english riding questions

lol!

[quote=PaintedHorses]

lol!

 
i agree

Ok, how does it feel to sit in a bucket seat and bounce like a sack of potatoes?
 
The breeches are not tight, I never notice them being tight.
The helmet is another story but I only wear that for shows, ditto on the coat.
I LOVE being in balance with my horse, the saddle is the next best thing to riding bareback.  I move WITH my horse.
Western riders - a lot of them don't understand collection, which encourages a smoother gait... nor do they move with the horse.
 
I started out Western, still ride Western but I compete in Dressage.  I do it all, sometimes I like English sometimes I like to ride in speed events.  The saddle is not small.  It fits me just fine thank you.
 
When you move with the horse you don't need 40 pounds of leather holding you on.

pretty darn good actually
i didn't mean for ANY of it to be offending just asking some questions i've always wondered about
I almost always ride bareback so i see your point there
i'm sorry but those pants always have looked pretty dang tight
western riding in MY opinion take just as much if not more understanding of collection  and smoothness
and last time i checked i DO move WITH my horse
i don't "need" 40 lbs of leather holding me on i rarely ride with a saddle anyhow

[quote=DixieClassic003]

I have a couple questions for english riders no offense intended to ANYONE just some curious Q/A.
How can it be comfortable to ride in such tight breeches? They aren't tight most of them have 10% or more streach material in them.
How is it comfortable to ride in such a little saddle? It's less bulky than a western saddle placing the rider in closer contact with the horse and just like any saddle the wright one for horse and rider is comfortable.
How is it comfortable to sit straight as a board the entire time? Everyone should sit up straight regardless of what type of saddle you sit in.
How is it enjoyable to wear a helmet all the time? Personal choice and a good fitting helmet helps.
How is it comfortable to wear such a heavy looking coat? -dressage,jumping ect.- It all depends on what it's made of, some are heavy some are very light it's no different than anything else you just get used to it.  I have a heavy one that I use when it's cold and a light weight for summer
I used to ride western and still would if I had a nice horse to ride.

see now if summer would have explained it like you did i would have understood a bit more

LOL happy to help []

see i'm not ragging on english riding i'm just curious. i can't stand when people act like western is so unrefined and sloppy cause its not. it just happens to be a little more laid back ....until you get to the rodeos -which r totally my thing-

[8D][quote=DixieClassic003]

I have a couple questions for english riders no offense intended to ANYONE just some curious Q/A.
How can it be comfortable to ride in such tight breeches?

 
They are actually made of stretchy material and I sure am not uncomfortable looking at the male riders where every curve EVERYWHERE can be seen........

agreed

I rarely am fully understood on forums anyway, I was not trying to be pissy.  You rarely see English riders trying to balance themselves with the reins but you will see Western riders do that.
Do you do the rising trot when you ride Western?  Probably not.  The horse actually pushes you out of the saddle which is the cool part about it.  I imagine there are collected Western horses out there but few that are truely collected with the rider moving WITH the horse, stride for stride.  Its hard to explain.  If you like to ride bareback I would encourage you to give English a try.  I bought a cheap starter set English saddle 2 years ago and I still use it.  Its great exercise.  The other thing I don't understand is the Western jog.  There is no way I could get my Hackney to do that, but she now has a smooth collected trot due to our English lessons.  Asking her to do the western jog just wasn't fair to her breeding.

ok then but i still say western is more controlled and refined than most believe
 
what do you mean by western jog? you mean lope?

[quote=DixieClassic003]
see i'm not ragging on english riding
Yes you are! [8D]
 
I've grown up riding English.  I'm not at home in western tack.  I totally agree with you about the refined way a well trained western horse handles.  When you can get a flying lead change on each stride.... Some of that stuff is really amazing.  It's VERY much like dressage!  There will always be riders of every discipline who just get on and slop around but hey, if they're having fun and not hurting the horse, what's the big deal?  They probably don't want to be in a show ring anyway.
I had a QH growing up and rode him ALWAYS bareback.  Great for the balance! 

Breeches are actually quite comfortable if you get the right size but in my 40's I rarely wear them anymore to spare others [:@].  I just wear comfortable jeans and tuck them inside my 1/2 chaps.
 
My saddle is sized to fit my butt so it's comfy!  I ride bareback, western and English but prefer English.
 
I don't think English riders sit ramrod straight, they just have good posture and use their upper body to help balance and guide their horse.  I do try to keep my shoulders back but whether I'm upright or not depends on what I'm doing.  Dressage, yes, I'm upright, cross country I'm more foreward, but my back is still straight.
 
My helmet is fitted to my head so it's not bad and I've fallen on my head so many times, I don't get on without one now   I've shown western and my hat always blows off!
 
A correctly fitting huntcoat is fine as long as the weather is not too hot.
 
I think everyone has their own preference.  My hubby prefers western,  my kids and I prefer English but if something wasn't comfortable, I wouldn't do it.