Hah! But the looks they give until they get used to our strange head wear are great. My Standardbred mare, who has seen almost everything from her time on the track, kind of angled her head toward me, gave me the big old side eye that only a mare can achieve, planted her feet and sighed, as if to say, “for the love of god, human. really? I want double my share of grain for this.” Now that she’s used to it, she doesn’t even bother to wake up from the naps she has during the entire grooming/tacking stage.
2 Likes
I’m 5’1 on a good day and can toss the saddle up on a 16.3h HUS horse from my hip. It’s a physics thing, and I’d explain, how it works, but I don’t really understand. I have a wonky shoulder and it would hurt to do the lift and place thing.
I did hang myself from my horn by my bra once. Two things are different now: my saddle is endurance style -so no horn, and I don’t dismount English anymore. No leaning forward! 
5 Likes
I almost had a wardrobe malfunction the other day, dismounting from my western saddle. My bra and tank top got caught on the horn and I didn’t notice until it was too late. Luckily, there was no one else around and I was quickly able to hop back on the mounting block and free myself.
3 Likes
Western saddles make my knees ACHE. I can ride all day long in my dressage saddles, but I can’t make it more than a half hour western (and yes, I’ve been in a variety of western saddles).
2 Likes
I actually like a lot of the western disciplines (except pleasure, a big snore from me, sorry), but I’m an English snob because I can’t STAND western saddles. They are so ungodly uncomfortable, IMO, and as others said, I hate how you cannot feel the horse hardly at all under you. It’s like sitting on a rock. And yes, I’ve tried dozens.
I’ll barrel race all day in my jump saddle.
2 Likes
Serious question. How are you getting your bra hooked on the saddle? In 30 years of riding I’ve never come close…
2 Likes
They’re dismounting as you do from an english saddle: lean forward, kick both feet out of the stirrups, and slide off. I actually managed to hang myself from the saddle horn by my belt once!:eek::yes: And of course had just handed my knife to someone to hold for me. :rolleyes: I just dangled there verrrry quietly, trying to think what to do and hoping the horse wouldn’t spook and take off. Then my belt broke. whew
That’s when I learned to cover the horn with one hand when I dismount. Still freaks me out a little to step down - years ago I went riding in lug sole boots and got my foot hung doing that, wound up bounding after the horse on one leg till I managed to dislodge my foot. But I’m working on it.
2 Likes
Maybe someone needs to invent a saddle with a retractable horn so it can be up when needed and down when not.
4 Likes
I lost a good shirt today to the horn. And no, I wasn’t getting off English style. The horn caught the teensiest fold on the front and ripped a hole in it. 
Maybe it wouldn’t happen on the mexican style saddles that have horns as big as dinner plates (well not quite, but they are huge)!
1 Like
Another person that finds western saddles way too heavy. My arthritic wrists and shoulders just can’t manage some western saddles. That doesn’t mean I have given up on western, I have a very light weight synthetic and I have a really nice custom barrel saddle, that while still a bit heavy it is manageable. Forget western pleasure, there is no way I could lift one of those saddles, much less keep all that silver polished and clean.
A western saddle does not fit my body type.
My legs are so short, my feet are usually several inches above the stirrups.
Fenders make it impossible to have any of my leg on the horse.
Too heavy for me to throw up on a horse
And lastly neck reigning is difficult for me
I don’t understand “neck reining is difficult”. You hold the reins in one hand about even with the horn. Leave a moderate amount of slack. If you want to go left, move your hand to the left, go right move hand to right. What’s easier?
2 Likes
First - the heavy fenders are hell on my arthritic knees. Even the ones what have been “wet down and a broom handle stuck through the stirrups” to make sure the stirrups are parallel. They still hurt.
Second, the horn. Ouch.
Third, too much thick heavy leather. I feel like I’m riding the saddle and not the horse.
Fourth, I find it uninteresting. Though I would probably enjoy the discipline of reining if I had the chance.
There are other reasons but these are the main ones.
1 Like
I ride 99% Western.
I’m going to hijack the thread with a “I don’t like riding English because…”
We’ve hit a little heat wave this past week (over 100 everyday … which is HOT for us!). I decided to ride my horse with my English saddle in the arena, do flatwork, and go over very small jumps. It’s probably only the 5th time I’ve put the English saddle on him this year; it’s a side hobby for us to do something different. My calves were soaked with horse sweat by the end of the ride. YUCK. At least my Western saddle fenders protect me from that!
2 Likes
Me too! I actually use that as a reason to not ride western. Broke one bra and flounder a couple of times and still have no idea how to get off. I am doing something wrong. I stick with the close contact.
For true neck reining, that is power steering, you need a high level trained horse and the skills to use that power steering.
If someone only thinks they have a neck reining horse and are neck reining, but is not a real well trained neck reining horse, well, they won’t know the difference.
Also, neck reining is what the horse does after it has learned to listen to all your aids, the reins a barely hint indicating direction by moving an inch each way, along with your seat and leg aids and the energy you are adding to the request with your balance and some times voice.
A parallell can be found in the difference between a backyard horse pogo-stick hopping over a couple cross rails and a well trained jumper over a Grand Prix course.
Many people never get to experience a real jumper’s jump, or a well trained horse neck reining.
Those may consider the awkward pogo-stick jump over a cross rail not of their liking, or the mostly unsuccessful effort to get an untrained horse to turn with the lightest rein signal.
2 Likes
I don’t like riding western because my horse gives me the, “oh please, not on my spine” disgusted look. Same with English. Harness and hook him and those ears go forward with glee and we are off. My horse just loves to be driven. Ridden? notsomuch. He tells me this in so many ways and I listen.
2 Likes
Yes, but driving, can you jump, can you go up mountains without a trail?
1 Like
