frm english to western?

Question

I am an english rider and I have been riding english for about 6 or 7 years (im only 13, so this is the whole time Ive been riding) Ive never ridden in a western saddle, besides at the fair rides and such when i was little. At my barn, they are holding a show and im entering it with my highstrung horse Carmel. The only problem is that i have to ride western bc it is one of the show requirements. The 2 events im doing so far are jumping 3 jumps in a row and cantering barrels. Im only worried about jumping with a western saddle. help, how do i do it??!!

THANKS :)

sorry i meant "from english to western"
thankks =]

Answer 1

The jumping event you are doing is called hurry scurry (sometimes is called something else, elsewhere). I do gymkhana and barrel racing and one of the events in gymkhana is hurry scurry.
The best way to jump these fast is to get up in a sudo 2 point (your not really in a full on 2 point, but it is enough to where you are off the horses back and leaning forward over the horn). I know its hard to do with the horn there, I have gotten hurt from the horn before, but I found my horse to jump better and faster with me in the position. I also ride with my stirrups a bit shorter to allow me to stand up in my stirrups better. So, practice it at home first so that you and your horse gets used to it. Good Luck and have fun!!

Answer 2

I have been riding english for a very long time too and switching to western is so much easier than switching from western to english. Western saddles are a lot bigger and require a lot less balance, they are more secure too. The reins are always way easier to use, in my opinion. Western is very fun though, the jumps probably wont be that high since the horn of the saddle would start getting in the way more and more the higher you go. Dont go fully into your two point but close your hip angle a little bit (lean foreward a touch)... and when you are landing a lot of riders try to sit back a little bit more, that way on impact the horn wont go into your stomach. Before you enter the show i would try a little jumping in a western saddle just to test it out and find what works best for you!

Answer 3

Basically, good balanced form is good balanced form and there is no substitute for it. You have been riding English, so you know what I am talking about. I would suggest a couple of things..in English one usually rides irons a little shorter than in western, so a good way to measure your stirrups in a western saddle is stand up, way up tall, feet and legs thrust as far back (yes back, you are just measuring) and push your hand in between you and your saddle, you know, the part that you really sit on. You should be able to push 4 fingers in easily for normal western riding measurements..now, when you jump, you will want to shorten your stirrups just a little. Also, two more important things...do practice you and your horse with the saddle that you are going to be riding, learn your patterns well so that they just come naturally to you when the pressure and speed is on and find out what is allowed in the rules and what isn't...because in some western classes, there is no penalty for using the saddle horn as a secure hold when going over jumps, so do your homework and your confidence level will rise quickly...good luck.

Answer 4

The correct position for western as in all forms of riding, is a balanced seat. This is seen when a bystander can run an imaginary straight line that passes through the rider's ear, shoulder, hip, and heel. This means the rider's feet and legs must hang directly in balance so that the heel hits this line, with heels down. The rider should also be sitting as straight as possible, but with their hips under their body, sitting firmly on their seat bones, not sitting on one's crotch with an arched back. The rider should have their weight sunk into their seat and distributed through their legs. The rider's shoulders should be rolled back and their chin up to show that they are looking forward.The western style is seen in a long stirrup length, often longer than even that used by dressage riders, an upright posture (equitation riders are never to lean forward beyond a very slight inclination), and the distinctive one-handed hold on the reins. The reining hand should be bent at the elbow, held close to the rider's side, and centered over the horse's neck, usually within an inch of the saddle horn. Due to the presence of the saddle horn, a true straight line between rider's hand and horse's mouth is usually not possible. Common faults of western riders include slouching, hands that are too high or too low, and poor position, particularly a tendency to sit on the horse as if they were sitting in a chair, with their feet stuck too far forward. While this "feet on the dashboard" style is used by rodeo riders to stay on a bucking horse, it is in practice an ineffective way to ride. This just a basic info for starting western riding. Good luck!! Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Do you have the use of a western saddle so you can practice a little before hand? The saddle will feel strangely confining and tight. When you are seated, you should stand up in the stirrups and just be able to fit your hand between the seat and your bottom. You can practice riding in this "standing" positon..you want to be leaning slightly forward from the waist, you should not be stiff and try to keep your foot from sliding back. Your knees should not be rigid, straight or locked and your weight will drop through your stirrups, similar to English. Think of a very relaxed "u", just a little bend in the middle, belly button in, enough to keep your balance. When you go over a jump, you will bend your upper half a little more forward. You can start over trot poles to get the feel down. It is important to be relaxed, to keep your feet forward slightly and not bend too far so as to whomp yourself on the horn. It is not really hard. I have jumped about 2 feet and maybe more, doing trail jumping in the Rockies. It can be quite exhilarating!

Answer 6

I know its possible! Just relax all you have to do is lean forward! If you do any morse you can hit on the horn:) The back is so high that if the saddle fits you right you cant realy get forward or behind! Since you say your horse is high strung the weight of the saddle MAY calm her down! I say practice riding in it before the show just to see what she does! (good luck with the sitting trot)

Answer 7

the jumps wont be that high if everyone is doing it in a western saddle. Just close your hip angle a little bit and take your weight off your horses back. Don't go into full jumping position because any "cowboy" I know just closes their hip angle. good luck.

Answer 8

Since the Western Saddle's stirups are lower you need to use a little more energy to get aboard the horse. Grab a hold of the reigns and use the knob in front of the saddle to pull you up. Then swing the leg not in the stirup over the saddle and you should be fine.

Answer 9

they are making you jump in a western saddle? i have never heard of that. thats really not very show like sounds like kids messing around and not knowing what their doing more like.

Answer 10

idk but i no it took me a long time to start to ride western from english cool my horses name is Marshmallow (i am 13 to cool)