Western-Style Horse Riding
Photo courtesy of O’Brien Photo farm
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “horse,” from the Germanic term hors, refers to a “solid-hoofed equid, having a flowing mane and tail, whose voice is a neigh.” Horses are used for a variety of purposes, including pleasure riding, showing, racing, and farm work. There are many different disciplines of riding, most of which fall under two main styles: English and Western. However, this description will focus only on explaining western pleasure horse riding. The four most important features to understand about western riding are equipment, posture, cues, and jumping.
The main difference between Western riding and English riding is the tack that is used. Unlike an English saddle, a Western saddle will be much larger in size and will include a horn. Other parts of the saddle will be named differently depending on the saddle. For example, the piece goes over the stirrup straps is called a “saddle flap” on an English saddle and a “fender” on a Western saddle. The saddle pad also differs between English and Western riding. A Western saddle pad will extend further past the edges of the saddle and will typically be thicker than an English saddle. When saddling the horse, the saddle pad should be placed about 4-6 inches past the withers and should lay evenly on both sides. The saddle should then be placed over the center of the pad. There will either be one or two cinches used to keep the saddle in place. The front cinch should be done first and should be tightened so that you can just be able to fit your fingers underneath. The back cinch should be done a lot looser so that it will hang down about a hand’s width from the horse’s belly. The bridles are mostly similar between Western and English styles in that they both have a crown piece, cheekpieces, throatlatch, bit, and reins. The main differences are that Western bridles will typically not include a nose band, but will add a curb strap that goes under the chin.
Photo courtesy of Horse Journals
One of the most important parts about horse riding is your “seat,” or your posture when you sit on a horse. The first part of the body you should think about is the legs. Most of your body’s weight should be put into your legs to help the horse receive your cues more clearly and to allow you to ride more balanced. This is done by relaxing your ankles and pushing your heels down. Think of your legs as heavy sandbags draped around the sides of the horse. The position of the legs is important for balance and helps your ankles absorb the movement of the horse. You should be able to draw a straight line from your ear, through your shoulder, your hip, and to your heel. They should not be too far forward or too far back. Instead of thinking about being on a horse as sitting on the horse, which causes our legs to move too far forward, you should think of it as straddling a horse. Your arms should be relaxed and low, close to the horse’s neck. Your back should be straight while still remaining relaxed.
Photo courtesy of The Showing Register
To begin riding, you need to know how to get the horse to move where you want to go. Moving a horse will require a combination of verbal, rein, and leg cues. To move forward, squeeze your legs against the sides of the horse and make a clicking sound with your mouth. If the horse does not begin to move with just a squeeze, lightly tap your legs against the horse. Increase the strength of the kicks if the horse continues to stand still. To turn, lightly pull on the rein that will be on the inside of the turn and apply pressure on the side of the horse with the leg that is on the outside of the turn. For example, if you want to turn right, you should pull on the right rein and apply pressure with your left leg. The horse will want to move away from your leg and relieve the pressure of the reins by turning right. To stop, pull evenly on both reins and give a low “whoa” sound. If you pull too hard on the reins, the horse will not listen to your cues.
Once you are proficient at simple riding, you can advance onto jumping. The most important thing to know about jumping is the types of positions you will use. The first position is called the three-point because you will have three points of contact with the horse: your seat, and both of your legs. The three point is used before and after the jump. The second position is called the two-point because you will have only two points of contact: your legs. This will be used when the horse goes through the jump. You should be able to support yourself only using the insides of your knees.
To sum up, Western-style riding is a very fulfilling hobby, and understanding equipment, posture, cues, and jumping will allow you to become a great rider.
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