How to Ride Western-Style

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Learning to ride a horse western-style opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Instead of trotting around a ring and jumping fences, the western rider can discover the joys of roping, barrel racing and trail riding.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Western Saddles
Breast Collars
Bridles
Cinch
Saddle Pads

Step1

Take lessons. It is important to get instruction on proper riding technique from a trained professional.

Step2

Wear jeans or long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, riding boots or hard-soled shoes, and a helmet.

Step3

Get a western saddle. A western saddle is larger than an English saddle, covers more of the horse and therefore provides more security. The western saddle comes down lower on the sides of the horse, goes farther down the back and has a pommel, or horn, in front to hold onto.

Step4

Use a strap called a cinch to hold the saddle in place on the horse's back.

Step5

Fit your horse with a bridle. The bridle has a headstall that fits over the horse's head and a bit that sits in the horse's mouth to help the rider control the horse.

Step6

Choose one of two western-style reins for your horse: split reins or romel reins. Split reins are two separate reins, one held in each hand; the romel is two reins attached to each side of the bit and then wrapped together so you only hold one thick rein in one hand.

Tips & Warnings

You can ride any breed of horse western-style. (Arabians, however, require special saddles designed to specifically fit them.)
Wear cowboy boots or a riding boot with a small heel to help hold your foot in the stirrup without getting stuck.
When riding, always wear long pants - preferably jeans - as they will protect your legs in case of a fall.
Wear a helmet while riding. One blow to the head can be very serious - even deadly.

Comments

Anonymous said

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on 9/27/2006 To tighten the girth you must understand that horses will know that the girth eventually tightens around their bodies to hold the saddle in place. Finding this out they will tend to puff themselves out, or hold a lot of air.

Don't ever tighten the girth on the first pull. Instead tighten it enough that the horse knows it is there, and take the time to walk him/her around. They will eventually release the air they've held.

Stop your horse and tighten it a bit more. Repeat the walking process, even if it means lunging your horse for a small amount of time. By then they will have forgotten about the girth, and you can make your final adjustment by tightening it to your satisfaction. Then hop on and ride!

STEPS:
1. Tighten girth only a little bit
2. Walk/lunge the horse
3. Tighten girth a bit more (firmly now the girth is now tense)
4. Walk/lunge horse again
5. Make final adjustments to girth

Always allow time for the horse to expel the air being held.

Anonymous said

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on 9/25/2006 There are a wide variety of bits used for different types of riding. Some bits are very severe and can seriously injure a horse's mouth in unfamiliar, untrained hands. These bits often have a shank that hangs down below the horse's jaw and the reins are attached at the ends. Other bits are very mild and aren't enough to control some horses. An example of this is the French snaffle. It has no shank and two joints in the mouth piece. It's a fine bit for calm, well behaved horses, but other horses will run away on a rider using a French snaffle.

Different bits require different use of the reins, as they work on different parts of the horse's mouth- some are specifically for neck reining, some for training, driving, and so on. Before tacking up an unfamiliar horse or switching your horse's bit, it's important to match the bit with the horse and rider's abilities and discipline.

Anonymous said

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on 8/11/2006 Don't overload your horse on treats, such as apples or carrots, when he does what you ask him to do. I've found that if you try to reward your horse with treats every time he does the right thing, he begins to expect it and won't do things for you unless treats are involved. Then you're going to end up having to retrain your horse.

Doing the right thing from the beginning will save you a lot of time. Correct your horse if he does the wrong thing. A simple pat on the neck will be just fine when he does what you ask him.

Anonymous said

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on 8/11/2006 There's nothing wrong with scolding. Horses are like three year old kids and need to be scolded from time to time. If your horse tries to bite you I've found that a smack on his belly will let him know that he can't do that. I wouldn't smack him on the nose or face because that can tend to make a horse skiddish when petted on the face. Yes, you should have respect for your horse but your horse should also have respect for you. Horse's aren't dumb animals. They're smart and if you let them get away with something don't think they won't do it again.

Anonymous said

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on 8/11/2006 Don't always stand on the left side of your horse while leading him. When you're training your horse, lead him from both sides so that he becomes used to it.

I've had the experience of training my horse only from the left side and when I got to the right side he didn't know what to do. I would also say to mount him from the right side from time to time as well. That way he will accept things from both sides. It can't hurt. There's no rule that says you can't do things from both sides.

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