So… this exists. Schleese makes it. Not sure what it is, but it has english flaps so maybe it might work.
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That looks like a trail saddle. Interesting.
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Or it could be perceived as an over generalization that is mostly untrue, depending on which western discipline you are talking about. Kinda like saying every dressage rider uses rollkur.
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It has nothing to do with opening minds. Organizations have rules. Follow them or don’t join.
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The swell in the front would disqualify it.
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For many of us who have done dressage forever, especially for those of us who come from a time before giant knee rolls and cushy seats, western saddles feel weird - too much between horse and rider, too much around us, fenders, basically just too much saddle. Not weird if that’s what you’re used to. Weird for many of us who are not used to them.
Cats are also weird. It’s not a slur, it’s a description that was directed towards someone else who might find Joe Western Saddle a somewhat upsetting prospect to have to use. You might feel the same about close contact saddles or race saddles.
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Except that WP was explicitly mentioned and none of the other western disciplines were mentioned at all. But carry on taking offence, it’s more fun that way 
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So you think bulky western saddles only refer to western pleasure? Or the horrific bits? Thank you for proving my point!
You do you, boo!
Wade saddle. Close contact. I’m leaning back in the pic, but otherwise my feet are right under me. Definately not western pleasure
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I can’t imagine that getting accepted as an English saddle at a tack check in a rated show
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Everyone has gone overboard with the political correctness and sensitivity. The western pleasure classes have improved somewhat from the peanut rollers but the trots are mincing and the canters are not a true canter because they 4-beat.
That isn’t any “meaner” than saying that the practices used on Tennessee Walking Horses for the “big lick” classes are unnatural and cruel with the built-up hooves, chains, etc.
As someone who has shown dressage, I certainly don’t take offense when someone criticizes when horses are ridden in rollkur, etc.
A good horseman should be worried about what is “mean” to the horses.
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So again, I don’t understand why you wouldn’t do Western dressage? It’s for all types of horses, including warmblood. Seems like a perfect fit.
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And my post did specify western pleasure.
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Please read the post again. I specified western pleasure.
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I did a trail trial once in my dressage saddle simply because I was too lazy to put the western saddle in the trailer. As luck would have it, one of the obstacles involved dragging a tire from point A to point B. There was nothing in the course description about this being a timed event, although a rider had to complete that obstacle within a given time. Since I didn’t have a horn to dally around, I just held on the rope and trotted from point A to point B.
At the end of the day, I was tied with the local western princess for 1st; care to guess which obstacle was selected to be the tie breaker with time to complete being the criteria?
Moral of the story; I was in the wrong saddle for the job at hand. Well, that and the local western princess was a whiny you know what …
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With political correctness getting dragged into this, are we now going to have people who ride dressage but identify as western?
And before anyone goes off the rails over that - it is a joke. (I hope it doesn’t become reality.)
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Beautiful horse! Saddle reminds me of my Crates, that saddle lets me get my hip and heel aligned. But to me it doesn’t look like your feet are under you, at least in that pic.
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Why not just do Western dressage? Did I miss the explanation somewhere? The horse is going best in western saddle & bridle. You prefer to dress in western attire. You stated you have no aspirations of going any further medal-wise in regular dressage. Am I missing something?
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She specifically said she was leaning back in the photo.
Western dressage judges the gaits differently - the horse should move in the style of a working ranch horse. Big Warmblood type gaits are actually penalized. Or if not penalized, they are not the ideal for western dressage.
My coach (USDF gold medalist) comes from a western background and has a lot of experience in the cutting/sorting/reined cow horse disciplines. Her little palomino QH cutting mare can do a nice 2nd level test, and she rides her in English and western saddles. She’d never cut cattle in a dressage saddle, but she’ll school her through her dressage paces in an older roping saddle no problem. She’s never mentioned not being able to feel the horse under her when in western tack. A good western saddle should put you in correct balance. Look at some of those californio riders - they sit in the same alignment as a dressage rider.
The saddle is a tool, same as a bit or spurs. Discipline rules come from the tradition of the discipline. There’s no reason to not question why we have to use certain tack, and some of the newer disciplines are doing away with requirements. Look at working equitation. I, too, would like to hear an argument from an equitation and training standpoint as to why western saddles are inappropriate for competitive dressage.
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