Today, I share my experience of three different riding styles. People often ask me if I ride Western or English. I actually ride and compete in Western, English, and bareback. I first learned to ride Western. Then I moved on to bareback, because I was too small to put the saddle on my pony.

I dreamt of getting an English saddle like the ones I saw on TV. I got one for Christmas, and then I was doing it all. I have a lot of experience competing bareback and Western. I'm also taking dressage lessons. Today, I'll be exploring the differences between these three styles of riding and how these saddles or lack of saddle affect the rider.

Show Notes

[04:07] I have competed in all three types of events with my horse Popcorn.

[04:41] Riding is the art of keeping a horse between you and the ground.

[04:58] This year I'm going to compete in Western dressage and traditional dressage. Either way, I'm putting emphasis on dressage this year.

[06:13] I have at least three different seats when I ride a horse my Western seat, my dressage seat, and my bareback seat.

[06:55] I grew up riding mostly bareback. Bareback naturally encourages you to get into a rhythm with the horse.

[07:42] A saddle is something between you and the horse.

[08:20] As people relax on a horse, bareback encourages them to lengthen their legs.

[09:02] It's better to think of balancing and sitting deeper on the horse and extending your legs.

[10:27] I enjoy trail riding bareback.

[11:19] A horse isn't going to be perfectly balanced when learning new maneuvers. This is where a saddle comes in handy.

[12:33] When working on refinement, I don't want to lose my balance and clamp my leg on the side of the horse.

[13:31] Riding Western. There are so many different saddle choices. There are also choices in the way the stirrup hangs.

[15:13] If you are aware of where your saddle wants to put you, you will know whether you are fighting your equipment or have a weakness in your legs.

[16:29] The western saddle comes with a lot of great benefits like the saddle horn and a more stable feeling leg.

[17:05] There's so many different styles of English saddles. There is a thin stirrup leather that is easy to move. The English saddle is kind of a halfway between the Western saddle and riding bareback.

[18:32] It takes awhile for my muscle memory to remember that the stirrup leather will move much more easily than with the Western saddle.

[19:33] People often ask if it's harder to stay on the English saddle. Your seat and balance determine staying on top of the horse more than your saddle does.

[20:04] My dressage saddle feels as secure as my Western saddle.

[21:06] With an English saddle, grabbing the front of the saddle feels like pulling yourself down into the saddle.

[21:52] When you're working towards becoming a better rider, it's all about stretching yourself out of your comfort zone. Getting out of your comfort zone becomes a power.

[22:12] Each saddle has something to offer you.

[22:27] Practice dropping the stirrups on your Western saddle to begin learning bareback.

[23:31] A well-balanced rider is best for the horse regardless of saddle type.

[24:20] Saddle fit is a big subject and finding a saddle to fit the horse and the rider can be complicated.

[26:50] Whenever experimenting with changes, make sure that you do it with a horse that you trust or take a riding lesson.

Links and Resources:

Stacy Westfall Championship Bareback & Bridleless Freestyle Reining with Roxy

Popcorn and Stacy Westfall Mounted Shooting

The Stagecoach West: Horse Tack & Saddlery