Transitioning from English to Western

[dappled]

Hi everybody,

I’ve ridden english all my riding life. For whatever reason, lately I’ve been having an urge to try playing around with western. I have a semi retired event horse who is all around bored. That makes two of us, actually, and I’d like to try something new with him now that he’s a little older. I’m not talking about competing or anything… just maybe fooling around with some western pleasure.

I know this is super broad… but any advice you could give me would be helpful. So what are the basics? I don’t even know how to do a western cinch. :lol: I was perusing ebay and found some used western saddles for under 200 bucks. But again I really have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to western and my horse won’t either.

Advice? Thanks!

[CHT]

Run fast and far from the ebay cheapo saddles. They will have warped and/or flat trees, cheap material, and screws poking out the wrong places. Much better off getting a synthetic name brand like Wintec. Look for a saddle were the stirrups hang from under the flat part of the seat…so many have stirrups too far forward so you end up in a chair/bracey position. Also so many are made for men and are uncomfortable for women. Equitation saddles and barrel saddles are a good place to look.

Fitting a non-stock breed can be tricky as well, so professional advice is a good idea.

To get started, it may be a good idea to take lessons on a well trained western horse so you can get a feel for the gaits.

it can also be tricky to learn the western concept of contact.

Creating the jog isn’t all that hard, and is mostly in the hips. Not all horses seem to be able to lope though, and as a primarily English rider, it can be hard for me to now want to cluck/send them forward, as the lope feels like the horse could stop with every step…which is kind of the goal!

As much as I focus on dressage now (used to jump), western is my fun time and I really enjoy/appreciate how slowing everything down allows me to better focus on my body and on the details of my horse’s body.

[WildBlue]

Agree with avoiding cheap saddles. At worst they’ll sore your horse, at best they’ll put you behind the motion. It’s best to find an older used, good-quality saddle that’s still in good shape and that fits you and your horse well. Even if you have to spend a bit, it’ll hold its resale value. Have someone knowledgeable help you with initial fitting and then show you how to make smaller adjustments with your pad selection.

Just like English, there’s a variety of styles: many are flatter and/or more open, some sit you deeper (like barrels), some put you back a bit (like roping). Try a bunch to see what allows you to maintain a balanced seat.

The two biggest differences are the leg and rein contact. Western leathers resist swinging forward and back (so make sure they hang under you correctly!) when you stand in them. Because of this and the extra leather under your leg from the fenders, you maintain a much lighter lower leg contact than English. A very light touch with your calf instead of a ‘hug’.

Reins are similar, in that you don’t grip the reins nearly as tightly (think, styrofoam cup of coffee in your rein hand(s)). Use your fingertips to feel light contact with the horse’s mouth on a direct rein or weight of the slack rein if you’re using a curb.

Weight and seat-bone aids are pretty much the same. It just might feel like you’ve lost your hand and lower leg aids for a while until you and your horse get used to the lighter contact.

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

[QUOTE=WildBlue;7105291]

Weight and seat-bone aids are pretty much the same. It just might feel like you’ve lost your hand and lower leg aids for a while until you and your horse get used to the lighter contact.[/QUOTE]

:yes::lol: I’m a rider-in-transition right now myself, so I’m not anybody’s idea of an expert - but I can attest that the above statement is correct.:yes:

I bought myself a synthetic saddle. It doesn’t weigh anymore than my english saddle, plus you have synthetic under your leg instead of leather, so you can maintain more contact with your lower leg. And they’re cheaper. Mine is made especially for women - it’s called a Fabtron Lady Trail - so the twist is narrow. And it puts your feet right underneath you, too. I’m still keeping my stirrups short for now and plan to lengthen them one hole at a time.

My advice is to go to a tack shop and sit in lots of saddles and try to stand in your stirrups to see if the fenders are in the right place for you. Oh, and when you get your saddle give yourself time to find your new balance spot. I wanted to cry with frustration the first few times I tried trotting in mine - then, the third time, viola (;)), it was as comfortable and balanced as if I’d been riding in it forever.

