In your opinion, is English or Western riding harder? Which requires more talent?
I’m interested in different people’s opinions on this. I think that English riding is slightly harder but that is because I’ve never tried western. However, I can tell that you would have to have a good seat for rodeos, barrel racing, etc.
English is much more difficult. You have to learn to “hang on” with your knees and keep your calves away from the horses body. You also have a much smaller and no saddle pummel to hold on to.
English. In English, you have to develop a really good seat, because there is not anything in front of you to cage you in grave or onto. I’ve always ridden western, but I tried english for the first time a week ago. . and it was really quite challenging, I could not even bring myself to canter on the horse, though I can canter him easily in a western saddle, felt my balance way off in the english saddle.
Wow! Such a hard question to answer, considering I love all types of riding. But I think that the hardest kind of riding would be English, specifically Eventing, because you need to be very good at so many different aspects of riding, searchable as good equitation, impulsion, obedience from your horse, and many many many other aspects. Eventing is not only tough and rough like western, but it is sophisticated and classy for dressage and stadium. Sorry I am having a lot of trouble wording it, but do you know what I mean? English is so diverse, and you have to be a more well rounded rider to compete in eventing. But I do not have a lot of Western experience, so I might be a little biased, but I do know a lot about both types of riding. Hope this helps Lizzie:)
Each discipline can be easy or hard, it all depends on the rider and their ability’s. For instance some people could fine it impossible to do a posting trot (english), While others could find it impossible properly to trot in a western sadddle.
i would say that western riding takes way LESS effort on the part and that english riders takes a lot more balance and a lot more skill!
* * Both are equally hard. You have to have a good seat and balance in jumping, so you have to have a good seat and balance in barrel racing. You are still up on something with his own brain, and your still controlling him. Western people might find English more difficult because they have never done it, and English people might find difficult because they have Western never tried it.
There are so many different aspects within each discipline that it’s hard to compare them. They’re just so different! Western riding does have a reputation for being easier than English. While I do not agree with that statement, I would say that it is a little easier to be Lazier in Western than in English. Western tack is designed to be much more comfortable, and inexperienced riders can brace themselves on the horn if they’re having trouble. In English, it’s a lot more difficult to brace yourself or be “lazy” if your having trouble. But is proper western riding (with correct form, balance, etc.) easy? No, and proper English riding is not easy either. Both styles of riding done correctly are equally hard in my opinion.
This is a completely biased question, obviously everyone is going to say that their discipline is harder. I have taken lessons 2 years of Western and close to 2 years of English so i will try to give you an unbiased answer. You also need to specify what type of riding, obviously three day eventing is more difficult than a trail ride in a western saddle. It mainly depends on how the horse is trained, I would love to see an English person jump on a barrel horse or a reining champion finished I think it would be fun to watch lol. Western horses are trained to direct and pure so pure neck Which makes them more of a challenge. With neck reining you have to learn to balance your self without using your other hand or keeping it near the horses neck for support Which makes it more difficult. Likewise English saddles require you to be a more balanced rider and you can `t just sit there in the big comfy western saddle. But I find that the English wain irons are they naturally put you in a better riding position as western where you have to focus on what your doing more. I really feel it comes down to the horse, I `ve ridden super easy going English lesson horses that new how to collect and extend their stride and do all the more English focused movements and then a Western horse that was a crow hopper and a little less of a push button horse who knew the movements he needed to know. The English was much easier than the Western in that case. My horse rides English and Western but I have only ridden her English 3 times. She knows the basic movements for both and is equally a challenge in both disciplines loll. I guess it `s so a preference English riders GeneRally work more on their equitation than Western riders and Western riders usually work more on getting their horse to do as asked and spin, turn run, etc. I know that` sa stereotype but all the riders I know EXACTLY fall into these two steretopes. EDIT-Everyone who is suggesting Western is easier because you do not have to post is wrong! My lesson gelding who is a professionally trained gelding Trick and drill requires you to post because he has the most bumpy trot in the world. I post on my mare so in lessons so I don `t know what your talking about?
As someone who rides both, they’re equally hard, just in different ways. The majority of english riders I know would eat dirt on a reining horse with a good sliding stop, but the western riders I know freely admit they would fall off if they tried jumping saddle in to english. One is not harder than the other, they just take different skill sets and different muscles, and I think its good for riders to give both a try.
english is borrrrinnggg its not hard its just borrringgggg !!!!!!!!!
