i like bolth styles i think there bolth great and fun but i do ride western more

i ride both styles to i love love love western ridding but i also love english ridding and i'm better at english then western

I like both as well but i find english more of a challenge and i can do more with my horse riding english. Each dicipline has its place in my world, for example when i trail ride i use a western saddle but when i ride in the arena i prefer an english saddle. I just feel more connected to my horse in an english saddle since its not this big bulky piece of leather like a western saddle is.
If you find that western riding is better, then thats your opinion, but others on here find that english riding is better.

its a matter of oppinion, I think english is more fun because I LOVE jumping and things like that, jumping is probably the core to my inner being!! (idk if that made sense) and dressage can be pretty fun I love english ... but if you like western better, good for you, I think its pretty fun, I could see how people could fall in love with western style, but its just not for me. and dont nock it till you try it ! I think there's no reason to strike arguments about riding styles, its obviously a matter of preference.

Western is very laid back and very fun! I love riding western, but I find English more fun because it is a challenge to stay in position and I (like Quincy) LOVE to jump! Jumping is so much fun and cause it isn't safe to do in a Western saddle I sway to English!

It is a matter of opinion and it depends on what you really want to do.

English is much more technical then western. Jumping and eventing is very exciting. And then there is Dressage, the ballet of them all, it's very very difficult and takes years to perfect that ultimate connection with horse. Think of it this way... from a technical stand point, Western riding is grade school, English (hunters and jumpers) is high school, and Dressage is college. Doesn't mean that you don't have fun in grade school, it's just on a different level.

I adore barrel racing ( I do it for fun whenever I can), but jumping has always been the reason I do english... it's just, exhilarating when you jump with your horse, and I don't jump very high so I can't imagine how it must feel jumping 3-4 feet! also, like everybody else, english is a nice challenge... :)

To each their own is the way I look at it. We all have our opinions, some like western better, some like English better.
I ride English because it's more challenging for me and I also love jumping. I started riding western though and have done a few. I own a horse that has been there and done that, I love riding him English but at times it's nice to relax and ride western.
I don't know if any one knows this but a lot of disciplines including western have their roots from dressage, a barrel racer performs a roll back when running a pattern, Jumping is just dressage with jumps in between.
I don't know, that's just my opinion though.

I don't really find one more challenging than the other. If you get deep into an western disapline you find they are quite challenging, very technical. If you just try it riding around on an old lazy horse, of course its going to be easy. But training a barrel horse takes effort, perfecting things, teaching that instant connention between a riders seat and the horse. A good western horse goes from only the seat, very little rein contact. I had more to teach my horse when i switched her to a western horse from an english horse. But I also like english, jumping anyway. I compare it to barrel racing, in both your trying to find the right striding; between jumps and between barrels. the right time to go into 2 point, and the right time to start turning. There both fun, and I like then both. I just perfer western, it's much more laid back. and I tend to fit into that crowd of ppl better.

also: I find it offensive to call western grade school riding.

Have you ever tried English? Because there is a big difference and both can be just as thrilling as the other. I personally find it more thrilling to fly over jumps than to race around barrels, but I also do love Western. It all depends on what you started out doing. If you started out western, odds are that will be your preference.

I take offense to calling all western riding "grade school" level as well because it is a gross oversimplification. Making a statement like this completely ignores the origins of horsemanship. It all originated in the in Spain. Differences evolved over time as horses and horsemanship spread to different geographical areas. One of the main differences is two-handed riding vs. one handed. Obviously you can't swing a sword, or carry a garrocha, while riding with two hands. Which is why the Spanish began to train their horses to be ridden with one hand and with subtle leg cues. These training techniques were seen (with slightly different gear) out west in Mexico, California and Nevada when vaqueros had many days on the range to school their horses and develop a good handle while working cattle. Truth is, there are idiots in both Western and English disciplines that think that if you put more metal in a horse's mouth and pull on its face, it will listen to you better, to me that defines "grade school" level horsemanship. Some of the best horse's I've ever seen never set foot in an arena, never won any money, never ran barrels or jumped at an elite level, but they were confident, obedient and in tune with the commands of the rider. It's all about riding good horses, whether your saddle has swells and a horn or not.

i ride both.
i barrel race, show western pleasure, halter, and do dressage and jumping.

i ride both seats and i love english more though because its faster paced and funner. i love western cuz its relaxing but unless im doing gymkhana or something of that nature i get bored. And english is more of a change of pace and versatilty. Its just a matter of opinion everyone likes something different.

