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training a western horse to ride english

4K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  Smilie 
#1 ·
Hi all, I just bought a sweet sweet quarter horse mare named Honey that my trainer rescued from a kill pen in colorado. She's perfectly healthy according to the vet just not very well muscled.

I've ridden her exactly 2 times, the first time went awesome, second time (today) went... not so great. It's my fault I think, I made the mistake of not lunging her first and not moving her saddle farther back than normal (because she's slightly down hill and not well muscled at her withers so the saddle likes to slip forward and pinch her shoulders). She wasn't very willing to go forward and bucked a few times... I'll try lunging her and putting her saddle farther back... today made me realize training her to be an english is going to be more of a challenge than I realized, but I'm ok with that!!!

anyway, onto my question
: does anyone have experience starting a western horse in english? If so what's your experience with getting the horse to accept contact with the bit? What about getting the horse to collect properly? Any challenges I might not have considered that you've run into?

Thanks! I'm starting to worry a bit although I know today was my fault and it'll turn out ok but I need some reassurance...
 
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#2 ·
NOpe, no problem IF the horse was trained correctly , western or otherwise.
Check back on some topics, that cover how western hroses are trained, correctly, and contact and two hands are used , in the beginning, and still are gone back to, whenever needed.
True collection, is also not limited to English, but is part of training nay horse,regardless of tack, correctly
Ill fitting tack, putting a western saddle, esp too far forward, so it does not clear the shoulder blades, is going to make a horse buck.
I also doubt you got a well trained horse of any kind, from a kill pen, so just go back to basic good training, using a well fitted saddle, either English or western, a snaffle, and feel in your hands and legs, combined with timing
Forward and straightness,come way before you worry about nay collection
 
#4 ·
the saddle shouldn't slide forward. I mean, it slides to where the fit is the best, in terms of how the bars fit the back. this could bring it forward enough that the saddle then sits on top of her wither bones. but, you might find that jsut setting it further back will not fix saddle slipping.

also, do YOU ride English? do you have experience in both disciplnes; W and E?

for me, if a horse comes from a WP background, just getting them to trot out with more energy would be step number one.
 
#7 ·
Your horse sounds pretty green. Your horse simply needs to be MORE BROKE. In all honesty, whether she is ridden English or Western at this point does not matter. No matter which direction a horse goes, they need to have a good foundation. Both require a horse to be soft in the mouth and accept contact with the bit. Collection is not something that is addressed until MUCH later, because that is more advanced. It takes a lot of time and training to achieve true collection. They have to go through all the beginning steps of getting good and broke, and learning how to use their body parts together.

Can your trainer be present to help you on these first few rides on your own?
 
#8 ·
Yes, a well trained western horse, can be easily moved out at along trot, as, first of all, the long trot is used in many disciplines, to build strength, and horses that are shown both western and HUS, certainly can move from a jog to a trot, but we are talking of a horse, that happens to have stock horse build, but that does not mean it ever received good training on any kind
Yes, sometimes good well trained hrose winds up in a kill pen, but not often
No horse is going to move forward,willingly, with a saddle sitting too far forward
There is also perhaps a reason this horse wound up in the kill pen in the first place
Thus, hardly can assume this is a horse, that has been trained to upper level of western pl, never asked to move beyond a jog< thus has to learn to move out.
I see a horse that perhaps has little, if any correct training, who wound up in a kill pen, then had an ill fitting saddle placed on him, who then would be very prone to buck, refuse yo go forward
Could be wrong, but seems much more likely to be the true problem
GO BACK TO basics, with whatever saddle you chose, and a snaffle. Get someone who can assess both saddle fit, and level of training on this horse, then make a game plan from there
 
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