I ride english and I really like it but western looks fun too. Should I stay with english or try western?

Of COURSE you should TRY western. How can you ever make a decision as to which you like more if you don't try?????

NEVER turn your back on learning something new!!!!!

I started barrel racing at 45. Extreme cowboy races at 46 Won my first one against about 30 QH's LOL. I was the only one to finish in under 2 minutes. Want to find someone to teach me roping now. Oh and I have started cowboy horse soccer this year at 47. FUN FUN FUN!!!!!!!

There's no reason to stop riding english, but western is a lot of fun. The balance is better saddle-wise and it's more "with the horse". Super fun, go find a western barn and take some lessons.

Try western because there's no harm in trying they're both really fun... i started off western and heard all this crap about english so i was really scared and now i love riding english too :) just keep your english tack and try out western because if you can ride without a pommel and horn you'll be just fine with them just make sure if you're going to keep riding english dont get too reliant on the extras from western

There is no reason to stop riding english because you want to try western. If your barn doesn't offer western lessons then you can also take western lessons at a western barn. or if you don't really have a big connection to your barn and you wouldn't mind moving to a different barn you could move to a barn that does western and english so you can take western lessons for a while and then you could always go back to english if you want to.

Both have benefits, but what you should really be considering is what you want to be doing in the long run. If you want to do any showing, you should definitely take that into consideration. Pick what sport you think you'll be doing, what level and how long you are willing to spend training for it.

The options in your community is also a big factor. For example, if you have English barns closer to you then Western with less expensive prices and more options, then that might make you lean towards English.

Also consider your personal preferences. Do you like to jump? Do you like timed competitions? Do you like rodeos or show circuits? Big or small saddles? Galloping or a nice piaffe?

If you would like to try western then do it! If you own a horse, they are more than capable of doing multiple disciplines. I ride hunter/jumper and have now started doing some dressage. The more diverse, the better rider you will become and I believe the horse can benefit in some way from any discipline. Have fun and ride safe!!

The two can be complimentary, and an English horse can ride western too. If you can get hold of "Buck" the story of Buck Brannaman, you can see in the movie an English rider who also trains her horse western and says it helps make the horse more alert and gives it "a job" which it loves.

At the end of the day it's what you and your horse love that make you both better riders. Giving your horse a 'job' it understands makes it much happier. I think the horses understand barrel racing and chasing cattle better than show jumping!

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I'd deffinatley recommend at least trying western. it's really fun and it is a challenge to, don't listen to people that say otherwise. ya if youre just w/t/c on the flat, western is easier than English, but when you're doing actual disciplines it's difficult. one isn't more difficult than the other.

You can try western & if you don't like it then go back to english. At least you can always say you tried it.

There both really fun! Western had more of a saddle, so its a little easier to balance, but if you're into riding you should enjoy both. It never hurts to try!