Finally! Western!

[laura jeanne]

I have had about 6 western lessons now, once a week. I think I have learned more than I have all the other years that I have been riding. I am even wearing spurs which I was always afraid of.

I don't know what it is exactly, but I had the idea that I would love western pleasure. Maybe it is not having to deal directly with the reins as well as everything else. I can feel when my center of gravity is just right over the horse, I can feel when he starts to slow down or go faster and fix it just as it is about to happen. I get the squeeze with my whole leg and bump the reins (still working on that really). My RI noticed that I tend to bring my leg up when I squeeze to get the horse into trot, so that is getting fixed. My leg is down and back and my heel is down. omg, I have been unable to fix all those things for all this time.

The weird thing is that I have been looking for a western trainer that wasn't too far across town for a few years. The last place I almost started at insisted that I spend $35 on a polo shirt from them (their color and logo) - yeah, right. Not!!

I met the owner of this stable I l am at now at the dog park when I was walking my neighbor's dogs! She said that her trainer had won world championships so I decided to call and get a lesson. I love it! Not only is everyone really friendly, but the property is the cleanest I have ever seen. Even the bathroom is like it is part of someone's home.

Just btw, I am also taking lessons in aerial silks! It is a super amount of fun.
I need to get way more arm strength but I can almost do a split up there in the air! And I can climb almost all the way to the top.

 

[Fi.]

Glad you are enjoying riding western. :smile: I too am a convert but I still have so much to learn.

 

[Skib]

Lovely to hear from you again. And great that you are doing Western.
Don't be too hard on the riding "English" -

Good Western and good (classical) European riding have much in common and the skills are transferable.
What also makes a difference is the stage at which a good teacher imparts new skills? Like we are ready at that moment, after we have been riding for a while, with basic riding control in place, to experiment and relax and consider alternatives?

Nothing is gospel - You are still entitled to make choices - I dont understand why you need spurs to ride Western?
And although I like my two relaxed Western lessons in the USA, I have doubts seeing how the horses were ridden in the two Western competition yards we have visited in the UK.

 

[laura jeanne]

Skib, the horses are trained to respond to the spurs. You just have to touch or roll the spur on the horse's side. The spurs are very dull. The horses kind of ignore a cue without spurs altho I think that I shouldn't really need them. It helps because you do not have to move your leg in case you don't have the knack of squeezing with just your calf and keeping the rest of your leg relaxed. I also notice that it keeps your feet from pointing out too much!!