English or Western Tack and Apparel

I’m a horse lover through and through..  Growing up in Nebraska, and having a friend who raised Shetland ponies and horses, I spent a lot of time grooming, riding and cleaning up after horses, ponies, colts and an occasional donkey.  I rode Western, meaning my saddle had a wide front swell and saddle horn (if I planned to rope any steers, I’d have something to wrap the lariat around) and leather covered wood stirrups. 

I always admired those who rode English and wore what was termed proper horse riding attire (I wore Levis jeans).  I tried riding English once and found myself so off balance that I nearly fell off the horse.  An English saddle is flat with little metal stirrups, a big change from my Western saddle. I was used to leaning into the swell and whoops, there isn't one on an English saddle. You lean forward into nothing and find yourself face down in the horse’s mane.

There is also a big difference in Western and English tack and how the horse is trained to respond to the rider.   The bridles are not the same and most horses who are ridden English do not neck rein…one rein is held in the right hand and one in the left.  A slight tug with the left rein and your horse turns left, tug with the right rein and it turns to the right.  A Western trained horse will “neck rein”…the reins are held in the right hand and moving your hand to the left will cause the right rein to press against the horses neck, indicating to the horse that it is to turn to the left …when you move your hand to the right, the left rein presses against the left side of the neck and the horse turns right.  The horse  responds to a neck rein when it has learned that a light pressure of the right rein against its neck on that side means for the horse to turn left and vice versa. Sounds confusing but its really not.

A horse show brings out the very best horses and English riding apparel, the riders are often dressed in hunter shadbelly,  a tight formal-looking jacket with tails.  Dressage apparel usually consists of a black or very dark jacket, generally a shadbelly, and tight white breeches, tight high boots and a dressage helmet or a top hat.  Dressage classes are beautiful to watch.  Such grace and elegance in both the rider and the horse.