What is the difference between English and Western riding?

English riding comes from European cavalry and hunting traditions and uses a light saddle with two-handed rein contact. Western riding comes from American ranch work and uses a deep saddle with a horn, usually with one hand on a loose rein.

What are the main equestrian sports?

English disciplines include show jumping, dressage, eventing and endurance. Western disciplines include reining, barrel racing, cutting and Western pleasure.

Chapter Nine · Choose your style

English

Show Jumping · Dressage · Eventing · Endurance

Western

Reining · Barrel Racing · Cutting · Western Pleasure

Two great traditions

English or Western: what’s the difference?

Every equestrian sport in the world grows from one of two great riding traditions. English riding was shaped by European cavalry schools and the hunting field. Western riding was shaped by cowboys working cattle on the open ranges of America.

Both ask for the same thing: a calm, trusting partnership between horse and rider. Here is how they differ.

	English	Western
Origin	European cavalry schools and the hunting field	Cattle ranches of the American West, with Spanish vaquero roots
Saddle	Light and close-contact, so the rider feels the horse	Deep and heavy, with a horn in front, built for long days of work
Reins	Held in two hands with steady contact	Usually held in one hand on a loose rein; the horse turns from the rein against its neck
Clothing	Helmet, fitted jacket, breeches and tall boots	Western hat or helmet, shirt, jeans or chaps and cowboy boots
Olympic?	Yes: show jumping, dressage and eventing	No, though reining is an FEI discipline
In India	The tradition almost every Indian club teaches	Very new, with a small but curious community