I wouldn't go so far as to call English boring or not fun. But everybody has what they like to do. Western has all it's perks as well as English. Both dicaplines have their challenges and do things for the horse and rider that gives them a total rush. I think I've seen just as many western riders on the site as I have english. I wouldn't go as far as to call Western "grade school" in the levels of difficulty. Honestly if I got on a barrel horse right now I"d probably fly right off. My friend runs barrels and I think it's just amazing what she and that horse can do.

I've riden in a western saddle but I only do it for the comfort of it if I want to go for a lazy ride with my horse. That doesn't mean I think it's boring. There's a lot of things you can do to bond with your horse in a western style of riding. Same goes for English. I think it's just preference. As somebody said up there earlier. Whatever you started on is usually going to be your preference of riding.

I'm not sure it's exactly wise to judge the different styles of riding on this site. It's here to unite horse lovers and help us with anything we need as far as training, health, and even first time horse owners find a lot of information on here.

I agree that they are BOTH awesome. I think it is rude and mean when people start up petty arguments and say rude things about the other discipline. I prefer English myself, just because there is less bulk between you and the horse basically. I agree with Samantha that both are equally as technical and also find it offensive to say it's "grade school" level. I plan on sticking to both and am actually planning to get a little more into the Western this summer. Everybody has fun with different things, but basically all riding is the same: The art of keep the horse between you and the ground gracefully.

i also agree i found it really offensive that you called western riding grade school .... western riding is incredibly technical... and in a lot of sports we do what english riders do but much faster. i love both disciplines but please, dont called western "un technical" or "grade school" until you have ridden at the higher levels. its offensive becasue many people have been working for YEARS to get where they are. dont put them down.

personally, I don't think you can even compare the two because they are so different. I prefer english simply because it is what I have been training for for basically my whole life. But i wouldn't go so far as to say English is "better" or "more fun" than western because I don't have enough experience in western riding..., but thats just one girls opinion

I prefer English riding because I am much closer to my horse.
Don't get me wrong, I love western (my mare was trained for reining, so i rode her western alot), but I love love love jumping. I love the feel of a horse under my calf, the warmth on a cold day, and i love the payout when my legs don't hurt from keeping my heels down and in the right positioin.

But again, it's a matter of preference. Your opinion is your opinion.

I love both. I learned western first and rode that was for 7 years before I somehow got talked into trying english on a whim. Turns out I love jumping. They both have pros and cons. I love the feeling of going over a jump but I also love the feeling of galloping out on the trail or making the turns around a barrel pattern. It's not fair to say that one is more difficult than the other or more fun than the other because they are simply sooo different.

Something I feel like adding to this conversation "Do not speak ill of something you have no clue about" example, Theres many people who think gag bits are big harsh bits, actually the more common tom thumb bit is much much a harsher bit. So everyone should take some lessons, watch some training videos, read up on a dicipline then develope their opinion.

off note: there was a girl at my barn who thought so highly of english riding and dressage and thought so little of western riding. low and behold on day she got into an equitation western saddle, she couldn't keep her seat. My barn is a very intergrated barn, most people in it have ridden both english and western. Nobody likes this girl anymore.

no offense but that question was sorta snooty... i find english and western both fun but i ride english more cuz its helps me balance and i like to jump =] but sayinf that one is better than the other is sorta mean... ppl can take that offensive if they r really in to english riding. and english and western has sorta the same stuff you can do : walking, trot/jog, canter/lope, galloping, and reining and dressage r sorta similar.

Jenn: i find reining is more about agility and ability and dressage is more about the horse listening to their rider. but there is western dressage too. i lyk western better but thats just cuz me and my horse are better at speed events ;) lol and i dont find the question offensive at all

I have an appaloosa gelding i ride western, but i also ride my havovarian english. I like western but i can feel the horse better english and feel more secure then western. When i ride trails i use the western saddle, i'll talk western or english any time you wish. Plus i like jumping jumps and i'm scared of falling over on to the barrels. Weird i know.

I love both styles of riding, I find western very relaxing and comfortable, but I enjoy jumping more than any other discipline, and English seems to offer more of what I personally prefer in riding.

i really wasnt trying to make enemies sorry if i was rude!

i do like both styles. there are both great to watch and compete in.

Well no offence, but no it's not. This is just my opinion, of course. Most western riding- except maybe reining- the horse is hollow in the back, head in the air and shaking, and just plane old miserable for the rider. (again- just my opinion.) Where as english you worry about the correct frame or usage of the horses back. This is why all western horses have swayed backs and english horses don't. Also western saddles way about 50 pounds. Not to mention so many western riders use curb bits (even if not needed) just because their more 'western'. Anyone can ride western. Not everyone can ride english. English is more challenging for the rider. Rather than galloping around like crazy maniacs. And I've ridden english and western. as well as natural (without any tack whatsoever)

i ride western but i have ridden english took lessons for a while but never really found much of a challenge in either of em, i just love the fact that im on a horse i dont care what any one else rides as long as they enjoy it ya know this website is suposed to bring ppl together through their love of horses and riding it didnt specifiy english or western id rather be out in the trails then in an areana any day but my little sister loves barrel racing. its just the preffrence of the rider so lets all just relax and enjoy what brought us here the horses we love.