I had an advantage in that my horse was western till he was 8 1/2, when I bought him and started riding him hunt seat. He’s 12 now, and when I first put that curb bit in his mouth and left a big loop of slack in the reins, he had a look on his face like you have when you’re trying to place someone you know but haven’t seen in awhile. But within about three minutes, he was back in the groove. It’s taking me a good while longer:lol: but it’s so much fun!

Since your horse (I guess) has never done western, do you have someone who could help you transition him from a snaffle to a curb?

[WildBlue]

I would also add that there is absolutely no point in putting a curb on your horse–especially if he does not have solid western training–until you’re riding western seriously enough (and your horse is ready) to step up. Western horses start in a snaffle (or even some kind of non-leverage bitless) and should eventually graduate to a type of curb as a more finished bridle horse.

I know it’s grossly overused so that’s what everyone assumes is necessary, but the idea is actually the same as the increasingly strong bitting of a dressage bridle: Once the horse is very solid in its training, the stronger bit allows for more subtle cues from the rider and a snappier response from the horse. It’s supposed to be about adding finesse to a well-trained western horse.

[Foxtrot_s]

A $200.00 saddle is a $200.00 dollar saddle and will not do you or your horse any favours.

OP you wrote my post - but my main problem is that I could not lift a Western saddle onto my horse. A working saddle is about 45#, and a lightweight, custom about 24#.

[caradino]

I did the same thing with my dressage/jumper pony and we have fun just messing around and trying to go slow!

If there is a western tack shop near you, go and sit in a lot of saddles and see what you like. Ask a salesperson to show you the different types of saddles, what fits your body, etc. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! When I was first looking at western saddles, I walked up to a Crates rep at an expo and said, “Hi. I want to start riding western. I have no idea what I’m doing. Will you help?” and he helped. I liked reining saddles, they have more of a “dressage” feel to them in my opinion, but I ended up a buying a used trail saddle that had good balance and fit my pony. The only thing I don’t like about it is the hard seat, I need one of those squishy gel seat savers!

You can certainly ride him in a snaffle, but I put my pony in a short-shank curb bit with a low port and a lot of play in it, and he never batted an eye at it.

Have fun!

[Silk]

After riding hunt seat (hunters and equitation as a junior, then hunters as an ammy then low level pro) for 40 years, I just took my first ride in a western saddle. I really enjoyed it. I started for a different reason…after a serious rejection to a transplanted organ, and subsequent treatments, plus the long term effects of insulin dependent diabetes, I was finidng that getting back into riding shape was impossible. So, the western saddle is allowing me a bit more saddle time before I become exhausted…enough so I can actually work a little to increase my endurance. For me, it is a much less physically demanding way of riding, and luckily, my life saver of a pony took to it well. he had a really good sitting trot anyway. I dont ask him to really jog yet, but we are working towards it. i will never ask him to lope, but even cruising around at a canter in the western saddle is less strenuous than my hunter saddle. Plus, I feel a bit more secure until I get my riding muscles back

I actually ENJOYED riding again, as oposed to dreading it becasue it was physically exhausting me to even post a few times around the ring

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

[QUOTE=WildBlue;7106850]
Western horses start in a snaffle (or even some kind of non-leverage bitless) and should eventually graduate to a type of curb . . .[/QUOTE]

Right. Which is why I suggested she find a trainer to help her make the bit transition. Not that she must, of course - but she did ask about western riding, not just western saddles.

[WildBlue]

Agreed. But there are ‘trainers’ and there are trainers (sometimes, it seems, a lot more of the former than latter), and it can be very hard to tell the difference when the discipline is unfamiliar.

Hell, I had one ‘trainer’ tell me, completely and utterly serious as blood dribbled from the horse’s mouth, that it’s impossible to hurt a horse with ‘just’ a snaffle bit. Plenty of others assume tack makes the horse, as they plow rein with a curb bit… (That’s steer two-handed, using just a leading rein to turn the horse, for those unfamiliar with the term.)

I hope the OP has a marvelous time. Done correctly, it’s a lot of fun and much harder than it looks to achieve.