Do you prefer western or english riding and why?

Question

Do you prefer western or english riding and why?

Answer 1

i prefer the english way because i was brought up in a family that all do english riding

Answer 2

I enjoy western.  I am a barrel racer and a team roper and it would be a little difficult to do both of those things with an english saddle. LOL  However english is fun. I just prefer western!!!

Answer 3

I prefer an English saddle over a Western saddle because it is lighter and easier for me to put on taller horses.  I like that the English saddle shows off more of the horse and the stirrups break away should you fall off and get a foot hung.  I also like that I can adjust the stirrups from up top very easily and without any help from anyone else. (Sometimes those Western saddles get rusty at the stirrup adjustments and make it hard to change the settings.)

That being said, when I am starting a horse, I ride Western so I have something more to hold on to should the horse buck or rear.  I also like the way the Western saddles look in parades and they are definitely better for barrels and rescue races.

Answer 4

I have ridden both for years and I like both.  They both have different things that are good about them.  If I had to choose one, it would be western though because I love team penning, reining, trail riding, cutting, pole bending, barrel racing, its all great.  I also ride bareback a lot.

I like English, but with English you mainly have dressage, jumping, cross country, and english pleasure/eq.

I just find western more exciting.

Answer 5

ah well ur likely to get a lot of arguing on this one haha...most strick english riders dont like western riders and vise versa...lol but i do english only...ive been on a beach ride and pony rides and trail rides wen i was little but wen i really started to take lessons i did english and i love to jump...i love the english "atmosphere" and all of that its just my niche...it just appeals to me more than western and i think that in english the old training methods can be bend or even broken and there is more versitility involved than western in my opinion....it allows you to be more creative and gives u the chance to really stand out and "change things" etc.

I LOVE ENGLISH hehe =]]

Answer 6

I've always LOVED Western riding. I think its because my hero is Pat Parelli, and I just love the tack so much! I find its more at one with the horse.

But I do ride English, which I also like =]

Answer 7

I like both.  It depends on what we're doing with the horses.  I prefer English tack, in general, for schooling and obviously for jumping and galloping, as I can feel the horse much better.  Maybe I've never ridden in a really good, close-contact  Western saddle.  For trail riding, Western.  Better for the horse, more fun for the rider.  All horses should neck rein, and all the other stough is basically the same, with different names. I currently trail ride in a Tucker endurance saddle. Though my background is English, I've always wanted to do barrels and poles, and the versatility classes look like SOOO much fun.  Sort of what we do on the trails, anyway.

I've noticed that at Western discipline shows, the riders look like they're having more fun, and are less image conscious, than at the h/j shows.  Thumbs down for that one???   Eventers are the best!

Basically, I'm not prejudiced, as long as good horsemanship is practiced.

Answer 8

I don`t understand why anyone wants to travel bouncing about on a horse, it is much more comfortable in a car.

Answer 9

English. I have never tried western but I live in Scotland so yea. Lol. I love doing cross country and showjumping. Dressage is wicked. My horse is a really good jumper so I find it realy enhoyable!!!

Answer 10

I ride and prefer western. Its more laid back, and a lot less effort than english riding and disciplines. That, and I would rather sit on a large cushioned saddle with a horn to hold onto just in case i NEED something to grab a hold of, rather than a small piece of leather (the english saddle) with tiny stirrups, and no cushion or saddle horn. Western saddles are just more comfortable, especially when trail riding.

Answer 11

To Second Comment:

Riding a horse is not just bouncing around in a saddle,  You must have great balance, posture and muscle to ride.  It may look easy to you because you have seen great riders.  

And as for the question.  My fav riding is bareback, but I like both styles english and western.  I take advice from styles to fit my own riding style.

Answer 12

i first started out on enlish and i loved it. i've ridden western a few times but i like english a lot more. western seems so blah. u know what i mean. i like how english is more proper and all that.  

Answer 13

I prefer english because i feel like it gives me more control and more feel.  I have done plenty of both but since my back is so bad I really can only do english now because of the positioning it puts you in.  My pony is trained both ways and is decent at barrels but rocks dressage and stuff.  She was an eventer for a while before I got her.  I love riding of any sort!

Answer 14

I ride English.  When I first started riding, I rode western and it was way too much work to put that hefty saddle on the horse and it was way uncomfortable.  I ride english because I enjoy Dressage quite a bit and I also like cross country for some fun.

Answer 15

hey!

I like English better cause i think its more fun , and the position is more important and the best part is ...Jumping! It feels like you're flying , there really isn't no feeling like that one!

Anyway both are with horses so both are the best thing in the world..lol

Hope i answered good =)

Answer 16

I prefer Western.  It just feels more "sturdy" to me if that makes sense.  

I've only ridden English once and I felt like I barely had anything to sit on lol.

Of course, I'm sure if you ride either way you will become used to which type of saddle you're using.  But jumping on bareback is always fun too!

Answer 17

i perfer western as i'm quite into all the cowboy sort of thing, but riding english is nice too

Answer 18

Western.  Because, I like girls in tight Wrangler's as opposed to riding pants and blazers.

Answer 19

Western

I like the fell of the saddle and

I barrel race

but even if I didn't

I would still go Western

it's just the all around look of

a horse in Western tack

Answer 20

I've ridden both, but I'd pick Western.  The tack is cooler, and I'm into all the western events like roping, barrel racing, stuff like that.  You can always post in a western saddle, but you can't rope in a english saddle

Answer 21

I like western and always have but I'd have to chose english, it's just more challenging to me

Answer 22

I love both, I like to be a well rounded rider and I like a well rounded and versitil horse.  I've found that if you can perfect your english riding skills, especially without irons, you can excell in western.

Answer 23

I prefer english, only because I absolutely LOVE jumping and cross country is my favourite event.

I don't really like to ride western because I find the saddles a bit uncomfortable (just my opinion) because I like to have freedom of movement- I can't do that with a horn, and I'm used to jumping so its a little odd. Even on trail rides I use an english saddle.

To the person who said english riders don't like western riders- that's hardly true. Whatever discipline someone chooses to do, that's up to them and I hope they choose the one in which they are most happy, whether it be show jumping or barrel racing, reining or dressage.

I think I also prefer english just because it seems more proper and put together to me.. though sometimes it gets a little ridiculous on how proper they want you to be (especially for shows) I mean, your around horses for goodness sakes!

Answer 24

i lik  english for some reasom i fell safer in english :] idk y but oh well i lik english way better :]

Answer 25

I have ridden 5 years of western. And truthfully... I hated it. I love english to bits! I like to do Hunter/Jumpers. I don't really like western because it is too laid back (or at least the stuff I was doing). I love to jump. I find the english saddle more comfy.