Emily J asked:
Hey there, so i have found a wonderful horse up for lease, only problem is that he is a western horse. I have about 8 or os years of h/j experince, will it be easy for me to make teh switch to h/j to western?
i can’t re-train him, his owner wants him to stay western.
horseback
horseback
ok so I went from hunter/ jumper for 31/2 years then to western for 2 years and now i am doing hunter/jumper stuff again for the past 2 1/2 years
I found that it really was not a hard change because not much is different you just don’t post and ride one handed it is pretty easy you just sit there istead of posting!!
horseback
Congrads (:
It should be fairly easy. It’s not that much different. I think the biggest thing will be the saddle.
I personally like western saddles better, i find them easier to balance on and ride in. (:
Good Luck !
horseback
You will need to switch to a snaffle and introduce him to contact. Often western pleasure horses forget what it means to go forward with impulsion so you may want to do lungeing lessons in a surcingle to introduce the concept of both to him. If he is suited to the discipline it shouldn’t be to hard, if he drags his hind feet at all or neck set to low you may find an uphill battle. Good luck to you!
horseback
You shouldn’t switch from hunter/jumper unless you want to. Not just to get a horse. You will only end up being unhappy. If you want to switch to western riding then go ahead. It just like anything will take practice.
horseback
If you know how to ride, then there should be no problem with the switch.
horseback
Thats a good question. I just bought my first horse, he was a team penner, and i’m a hunter/jumper. I’m not at all worried about making the transition. He’s got a nice build for jumping and I think he’s gonna like it. The aids for western don’t differ from english. But it depends what western discipline this horse was doing. Also, you will have to teach him to go on the bit, but thats not hard. So in conclusion, if you think the horse has the potential/physical build to excel in your discipline, go for it, make it a project. It wont be too hard… Depending on your riding level of course.
horseback
riding western is one of the easier disciplines to learn for both horse and rider it is so relaxed compared to english…….. the horses gaits are slower too
horseback
You should have absolutely no problem going from English to Western. You’ll probably find you need to lengthen your stirrups, especially if you did HJ. I grew up HJ and riding Western now relaxes me; Good equitation is good equitation no matter what style you ride. The equipment, techniques, and goals are a bit different, but with a little bit of guidance you’ll be great. Definitely lease the horse if you like him!
horseback
In western riding, the biggest difference is that your leg is more in front of you and you sit farther back. Neck reining might be a bit of a challenge at first, but you will get the hang of it.
It isn’t that hard to switch from English to Western, it will just take a bit of time to get used to your legs out in front and using one hand, instead of two for direction.
I rode both English and Western all through high school and never had equitation problems.
horseback
That way round. I would say that you will have no problem whats so ever. Go for it and enjoy.
horseback
well i have never riden english but i have rode western all my life all i know is that in english you are supposed to have tight reins in western its loose reins and heels down