This question will start a civil war. In my opinion, and I have been riding and training and teaching in both disciplines for 30 years, English is more difficult as you have to control your balance, your horse, your leg, your heel, all in a saddle that measures about 18 inches by 24 inches. Your leg is more forward Which can throw your body more forward. The posting trot takes a lot of strength in your thighs and lower back and to ride with two hands has the potential for being pulled right out of your saddle. western Always I start my students in, as you can sit and learn to steer and control your horse easily without working on balance, posting, leg and heel at the same time.
my OPINION is that english is a lil harder too. I’ve ridden a few times on a western trail ride. this is where i first cantered lol, being unsafe and reallyreally wanted to try to canter. i had so much fun. A few weeks later i cantered for the first time in my lessons (english) and i found it a lot more difficult surprisiing and i stopped right away thinking i was going to fall and it was not as fun. after a while i got used to it. so i feel more secure in the western saddle because it’s bigger and there’s the pommel, when i sit in the english saddle i feel the need to concentrate more on balance. I’ve really have not ridden too long heart so do not take my answer to! ride english and i normally like for lessons and stuff.
Some of these answers are just bull. I think its hilarious that some are saying EXACTLY fit riders only tow into stereotypes. thats just not possible. I started out riding western bareback, then moved on to. did that for about 5 years. during that i did barrels, poles, and cutting. to be honest i moved on to do english for more of a challenge. I then moved to dressage, hunters, and now in pursuing the eventing circuit. so my opinion english is harder, im not trying to rag on western riders. i was one too, and i know how hard you all work, and how dedicated you have to be. but i had baically to learn how to ride all over again when i converetd from western to english. its really not fair to say that english riders only care about their equitation and what not, because when you’re doing things like jumpers, and cross country, nobody gives a rats you know what about what you look like, and in dressage, you’re getting judged on the way your HORSE performs its passes, not how the rider looks pretty doing it. Now im sorry but hunters is a different story, thats why i moved on to eventing. . Ive had a lot of experience in both and i personally have come to the conclusion that certain english disciplines are harder. .
I have experience with both styles, and find English more challenging. That is ME though. For a lot of people, the two styles are equally ‘hard’. I do not see why we all have to fight about this though! Really, all that is different is the tack and disciplines! Seriously guys, you would think that western and english folks could get along with a common interest. And what is that interest? HORSES. Not the tack we use.
English is not boring at all, you obviously have not ridden English before. Theres jumping, cross country, dressage, hunter jumping, umm. . . do not feel like thinking of all of them lol. But English is wayy harder because of the positions and the way you ride. It requires more training for the rider and horse. Western is just lazy do whatever but theres more for pleasure and barrel racing and stuff Sun gymkhanna neither are boring, English is just more challenging:)
Essentially, riding is nothing more than not falling off However, the quality of the rider is a different matter. Discipline is irrelevant. Many movements in either method are the same, they just have different names for the same thing. Advanced riding is all about how well your horse is trained and the communication between horse and rider. Whether it’s dressage or reining does not matter, it takes a lot of ability to accomplish either if it is done well. I have seen western trainer Clinton Anderson do 1-tempi’s on his quarter horse all the way across the arena in absolute harmonious perfection, but he does not call it 1-tempi’s. Again, at individual’s choice of discipline has nothing to do with difficulty if it is done well. The effort is the same for excellence.
Ok, so it’s a little different then what you’re asking, but this was my answer to a question similar to yours: “English takes more balance, western riders just hold on” pattern — Watch a reining, and tell me there is no balance there. Or someone cutting cattle. That is not something you can just sit, or hang on to the horn for, those horses will jump right out from under you. So I’ve heard people say english western horses are more athletic than. But again, look at a good reining horse or cutting horse and try to tell me that those horses are not athletic. Sure they are not jumping olympic level jumps, but how many of those Olympic level horses can cut one cow out of a herd basically by themselves? And look at dressage horses. Their collection, the way they move, everything about them. A cutting horse could not do what those horses do that easily, or with that grace. You can not take a champion reining horse and expect him to jump a cross country course. They’re completely different sports really. It’s like saying. . . Oh I do not know. . Michael Jordon is a better athlete than Brett Favre. You can not compare them, they play completely different sports (or played, I do not know of Jordon is still playing. I do not watch football), so of course each is going to be better than the other in their own individual sport. It’s the same with horses, for both the rider and the horse.
I have never rode English, so I will tell you about Western. I have always rode Western. It seems that it would be easy, at least you have a saddle horn to hang on to if the horse gets stupid! But it is not easy at all The key is keeping your body in sync with the horse around every barrel, pole, whatever. You just have to learn how to lean as you turn the barrel, or you lose your balance and throw the horse off as well. We still use our legs as well. When I rope, wow, that is something else there. You definitely need to be able to trust the horse and have good balance. It’s not easy holding a rope and reins in one hand, swinging the rope in the other and hoping your horse goes the right way. Trails are easiest for me. That does not take as much effort as long as the horse does not spook easy. We have a different way about everything. I know some people who rode English, and my sister has to TB on the farm she works on, but I do not want any part of it. I enjoy rodeos way to much to give it up now! As long as you plant your feet in the stirrups and your butt in the seat, you are fine.