Horse Saddle: I am the lovely piece of work placed on the horse’s back for riders to sit upon. I ensure stability for both the rider and the horse, and distribute the weight of the rider evenly on the horse’s back. I come in many different forms, numerous enough to make your head spin. My variations are shaped in regards to location [in terms of English, Australian, Western, German etc], tree types [in terms of Wade, flex Tree, treeless etc], production technique [handmade custom or manufactured], materials [Leather or synthetic], activity [parading, roping, show, endurance, racing, trail, reining etc] etc.

English Saddle: I am the saddle used to ride horses in “English horse riding lessons Guide Amazon.com’;return true;” onmouseout=”self.status=””>riding” disciplines world wide. Though with an English background, I am not limited in use by English speaking countries or in England alone. I have features that make me unique and stand out as envy in the equestrian world. My Stirrups can be detached from the saddle [in case of an emergency]. I have a piece of equipment known as a girth, which is used to keep me in place on a horse. It passes under the barrel of the equine, usually attached to me on both sides by two or three leather straps called billets. My rare end has a subtle and not-too-obvious feature known as the cantle. This is used to provide greater comfort and security to riders. I generally cover a smaller surface area, yet have proven to be more effective with simplicity. Much of the weight bearing area in me is supported by a large internal flocking inside the panels.

Australian saddle: I am the saddle used for activities requiring long hours on the horse. I came as a variation of the English saddle eons ago, but have soon developed my own uniqueness as time went by. I have a distinct feature known as the Knee pad [aka 'poleys'] to provide security for riders who ride in rough conditions & spend long hours on horses. The ‘poleys’ are usually located around a rider’s thigh in front of the saddle. I was designed to cater for the conditions ranging from soothing to the harshest. My seats are deeper than the typical English saddle and my cantle higher. I am kept on with a girth attached to the billets under the flaps.

Western Saddle: I am the saddle used for Western Riding in the United States of America, mainly in the ‘western’ part. I am often tagged with the ‘cowboy’ name. I was designed to provide both security & comfort to riders and their horses traveling long hours in harsh environment. I fancy being flashy and different, I tend not to like ’simplicity’, because I pride myself at being unique and robust. I don’t call my girths ‘girths’ [you bet] but cinch. My Stirrups cannot be detached from me in an emergency, but instead I have a wider tread; combined with the rider’s high-heeled boots. The design minimizes the risk that the rider will slip through the stirrups during a fall, and the rider being dragged. My cantle is one of the most obvious of all horse saddles, providing greater comfort and security. I cover a wider surface area than the Typical English or Australian saddle. My cinch is tied on with a flat strap of leather or nylon known as a latigo. I have no padding between the tree and the external leather and fleece skirting… Okay, okay, it seems I brag a lot, but really, I am truly unique because I am the most ‘modified’ and truly customized to suit rider’s tastes. And I am often used for ’show’ purposes. Yeah, I show-off a lot! But there are no ‘best’ kinds of saddles anywhere, only suitable and familiar ones.

Horse: I am the tamed animal Humans ride upon. I know not of western, English, Australian, Portuguese, German or even youth saddles. I only know it when my back hurts if the seating equipment placed on it pokes my spine or is not properly fitted- I ‘neighhhhhhh’ at the rider, indicating pain and discomfort- and I know when it does not. I love humans, and would give my full agility and beauty to the ones who seat on me properly.

[More to come on i-Saddles (part 2)]

Wale Akin-William

[Founder, e-horse riding saddles]

Wale Akin-William
http://www.articlesbase.com/equestrian-articles/isaddles-differences-between-horse-riding-saddles-part-1-905986.html

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okay so im 13 and im gonna start horse riding lessons in the summer and i think it would be good if i knew the basics of western riding …ive never been on a horse so i dont even know how to get on it and how to make it turn or stop so please help me and give me the basics please and should i take private lessons?? and how do you groom horses and ride horses?

This is waaaay too much to answer well. For the first few lessons, you might benefit from doing it individually so the instructor can focus on just you until you get the hang of it. When you have the basics, you can start doing group lessons.

With western riding, there are 3 basic gaits to the horse. The walk (4 beat gait, easy to sit, slow), the jog/trot (two beat diagonal gait, kind of bouncy, a little faster…think of a dog trotting), and the lope (also called canter…looks like how a dog does when they are running…its 3 beats and has a "lead"). When you ride western on a very trained horse, you typically ride one-handed (usually left hand) and steer with that hand. For a walk and trot, most people make a "cluck" or "clicking" type noise, and kind of bump the horse with their heels. For the lope, most people use a "kissing"" noise, and use their outside (leg on the fence) leg to ask for the lope. For a stop, you say WHOA, sit back a little, and pull your hand back softly. Once a horse is stopped, if you keep pulling back with your hand, they will start to back up.

Those are the basic commands in a nutshell. You always want to remember to ask the horse softly at first. If they are well-trained, they respond to that. Ask your instructor to teach you how to groom and saddle the horse. You might want to look up a diagram of the parts of the saddle.

The bridle is made up of the reins, bit, headstall, and a curbstrap or curb chain. Maybe look up this stuff too.

Also, when riding, you always want to make sure you keep your heels down. If you put your toes down, it throws your weight forward, and you can’t sit back correctly or stay centered on the horse.

Good luck, but I’d think about buying a book if you really want to get better info!

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