Re: My First Lesson

On 31 Mar 2007 05:41:12 -0700, "cbsnet" <carl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Mar 30, 9:57 pm, Hunter <airstreamingy...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 30 Mar 2007 18:48:41 -0700, "cbsnet" <c...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:



Mark put me on a little paint mare with a western saddle. After about
2 or 3 lessons Mark says I should be on an English one.

How strange. Is this a common practice nowadays? It's been a while
since I started riding.

Hunter

I'm don't know. I'm just the student. They did mention that English
was a little harder and I should get used to the Western first.

Personally I think it's the other way 'round. Yes Enlgish is more
demanding on balance and seat, but those are the two foundations of
all equitation. Maybe the insurance guys or the lawyers are driving
this decision. In any event I still think it's backwards! :-)

As an aside, we have gaited horses. I have LONG been of the opinion
that even if you want to go the "gaited" route you should ride for a
year or two in an English saddle on a trotting horse. This
combination is more challenging to ride correctly but if you
successfully master the challenge you will be a MUCH better gaited
rider (and not look an old sack of wheat on top of the horse :-) ). I
get regularly "flamed" by my gaited associates for this view.

If you've not done so buy the three training tapes/DVDs from the U.S.
Cavalry Association and Vol. I of "Horsemanship and Horsemastership"
from the same source. It's the best $100 you will ever spend! :-)




Bill Kambic
Haras Lucero, Kingston, TN
Mangalarga Marchador: Uma Raça, Uma Paixão
.

Relevant Pages

  • English vs Western Att: JRW
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  • Re: Myler Bits anyone have good/bad experience?
    ... By this I mean, that you have changed his whole way of going and perhaps even though, he is now going english and has had a clean bill of health that his neck and back muscles are now developed in a certain way because of his years of being trained a that way he is resisting with the head shaking due to low grade muscle pain. ... The reason that I am mentioning the problem from this particular angle is that my friend has just moved to Texas and found that the horse she has bought over there is not behaving as though he is typically english trained and rides behind the bridle and she has been told that due to the 'american- english' training that he has received so far, and this is not the same as the typically english training we do over here because again it is a whole other way of going, ie overbent and behind the bridle rather than 'on the bit'. ...
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  • Re: what to wear to dressage schooling show?
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  • Re: switch from western to english
    ... He did leave the farm several years ago to work with an english rider. ... I have a saddle that I am going to try: ... I found that gently placing an English saddle on a rank green horse ... Placing an English saddle on a Western broke horse is also not an ...
    (rec.equestrian)
  • Re: switch from western to english
    ... He did leave the farm several years ago to work with an english rider. ... I have a saddle that I am going to try: ... I found that gently placing an English saddle on a rank green horse ... Placing an English saddle on a Western broke horse is also not an ...
    (rec.equestrian)