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kciH Offline OP
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I've got a backcountry horseback trip coming up this fall and have not been on a horse for 9 years. I have minimal riding experience one way or the other. Most of the local places in Eastern NE seem to offer English riding lessons. Do you think this saddle time would be of any value? I'm having a hard time getting any callback from the places that offer Western style riding.


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Any riding is better than none.English ridng calls for more posting. Chafing will be your worst problem. Buy some bicycle riding shorts.Unbeliveable how much they help. If it is cool, wear poly long john bottoms. They help too.I have been riding for over 60 years,and I still ride at least once a week .I wear the shorts in summer and th poly's when it is cool..

The bicycle shorts also have some padding, the more the better and if you have any prostate problem they help that too. 6-8 hours in the saddle will irritate enough to stop you up a bit.

Make sure you have someoe around with enough knowledge to adjust your stirrup leathers where they need to be.Too short and your knees will hurt.Too long and your butt will hurt.


If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
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^^Ditto to what Vince wrote.

Ill add that and english saddle will require a bit more work on balance as there is a lot less pommel and cantle.

The first time or two will make your squeezin muscles sore (adductors or abductors - always get them mixed). Work your core in preparation also.


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Where are you located exactly?

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Anytime horseback regardless of discipline is time well spent. If you ride english before you go, that western saddle is going to feel like a lazy boy when you get out there.


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Very useful comments in the above posts. The only thing I would add is to include stretching in your preparation routine, seems the older I get my legs and hips respond better with a warm up.

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Originally Posted by woods_walker
Very useful comments in the above posts. The only thing I would add is to include stretching in your preparation routine, seems the older I get my legs and hips respond better with a warm up.


Truer words were never spoken. Especially the inside muscles on your thighs.


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Wife and I ride in endurance saddles, basically English . Any saddle time will help with your legs and seat. I would be concerned with my boots fitting English irons ,my light hikers barely fit mine and my others not at all. The lesson givers most likley have larger ones to accommodate them. Riding in the clothes you'll wear on a hunt can be helpfull. My feet often get cold while riding in colder weather because their not working like when walking . I wear mechanic gloves during cool weather and leather and light liners during very cold. As Ironbender said working your core will go a long ways when riding for hrs.


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I ride a lot.In warmer weather I do a 9 mile loop close to home here about once a week.This past weekend I did the Grand Canyon Mule ride down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. 9 miles each way, either all down or all up hardly any flat land riding.
I don't have much meat on my butt and I have two open sores on my cheek bones now.

When riding forget the advise of body position with shoulders/ hips/ feet in line. Get you feet forward a bit .Adjust your stirrups so you can tilt you heel down a bit. Sitting have you foot flat,but be such that you can easily tilt your heel to put some weight in your stirrups. If your toes are down, you can't use your legs as shock absorbers,


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Good horse advice here. The small details saddlesore posted are even more important riding rough ground.....small foot and leg movements that keep you centered in the saddle are helpful not only to you, but the horse. My horse days are probably over....but when riding cow horses, it was important to stay where your center of gravity helped you both on the long hauls, and you weren’t giving input to the horse that you didn’t intend. I’m no ‘expert’ compared to real experts, but was forced to train English hunter as a kid, rode western when I got to do what I liked, got broken in on working/cutting/roping in west Texas, and had some Olympic, US/French equestrian riders that had the misfortune of having me as their introduction to western style riding......all that to say this: their very highly skilled English backgrounds made them better western riders than most of the ‘know-it-all’ cowboys weaned on a cutting horse out there, and as much as I used to hate my forced English training, it served me in good stead on every cow horse I ever rode. All the horse folks posting on here are steering you straight as far as I’d know: any riding is far better than no riding.

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One thing I forgot to mention.The saddle is a tool, not a seat or chair. Wallowing around like a dead weight sack, you and the horse will get sore. Help the horse out,stay balanced. Use your feet,knees,thighs and butt.


If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
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I started Western and after many years, I thought I knew a lot. Then had occasion to take up English and a little hunter/jumper. I didn't know what I didn't know. I learned a lot.

As said above, any saddle time is good time for what you want. Best of luck.


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May sound silly, but before riding season I bring a saddle and rack in to the house.
watch a movie etc. sitting in the saddle. good way to slowly get into saddle tougher condition.
Spend time posting and standing in the stirrups to work more muscle groups.
Participating in a clinic is also a good way to jumpstart your riding season.

Hope your ride and hunt goes well. Good luck
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Originally Posted by Dan_H
May sound silly, but before riding season I bring a saddle and rack in to the house.
watch a movie etc. sitting in the saddle. good way to slowly get into saddle tougher condition.
Spend time posting and standing in the stirrups to work more muscle groups.Dan


Yeah.... But it's best if you only watch old westerns. The ones with lots of indian chases, stampedes, running thru the timber dodging branches and the like. You get more work in, in a shorter time. Also get used to whipping your steed with the tried-and-true, side to side bridle rein ass-beating to make your plug go faster. Practice holding your reins in both hands in front of your chest and flopping your elbows up-and-down whenever going faster than a trot. It works to get the ol' blood pumping......

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Also get in some practice furtively looking over your shoulder, at the injins that are fast approaching. It's good practice to keep from getting a kink in yer neck, while looking back to check the packhorses.....

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I do shoot my bow off of the saddle in the house.

Watching and riding along with the Man from Snowy River ride down the mountain scene will help with the pucker muscles one sometimes needs.

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Originally Posted by misplacedinnebraska
Where are you located exactly?


I'm in Gretna


"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." TJ

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing". EB

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kciH Offline OP
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Originally Posted by huntsman22
Originally Posted by Dan_H
May sound silly, but before riding season I bring a saddle and rack in to the house.
watch a movie etc. sitting in the saddle. good way to slowly get into saddle tougher condition.
Spend time posting and standing in the stirrups to work more muscle groups.Dan


Yeah.... But it's best if you only watch old westerns. The ones with lots of indian chases, stampedes, running thru the timber dodging branches and the like. You get more work in, in a shorter time. Also get used to whipping your steed with the tried-and-true, side to side bridle rein ass-beating to make your plug go faster. Practice holding your reins in both hands in front of your chest and flopping your elbows up-and-down whenever going faster than a trot. It works to get the ol' blood pumping......


I like to do the Monty Python Holy Grail simulated horse riding in the house, but my dog attacks me when I do.


"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." TJ

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The ground has partially thawed and firming up.
Will be able to ride without tearing the hell out of the small arena that I have.
Looking forward to getting off the saddle in the house and working some winter fat off the horses.

Too much ice on the roads to ride much this winter. The horses and I are both way out of shape.

Sure sign of spring.....Took a long time coming this year in our area.

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