Western?
One of my items on my “to accomplish” list this year is to take a Western Lesson. I “semi” completed that on Monday when I took Boomerang to a “Western” lesson at a local western barn. (I told you I waste no time!) I only say I semi-completed this goal because although I started learning the beginnings to rollbacks and sidepassing, I cheated and rode in my English tack. In my defense Boomer hadn’t been ridden in over a month (except for the few days before the lesson) and I KNEW there would be some bucking involved, and I felt more comfortable hanging on for the ride in my english tack. (P.S. I was right, and he threw more than a few bronco bucks….thanks for making me look bad Boomer!)
Anyway, I’ll check this one off the list officially when I saddle up in the Western saddle! (Perhaps next week)
One of my main motivators for taking Western Lessons is the Extreme Cowboy Race. Also, I just think it will make Boomerang a better all-around pony.
When I originally made my Western Lesson goal I was thinking – that would be great to try since I’ve never done it before. Only after a few days did I remember I HAVE TRIED IT!
It had totally slipped my mind that for a semester in college I was on the Kutztown Equestrian Team. Not only did I try my hand at Hunters…
But I also tried a little Western Pleasure riding too…
Admittedly I only lasted a semester because it wasn’t “exactly” what I thought it would be. While it was great fun meeting new people, taking riding lessons at school, and trying something I had never done – the whole Hunter/Western Pleasure thing wasn’t really for me.
I felt like I was frozen when I rode around in the Hunter arena, and I had the hardest time getting rid of what the team called “Dressage Bobble Head” – too long in the Dressage saddle didn’t really help my hunter position either. It felt so strange! Thinking Western had to be WAY better I pictured barrel racing, reining, and team penning – I was not expecting to be caked with makeup and made to wear an outfit that itched – and god forbid my chaps touched the ground!
Not that there is anything wrong with that type of riding, I just discovered that it wasn’t really for me. I’m so glad I tried it though, I think it helped make me a better rider. I rode LOTS and LOTS of horses, and I broke out of my comfort zone.
I’m very much looking forward to a little more “rough and tumble” western riding though. Who knows what will happen next, maybe I’ll try team penning or even reining! How cool!
What about you, have you ever stepped out of your comfort zone and tried something new? Maybe 2011 is your chance to do something new with your horse! You can do it!
In the meantime, I’ll try to update on my Western Progress….maybe I should get a cowboy hat!
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You know, I “converted” more then once..went from growing up dressage/eventers to barrel racing and team penning. then swapped from barrels to reining and reined cowhorse.
I think its important to expand ones experiences and comfort zones. one thing Ive unfortunantly seen in the horse world is a lack of understanding of different disaplines…riding in so many disaplines has made ME a better rider and better able to understand them all as a whole. 🙂
Seriously though, you just need to come to texas, bring boomer and we’ll go team penning..;)..LOL
Maybe someday we’ll make it down to Texas for some fun!
Or I’ll bring pie up there and we’ll go team penning…;)
LOL. The horse show world is a strange place.
I think you and Boomer would be excellent at the extreme cowboy race, though!
Mary
LOL Yeah I wouldn’t like Western Pleasure for those reasons too. 🙂
I grew up riding Western and trail riding. I never competed. Then I started taking lessons in dressage. During that whole time I still rode Western at home. Trail riding is a lot more comfortable in a Western saddle (one of my knees hurt really bad if I spend hours and hours in an English saddle). I love dressage too though. Maybe someday I’ll try competing and/or try other disciplines.
I can’t wait to hear more about your Western adventures.
I started off as a hunter/jumper/western pleasure person and HATED it! I now love dressage and eventing much more, the people are nicer and they don’t make such a big deal about little things that don’t matter.
team penning and barrel racing seem fun though and more relaxed and I did try barrels once…
I can’t wait to try EVERYTHING! I’d love Boomerang to be an extremely versatile pony.
Hallelujah! More people who understand that the horse world not only has more than one discipline out there, but that not everyone has to have the same favorite or specialty! I grew up in Hunter/Jumpers. My trainer was one of those infuriating people who had a one-track mind and would make fun of me if I suggested any other type of riding (or God forbid commented nicely on any type of of horse other than TBs or Warmbloods). I myself was and still am obsessed with Jumpers. I was shuttled into the Hunter ring for two reasons- 1. my horse was a beautiful mover and we wanted to show that off, and 2. he would get hot over fences and we wanted to get him to chill out, not treat every course like a steeplechase. It was a bit frustrating that I had to wait until adulthood to buy a jumper, but I was grateful that Hunters taught me to show off the horse’s movement, not just give in to the adrenaline and tear around like a speed-demon.
College was a whole new world because for the brief time I had Equine Sciences as my major (before deciding it wasn’t for me) I was required to take both Western and Equitation Lessons. One thing I did find was that I could enjoy Western and pick up useful things from it even though it didn’t involve jumping.
Only thing I found (and I experienced it when I did a Dressage clinic too) was that I could never get used to having longer stirrups. Too many years of having a short stirrup to help force my heel down and get me up out of the saddle made longer stirrups feel like I had to constantly reach, had no support under me (might as well have had no stirrups), and more than once I even lost them despite the fact that they were the length they were supposed to be.
