I’ve ridden horses since I was little. During my life of ridding I’ve ridden two kinds of ridding styles called English and Western. But English will always be my favorite style. English is my favorite cause the style is used to ride for pleasure and competition. But Western is for work and is used in some rodeo events that I’m personally not a fan of.
What is western style? It obviously is used to ride horses. But the reason why that style was invented was for work. They made the western style of riding to meet the needs of the Spanish cowboys otherwise known as conquistadors. The kind of work it was used for is herding cattle. When cowboys herd cattle they have to go long distances. Hours after hours of riding, in hot itchy flannel and jeans. The equipment the western saddle includes is, of course, a saddle. The saddle is mostly made out of wood and leather. The big and bulky saddle is used to reduce shock from roping the cattle. On the saddle there is something called a horn. When the cowboy ropes the cattle the cowboy ties the rope to the horn to keep control. To control the horse the cowboy uses a bridle and reins. If the cowboy moved the reins left or right the reins will lightly touch the horse’s neck telling the horse which way to go. In this day and age we use the western style for rodeo events like barrel racing. In the rodeo the cowboys wear flashy outfits and the horse equipment is adorn with diamonds and sparkle. I like the English style because it’s more proper and used in more competition than just rodeos. (Livingston, Phil. Team Penning. Colorado Springs, CO: Western Horseman, 1999. Print.) (Tuinenga, Laura. “Parts of a Horse and Tack | About Your Horse.” Pinterest. N.p., 14 Dec. 2012. Web. 9 Feb. 2017. <https://www.pinterest.com/pin/162129655307047394/>.)(Western riding.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Feb. 2017. Web. 8 Feb. 2017. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_riding>.)
What is English style riding? The English style was made to give the horse freedom to move in discipline. The English style was made by the English which is where the name comes from. The English brought the English method to America in the early 1800’s. Back then riders used the English style for hunting such as fox hunting. Instead of using reins the rider uses feet. When the rider pushes his or her feet against the horse which way to go which is more convenient. I like English more cause in that style you ride for pleasure. Another thing that English was made for is competition, such as dressage, Endurance riding, Eventing, horse racing, Horseball, polo, Polocrosse, show jumping, and tent pegging. Unlike western English is more proper. When people compete in English activities they were a certain kind of boot that’s meant for riding, breeches, and a collared shirt with a shock or tie. They also have to wear a kind of helmet called an equestrian helmet. (Faurie, Bernadette. The horse riding & care handbook. New York: Lyons Press, 2000. Print.) (Pinch, Dorothy Henderson. Happy horsemanship. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998. Print.) (Pervier, Evelyn. Horsemanship: basics for intermediate riders. New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1987. Print). (English riding.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Jan. 2017. Web. 8 Feb. 2017. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_riding>.)(“English Equestrian History.” Made Man. N.p., 08 Feb. 2014. Web. 17 Feb. 2017. <http://www.mademan.com/mm/english-equestrian-history.html>.)( Article, An EquestrianMag Exclusive. “Horseback Riding: A History of StyleAn EquestrianMag Exclusive Article.” Horseback Riding: A History of Style ~ EquestrianMag. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017. <http://www.equestrianmag.com/news/riding-styles.html>. \=-09)
Why is English better than western? Because English is more fun. In English you can lope, trot, and jump. Western was not created for these purposes. From my experience, if you try to post with a Western saddle the horn would just jab into your stomach, which is not comfortable. After riding in a Western saddle for a while my legs rub on the Western equipment making my legs irritated and itchy which is also not very comfortable. With an English saddle, I stay comfortable the whole ride. And if you want, you can make a living off of competing. Most English horse riders are really wealthy. In my opinion English tack is a lot easier to handle and take care off. Tack means equipment for the style. The saddle and the bridle (bridle is the mouthpiece for the horse) are a lot easier to put on the horse. English is also more proper and graceful. It’s more of a formal and serious type of riding, but at the same time beautiful. In western riding it’s for flashy and definitely not proper. (Alfa img – Showing > Drawings of English Saddles and Tack.” Alfa img – Showing > Drawings of English Saddles and Tack. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2017. <http://alfa-img.com/show/drawings-of-english-saddles-and-tack.html>.)
All in all in my opinion English is better than western. English is more fun and you can do more things will the English style, and make a pretty good living off of competing. As I ride horses I hope to improve in English and be able to compete. I hope that I have convinced you that English is better than western, and that riding and competing is fun.