Western saddle = dangerous

[rcentner]

I ride english, but a lot of people at my barn ride western and one lady always comments about my saddle looking like a glorified saddle pad. Tell you what, I can stick in that "glorified saddle pad" wayyyyyyy better than a western saddle. I always have a hard time dismounting a western saddle. I can't imagine trying an emergency dismount, ouch.

 

[VelvetDragon]

One time I was riding western and my horse tripped on a dirt clod and then bucked, and I landed RIGHT on the horn. It hurt soooo bad.

I can't imagine if I'd been a guy. Ha ha. I do personally know one guy who WAS seriously and permanently injured when he fell on the horn.

I started out riding western, and that's all I rode as a kid. I didn't get in an English saddle until I was 18. I could never go back. English saddles are sooo much more comfortable to me. I know western were supposedly made for long-distance riding, but I get hideously sore after hours in one. My knees complain, my butt complains. And I can't feel the horse!

I have three personal saddles; a general purpose English, a dressage saddle and an endurance saddle. The dressage saddle is the most comfortable, it's like riding on a couch. Heh. The endurance saddle is also quite comfortable, and way better for hours in the saddle than a western, if you ask me. XD

I mostly teach dressage. I only have a couple students who ride western. My kids usually ask to ride in a western saddle once, which I of course oblige... and then never want to do it again. Heh.

 

[cafarmgirl]

I've suffered that whole horn-in-gut drama too, I can't stand western saddles! I grew up riding english and I agree with rcenter, I think it's a lot easier to stick an english saddle then a big, bulky western. Tried the whole western thing when we were doing some trail riding and I'll keep my english saddle for that too thank you! That was when my horse tripped and I got the horn in the gut. To me, with a western saddle there's just too much "stuff" between me and the horse and I just feel like I'm perched up on top of it all, no contact, no feel, no connection.

 

[LovinMyPeeps]

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That is an AWESOME description... omg... **snort**

you made me snort...

 

[duckluck]

Nice looking horse!

I have always thought those saddles were extremely dangerous myself...I have sold all my western saddles and have ridden exclusively English for years.

 

[EweSheep]

I've ridden all kinds of saddles and the one that stands out the best are the Aussie saddles. My next favorite is the dressage saddle of all English type saddles, they sit deeper and centered with a "twist" in the seat that you dont feel like you are "pinching" your pubic area in a bad way. I've ridden BAD dressage saddles, those are made from Pakistan or Middle Eastern, crappy made and the cushion shifts therefore you got a bind somewhere in the seat cantle area.

I've gotten "gutted" by a Western horn a few times and they do hurt. All the horn is used for is to hang stuff and it is mostly for the western cowboy, who ropes, leads and tie down cattle.

For those who wants something to hang on, use a neck rein or the breast plates. they have serviced very useful for me for endurance riding and trail riding with my dressage saddle.

 

[babyblue]

The western saddle specifically designed for different western disciplines, like pleasure, equitation and other non roping/non fast events now generally have a very low horn that is flat and hardly sticks up at all. I have ridden western and English my whole life and have to say a quality western saddle is more comfortable then most English, however a cheap/old one can be hell to ride in. Where as a cheap English can be passable. As far as trail ridding at home we nearly always use the western, because we do need to hang things and drag things and use rope.

 

[Hound]

I rode English my entire life before moving here. My husband and I were trail riding shortly after we got married, and it was my second time in a Western saddle. We crossed a creek, and as my horse leapt up the bank I leaned too far forwards. I hooked my shirt around the saddle horn between the snaps, and as he trotted I bounced my sternum off the saddle horn. My husband turned around and told me 'don't lean so far forward'. It took him a minute to realise I was stuck. Thankfully we were alone, that shirt was ruined.

 

[sourland]

Ask a guy who doesn't ride a lot how dangerous a western saddle can be. I thought that high pitched voice would never get back to normal. I know why cowboys are bowlegged!

 

[Tinted]

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That was great!