Similarities and Differences of English and Western Riding There are two major categories of horseback riding, English and western. There are many similarities and differences between English and western riding. Most riders prefer one style or another. There are 6.9 million horses and 7.1 million people in the United States that are part of the horse industry (http://www.theequestrianchannel.com/sitebuilde rcontent/sitebuilderfiles/2002USEFdemographics.pdf). According to Evans (2002) 97% of horseback riders ride horses for pleasure, 6% ride horses competitively, and 3% of riders ride for both pleasure and for competition. Evans (2002) also states that 80% of horseback riders prefer western, however among competitive horseback riders English
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For both styles the position you sit in needs to be the same. You need to sit up straight and tall and have your legs right at the horse’s side (www.equisearch.com/discoverhorses/article/english-versus-western-riding-whats-the-difference). For both of these categories of riding a walk, trot, and canter are the gaits used. These disciplines also have many differences. One main difference is the saddles used. The western saddle is much heavier and also wider than the English saddle (www.equisearch.com/article/english-vs-western-riding-17557). One special thing about the western saddle is that it has a horn used in the olden days for holding a rope. Most cowboys ride western and it is a part of their everyday lifestyle. English Is more of a showy fancy sport were people travel to go to shows ( https://www.transwest.com/whats-the-difference-between-english-and-western-riding). In conclusion there are many aspects of both disciplines that can be compared and contrasted. The reason for finding the similarities and differences is so that people new to riding can find what they think will be best for them. Any rider at any age or any skill level can ride either English or western or even any other discipline. Horseback riding can bring all riders of any age together even when there are different varieties of
For both styles the position you sit in needs to be the same. You need to sit up straight and tall and have your legs right at the horse’s side (www.equisearch.com/discoverhorses/article/english-versus-western-riding-whats-the-difference). For both of these categories of riding a walk, trot, and canter are the gaits used. These disciplines also have many differences. One main difference is the saddles used. The western saddle is much heavier and also wider than the English saddle (www.equisearch.com/article/english-vs-western-riding-17557). One special thing about the western saddle is that it has a horn used in the olden days for holding a rope. Most cowboys ride western and it is a part of their everyday lifestyle. English Is more of a showy fancy sport were people travel to go to shows ( https://www.transwest.com/whats-the-difference-between-english-and-western-riding). In conclusion there are many aspects of both disciplines that can be compared and contrasted. The reason for finding the similarities and differences is so that people new to riding can find what they think will be best for them. Any rider at any age or any skill level can ride either English or western or even any other discipline. Horseback riding can bring all riders of any age together even when there are different varieties of