I ride western - but allison just made me laugh. In my opinion, that is the lower end of BOTH disciplines - and I have actually met more english horses with swaybacks out here in utah. :) So I think that the whole sway-backed horse thing must just be bad riders, not english riders OR western riders. :) Oh, and with the curb bits, of course that happens in the lower levels! Just like in english people hang on their horse's mouths! Oh, and while some western people do run around like crazy maniacs, don't some english people jump bigger and bigger, just because? Even if they are jerking on their horse's mouth or very nearly falling off? It's kinda funny, but I often see barrel racers doing a lot of slow work and riding better than most other riders - english or western. Just an observation. :) And yes, anyone can ride. Western, english, or otherwise. It's just that it takes quite a bit of time and effort to do so well. :)

I sincerely hope that I did not offend anyone! If I did, I'm sorry.

i have ridden many styles western is fun and relaxing.english i have really started yo enjoy alot as i find i can do more with my horse.dressage.jumping....i like riding every way as long as i am riding......barrel racing looks like fun my horse loves it with my youngest daughter but i watch them and think ok i will watch.lol eventing and dressage are thrilling to watch and compete in...really doesn't matter what you like best as long as you are in the tack and having a great time

just take the saddle off... If you can ride bareback then you can do anything. Besides, we're here because we love to ride horses, sure there is western and english but its still riding a horse and loving every second of it, I know I sure do.

My horse is trained english. I ride western. But because of his training I have considered doing a little english, just to try it.
Who cares what your riding style is, so long as you and your horse are enjoying it.

i ride english because thats what i started on. i so far dont like western style but i have neer tried it so... but english is harder and its involves jumping. a western rider said if i was to do jumping or dressage i am better off in english. and second i look good in english. thats what the western rider said.

Have you done any english riding??? Just as in the western world there are many different styles and lots of fun ones as well

It's a matter of opinion. I ride both but more English especially hunter/jumper. My Quarter Horse was trained both and I'd actually like to see how he does Western and what I can unlock, unlock both English and Western with him.

I still find this a little rude...even if you were not meaning to be...

I am an english (dressage) rider and I find it degrading to the folks who have worked so hard to get to the upper levels in Western riding to compare their style of riding to grade school level..I mean have you SEEN the ladies and gents flying around the barrels and roping and pole bending?? It looks extemely difficult and one does not just hop on a horse and take off. Every dicipline in the equestrian world (if done correctly) takes years of training and perserverance and skill. Instead of all this comparison we should be man or woman enough to learn from each other.

I have to agree very strongly with Carinna Stewart and what she said about it is insulting to compare Western riding to grade school. I am a western rider, and I am starting to learn reining.Comparing the Western and English worlds reining and dressage can be compared fairly easily, I know some dressage riders will find that insulting.
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Both styles are equally as fun...I ride both

It's a matter of preference. Does it matter? You are enjoying the company of a horse.

I love western so much fun

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWWOWOWOWOW!!!! yea your wrong dude. i used to feel the same way. but once you get in that saddle its a whole different story!! it also makes ya a better rider, and teaches you have to have good leg palcement..

Reining and performance western riding is also very technical...can u ride your horses on a loose rein and barley touch the reins to stop, turn, and back? I ride both but mostly dressage. The basics are the same in both disciplines. It just depends on where you want to go from there. Personally i like the challenge of dressage and the feeling of when your horse is truly through and relaxed. Im not into speed or jumping. Its all in what your prefer but i think everyone should try both.

Nothing wrong with Western riding. In fact it's good to have a diversity. Helps with controlling your body and seat. I just prefer Saddleseat. To me it is very elegant, more fun to ride and great to watch.

Don't try and compare them... they are to vastly diffrent disiplines, both needing diffrent talents in both the rider and the horses part. And Each are exciting in there own way. It's our own opinion. But consider them as diffrent from each other in there own way, as they where both created for to seprate reasons.

I like both styles. Western riding to me is so relaxing and theraputic.

I wouldn't know I only tried Western riding once on holiday and didn't catch on bur around where I live they don't have western riding and I couldn't teach myself soo yeah ...

Not everybody on here rides English as you can see

Definitely a matter of personal opinion. I started out western, but I prefer English over all else. Western isn't a challenge for me and the technicality of the English disciplines gives me a mental workout as well as a physical work out. That and nothing beats galloping towards a jump that is as tall as you are.