Does anyone remember The Donnie and Marie Show? “I’m a little bit country, and I’m a little bit rock and roll.” That’s how we see ourselves at Hawk Feather Ranch. Joe is a whole lot country, and I’m a little bit… English. Ok, so that’s not quite what Donnie and Marie had in mind, but you see my point. We often get asked which discipline is better, English or Western? While so many people like to point out how the two styles of riding are different, this essay will attempt to show how they are similar.

Full disclosure, I do not claim to be an expert on this. I’m just a middle aged woman who loves riding and has a little experience riding both styles, although all of my formal training in my youth was English style.

In the Saddle

Essentially riding is all about communication with your horse, regardless of what saddle you ride in or what bit is in your horse’s mouth, if any. Both styles of riding utilize commands from the rider’s hand, seat, and leg to let your horse know what is expected. Naturally there are differences when you break down the details, but the goal is the same. To create a synchronized and balanced horse and rider team.

Bridles, Bits, and Using Hand Cues

This is where the two disciplines are most different. Both styles make use of a headstall, which has a crown, browband, cheek pieces, and throatlatch. A noseband is optional on a Western bridle, and I’ve seen many Western bridles with no throatlatch at all (I do not recommend this for safety reasons). English reins are buckled together and usually much shorter than western split reins. If you are neck reining, you will want a curb bit with a longer shank. If you are direct reining (one hand on each rein) you will want a snaffle or pelham bit. (Of course there are hundreds of bit options that I won’t go into here). The main goal of English riders is to place their horse “on the bit.” This is done from direct contact with the horse’s mouth. For Western riding, the goal is to have the horse self-carry using support from a curb bit and only the slightest cues from the rider’s hand. Whichever style you prefer, when horses are ridden properly with soft, disciplined hands, they should be engaged, relaxed, balanced, and rounded.

Saddles, Seat, and Leg Cues

Differences between Western and English saddles are very obvious, but a more schooled eye will notice that what seems so different is actually providing the same function. A good example of this is the strap used to secure a saddle to the hose. On an English saddle, this is called the girth. A girth is buckled to billet straps on both sides under the saddle flaps. The rider will attach the off side first, then reach under to attach the near side. On a western saddle, this strap is called a cinch. A cinch is slightly smaller and attached with a billet on the off side and a latigo on the near side. Both saddles have a pommel (sometimes called swell for Western), skirt, cantle, tree, gullet, billets, d-rings, and seat. English saddles have smaller stirrups connected by thin leathers called stirrup straps. In contrast, Western saddles have much larger leathers called fenders that hold the stirrups.  

Saddles help riders utilize proper seat and leg cues. The rider’s seat is used similarly for both disciplines – as a means to communicate with the horse through shifting body weight. Different saddle designs consider how riders use their seat and leg to cue their horse. For example, saddles that are designed for jumping have knee rolls and a flatter seat to support moving into and out of a two-point position. Saddles that are designed for dressage have deeper seats and longer flaps to allow more contact with the horse. The Western saddle’s deeper seat, horn, and larger fenders are designed with comfort and safety in mind, whether for long hours in the saddle, sharp turning, fast stopping and starting, riding on uneven terrain, or roping. Leg commands are similar in both disciplines. Leg commands ensure proper bending, yielding, and balance.