I do agree that Hunters can be a little challenging. I never had trouble with the posture; like a cat I naturally sit very still (head, body, hands and all) because in my opinion I don’t need to be unnecessarily shifting around and fussing and making it harder for my horse to move freely when he’s got a hundred+ lb. rider balancing on his back. And to me other than looking where I’m going there’s no need for my head to move. The frustration I had was more that the pace was sometimes just not enough. There were days that I didn’t WANT to slow down and collect; I wanted to let loose and RUN (and so did my horse). Hence the reason I jumped (haha) at the chance to fill a Jumper division on my friend’s Hunter pony. I fell off twice, split my boot zipper, got sand everywhere… and totally loved it because for once people were urging me to go faster!
Mounted Games holds an appeal to me because of the speed, and the ponies. Depending on the show it’s hard to find classes for adult riders on ponies, and at least if I tell people I bought a pony because that’s what the discipline calls for, the fewer stupid remarks I have to fend off. I toyed with becoming an exercise rider (I’m certainly smaller than many of them) and maybe eventually a jockey, but I hated the idea of helping to run young TB athletes into the ground so their owners could make money. With Mounted Games I can finally enjoy a sport with ponies, racing (finally be a “jockey” without the guilt ^_^) and the unexpected bonus of vaulting and hand-eye coordination challenges.
I love it when people try new things and freely admit that it’s just their personal preference that makes a discipline not suited to them, instead of blaming the discipline itself. Worst case I ever encountered was a Western rider who would say disparaging and rude things about English, write “hate notes” and leave them on English riders’ doors in the dorm, and make nasty comments if anyone said anything about English where he could hear it, even if he wasn’t part of the conversation!
Bravo to you for branching out and encouraging others to do so too!
~Kit~
That’s wonderful you want to give mounted games a try. I came from a background in Dressage before I tried it. Admittedly though I have tried A LOT of disciplines – I think it’s fun to branch out and try new things. I think to me mounted games reminded me of Dressage in a way. You had to remember “tests” (the races and rules), and it required a lot of precise maneuverability and control of your horse. You could certainly play – but to play well you had to have collection and a “dressage” trained pony.
Added bonus – I still had use for my childhood pony. He was so cute racing in his little dressage frame! haha.
I hate the idea of “height” limits on horses – as long as ur not to HEAVY for what your horse could carry. I’m 5’11” and my main mount is 13.3 hands – not to mention I ride with dressage stirrups. By normal standards, I look ridiculous. It never stops me from trying new things with him where “size” is important. I’m going to enter this extreme cowboy contest likely where I will ride in an expo setting in front of hundreds of spectators from all kinds of disciplines. Probably some people are going to laugh at me, some will probably think I’m being cruel to the pony (although I only weigh 125lbs and my pony can easily carry an adult male) – but I LOVE riding ponies – and it really doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.
Don’t get me wrong my 16.3 hand dressage mount is fabulous, but ponies are just more fun. They make you feel like you can do anything! I’ll never stop owning/riding them!
Well hope you certainly take the games when you get home! They really are a lot of fun!
Oh boy do I know that feeling! I couldn’t afford a pony when I was a kid, the main reason I never went to Pony Penning despite offers people made to take me. Watching other kids and adults get to take their “dream pony” home while I couldn’t would have been more torture than fun. I did eventually get a horse, but since we could only afford one equine the pony dream got put on hold indefinitely. My OTTB was amazing; everything you could ask for in a best friend and mentor. But I never lost that love of ponies and I’m still determined to have them even though I had to wait until adulthood when I theoretically should have grown out of them.
My Western exposure is limited to two college semesters, but I remember seeing guys riding small horses that from a Hunter perspective they should have been too big for. I’ve even seen full grown adults doing Western Pleasure on Welsh Sec. B ponies like it was nothing. Hopefully since the Western disciplines have a different view of suitability they’ll give you a break when you do the Extreme Cowboy Race. I agree with the rider’s weight being more important than their height. I know my limit from having gotten on various horses/ponies, and I was fine up until I was asked to ride this 12-something hand pony. He was so good but I felt like I was going to break him. (I’m just shy of 5″1 and 120lbs). If you can get on a pony and still feel comfortable, then why not?
And yea, coming from a Hunter background I am glad I learned from an early age that speed doesn’t equal victory, lol. To me memorizing Games races is no different than memorizing Jumper courses, but like Jumpers I’m attracted to it because the general pace is faster, even when you’re slowing down to make that dismount or sharp turn (or just not miss the object you’re aiming for). And your pony (Oopsie?) sounds adorable. I remember him from reading your page on MG. I too want to try as many different things as I can, and I was thrilled that MG required Dressage elements because I’d love to learn Dressage. I may not have a desire to compete in it, but it’s a great supplement to other disciplines.
Ack! I talk way too much. But I do have to “lol” at one more thing. A couple of days after I read your post it suddenly occurred to me that I like Mounted Games for another reason- I *have* tried them before! I’m not surprised I forgot, it was so long ago. But when I was 14 our stable held a Halloween Gymkhana. Tab and I went dressed as (what else) a racehorse and jockey (not my best idea since he seemed to think we were going to race, lol.) and we had a fantastic time doing all of the races and games the barn owner and manager came up with, like retrieving polo wraps from jump standards and handing them to the next rider to put back on the standard. Having to race to the other side of the arena with a cup of water and fill a bucket on the ground before the other team was not easy on a 15.3 TB (or a good way to stay dry) but it ranks high amongst the best times I ever had with that horse. It was a big disappointment that we moved to another barn the following year and never got to do it again. So the discovery that there’s more than 30 games to learn and plenty of MG events to participate in if I want to is beyond awesome. My only regret is that Tab isn’t around anymore for one more go at it.