The short answer is: ?Done correctly, there should be no difference. In reality, most beginners enjoy the (invariably false) sense of security of a Western saddle, given the “handle” (horn). ?At more advanced levels, this very much depends upon what you call “Western” and what you call “English”. High schoolContinue Reading
I’m unsure this is something you really want to condition your horse to do, however, I will give you your answer before trying to talk you out of deploying it too readily: 1. Firstly, your horse must already be responding to something in order to speed up and slow downContinue Reading
This is a more complicated question than you may realize, and the answer can depend on several variables. You can read more at harmony+cross , but I’ll take a stab here. Potential Causes Training Methodology Training methods are like OS’s for horses. Some methods (German Dressage) train the horse toContinue Reading
You are in good company as a man in the horse world – though perhaps less so in the pageantry-oriented world of ‘horse show’ culture, which is related, but different. And I’m unsure girls so much ‘dominate’ as rather ‘populate’ the horsey landscape, due a number of demographic, cultural, andContinue Reading
I justify my horses by realizing what would be left of me if I did not have the experience of working with them. To me, it is a matter of tithing. It is a sort of debt to the Universe, which I secretly help turn by being with them. Therefore,Continue Reading
Example: If a 6-months-old foal is sent to another farm to be raised and trained, and returns to his mother’s farm when he is 3 or 4 years old, will they recognize each other? In your example, perhaps the mare would not – but for the same reason you mightContinue Reading
Virtually all ‘sports’ reduce to martial analogues in some context, or have become culturally recognized as physical human art forms, portable to some reasonably objective set of standard criteria by which they may be judged more or less “ideal”, and thereby scored/ranked.? I presume you are more a fan ofContinue Reading
You certainly can – in fact most horse owners are relatively novice.? This said, I might caution you against jumping into ownership too quickly.? Horses range from “free” to very expensive, but regardless, they cost the same to maintain – a recurring expense equal to a car payment more orContinue Reading
I will offer my opinion here, but this ends up being rather a subjective question, as there are several variables – not the least of which is “who’s doing the training?” For a novice learning to train horses, it is really more about “tractability” than trainability, right?? This to say:?Continue Reading
This depends on your philosophy and the style of equitation you are pursuing.? German style dressage is heavy – the pressure easily measured in pounds at lower levels, given certain assumptions in the training progression. Traditional American-style “Western” equitation (not Vaquero style) often uses no pressure – but forfeits consistentContinue Reading
