start like this, seemed to think English is to “girly”, and Western is cool. I have known a few women who started on their own riding English, mostly because their friends’ did.

[Bluey]

Talking about just super comfortable saddles, one of the best such I rode in was an old type Andalusian sheepskin covered saddle similar to this one:

https://www.saddleonline.com/3320-spanish-vaquero-saddle-andalusian-horse-bull-fighting.html

Best I remember, the whole saddle was covered, even the cantle, that was not that tall.
It was like sitting on a cloud.

[Rackonteur]

@Incantation

Most of the men that I have known that start like this, seemed to think English is to “girly”, and Western is cool. I have known a few women who started on their own riding English, mostly because their friends’ did.

My cousin thought English was “wussy” so I sent him a couple of videos of upper-level male eventers galloping cross country courses.

[Rackonteur]

I want one!

[Bluey]

@Rackonteur

I want one!

I was wondering if I could get a larger sheepskin and drape it over my western saddle and get a similar effect?
I don’t think it would work on my English one, not enough in front.

[eightpondfarm]

i have hundreds of felted sheep FLEECES, (not sheepskin w/hides). I use them in my dog’s crates, my pickup seat, my tractor seat. We shear only once a year, (in late Spring). So, when they grow their new fresh coat (my breed actually breaks two coats/yr) and because we wait so late to shear, the old has felted onto the new. What i usually do with all the extra fleeces is put them on the hilly part of our gravel driveway to keep the rock from washing off in big rains. Check out Icelandic sheep fleeces/hides. I have several fellow shepherds that sell them.

[candyappy]

@Rackonteur

My cousin thought English was “wussy” so I sent him a couple of videos of upper-level male eventers galloping cross country courses.

I rode both ( and showed) in my younger days and I now prefer my endurance saddle( I still have and use my duett too) as I have aged gracefully. I grew up on the West coast and english was rarely ridden by males.

I think a man has to be very sure of his masculinity to show and wear english attire in some areas of the country. It is kind of “wussy looking” no matter who is riding —to be honest.

[Rackonteur]

I agree with the first sentence in your second paragraph. I disagree with the sentence following. MAYBE top hats and shadbellies and white breeches in dressage – I don’t think they’re wussy but I can get that some American men might. But there is nothing wussy about hunt colors and breeches and tall boots; and eventers wearing boots and breeches and colors in cross-country are no more wussy than jockeys wearing silks, whether the jockeys are on QHs in a short dash to the wire or on steeplechasers in the Grand National.

Just sayin’.

[ML]

Well, with a blind horse thought it would be a easier load up.

[rubygirl1968]

I’ve never thought a saddle made anyone better or worse. I thought I would like to have a western saddle for more weight distribution but I haven’t sat in a western saddle I was comfy in.

The tack store that sells western I found less than helpful so I stuck with english.

The few western saddles I’ve ridden in hurt my inner thighs.

I’ve seen bad riders in all kinds of tack and I might be one myself, if someone were watching on a bad day. Lol

[Bluey]

@rubygirl1968

I’ve never thought a saddle made anyone better or worse. I thought I would like to have a western saddle for more weight distribution but I haven’t sat in a western saddle I was comfy in.

The tack store that sells western I found less than helpful so I stuck with english.

The few western saddles I’ve ridden in hurt my inner thighs.

I’ve seen bad riders in all kinds of tack and I might be one myself, if someone were watching on a bad day. Lol

I have the same problem, in general, most western saddles are not as comfortable as most English ones can be.
One reason, western saddles are more different from each other than English ones.

I tried plenty and for my comfort, I found a few that were really nice.
Some of the old Amy Gamblin models Windy Ryon made, my made to order ranch saddle our local Oliver saddler made for me decades ago, when starting to rein, my Bob’s Lady reiner, those felt ok.
The I got to try a Kyle Cicero model and you know, those, for me, are like riding in a cloud, hugging my behind in the right places, helping keep my balance where I want it, as in an English saddle and helping me be a more effective rider with ease and comfort.

I think if you are particular about riding in a saddle you don’t have to fight at all, but helps your riding, with western saddles, you just have to keep trying saddles until one day you too will say, wow, this one is really feeling best of any I ever rode!

Every one of us has different anatomy, more or less padding behind, different angles and proportions to our skeleton.
English saddles, by being less to them to fit us than western ones, just seem to adapt to more of the differences than western ones.

[paulosey]

I agree, Bluey. There are some really nice Western saddles out there. Unfortunately a lot of people end up trying western in old rope saddles that are not comfortable. Low end, poor quality western saddles won’t give you any better ride than an low end english saddle. I used to think all western saddles were too stiff, uncomfortable and too much between me and the horse, but I have some really nice saddles now and prefer them to most English saddles. I have a Jim Taylor reining saddle, custom HR ranch saddle and a Cowboy Tack reiner and a local custom made training saddle.

[four2farm]

1989 Billy Cook Custom Pleasure n’ Trail. I also have a custom American Air Ride All Around. Good saddles, still comfortable after dozens of years. I LOVE my newest Butet, but my old Western Saddles are beautiful, the hand tooling, the silver accents. When my lower back or knees are acting up, the western saddle just feels better. I think a lot of people do judge Western saddles by the few low quality/ poor fit they ride in. I have ridden in Western saddles that would make me swear them off for good. I have also ridden in a lot of English saddles that were downright torture devices for me. I have found the same mixed results with Australian stock saddles. The one saddle across the board that are comfortable have been saddleseat saddles. I think that is because they are so flat…