Western Style Riding

Western style riding is inclusive of trail riding, competitions (rodeo, barrel racing, pole bending) and show classes like reining and pleasure. Western riding is often thought of as a less formal style of riding than English riding. Western horse moves can differ greatly from those taught to English style trained horses. For example, a competitive Western horse will be taught to do a roll-back. Additionally, there's a good chance a Western horse will be taught to do reining where he slides to a stop—an English style horse will not be trained to do these things. A Western horse will additionally be taught to neck rein (moving in whichever direction the rider indicates by applying rein pressure to the neck). And, as you can imagine, Western apparel differs greatly from English apparel—you wouldn't wear the same thing in an English jumping competition as you would in a rodeo!