Western-Style Horse Riding – Cowboy style riding, not as bad as you think

Riding a horse (or doing anything else for that matter) cowboy-style tends to be a byword for not doing it correctly or properly hence the expression such as cowboy builders, cowboy plumbers etc. When the author of this article was learning to ride a horse at a riding centre in Herefordshire, one of the instructor’s way of rebuking his student for not holding the reins correctly or doing things incorrectly was to say “we do not want to ride cowboy style”.

An article in The Guardian of the 15th of August 2010 where a rider describes how she learn to ride a horse Western-Style seem to contradicts what the instructors at the ridding centre in Herefords seem to consider cowboy style ridding to be.

Describing Western Style riding, the rider describes how she was asked to slacken off the reins so that the horse has control of its own head and can see where its feet are going, this if very interesting and directly contradicts what English riding instructors tends to say which is to maintain rein contact .

One the whole the article on Western style riding seem to suggest a much more human and laid back way or riding which probably helps the rider enjoy riding more and the horse more freedom. Comparing English style riding and Western style riding Katherine Blocksdorf said ”

Western riding developed according to the needs of ‘cowboys’. The Western saddle is made to distribute weight more evenly over the horse’s back so horse and rider can counterbalance the weight of a roped cow. English riding takes many of its traditions and equipment from European mounted military styles”. If indeed most of our our riding schools in England takes their riding tradition from the Military, no wonder we are so strict about so many riding postures and position.

There are many western style riding centres in the UK, if you want to learn to chill out and learn to ride like a cowboy, you may want to visit some of them, list of some Western-Style riding centres in UK follows:

Western – Style Riding Centres

• Sycamore Ranch Western Riding Centre – http://www.sycamoresranch.com/show/english/contact_us.aspx
• Unicorn Trails Western Riding Holidays –  http://www.unicorntrails.com/ridecategories/westernridingholidays/
• Rocky’s Western Riding Adventures – http://www.rockyswesternadventures.co.uk/
• burlea Villa –  www.burleyvilla.co.uk
• Rock’s Western Ridding Adventures – www.rockywesternadventures.co.uk
• The Mendip Stud –  www.themendipstud.com
• Valley Farm – www.valleyfarmonline.co.uk
• Fairfield Stables – www.fairfieldstables.co.uk

Countryside Blog cowoy horse riding, western riding, western-riding centres Uk