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.

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.

^^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.

Where are you located exactly?

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.

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.

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.

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,

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.

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.

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.

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
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......

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.....

Reins in teeth, John Wayne-ing the lever rifle.

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.

I'm in Gretna

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

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.

I need to work off a little fat too.

I didn't get my elk tag for MT, but I'm still gonna go into The Bob with a fishing license and a bear tag with my group.

I also found a place for some riding, but I'm guessing he's a good guy as the schedule is full.

Jumping off a roof into the saddle isn't as easy as it looks, is it?

You should see Dan jump over the horse’s rump at a run, and land in the saddle. Just like TV.

The pre-trip, trip, was a great time. A bit hazy in The Bob, but a great time. I appreciate the advice on working the core and the bike shorts.

Your horse experience and mine are pretty similar. All I knew about horses was what I learned at the pony ring at the fair or from watching westerns. Don't get me wrong, horses are a great way to access the back country if you know what the hell you are doing, which I didn't. We met up with our rancher friend out in a Colorado wilderness area and Gary said here is your horse. Say what? A buddy got him saddled for me and the horse knew that I didn't have a clue how to operate him, so together we just fed our way up the mountain together. I was the comic relief for the horse guys because I was coming down in the saddle when the horse was coming up. After two days of the sorest buns ever, I said to myself that I'll never see an elk this way, so I left the horse at the tent and walked. Later that week I tracked down and shot a big 5x6 when I started hunting elk like the deer back home. When a horse neophyte really appreciates a horse is when you have 700# of elk laying there and there is a guy in camp with pack horses that knows what he's doing. Also, there is very little breathable air out there at 10,000 feet for a flat-lander use to 500 feet, so get in shape before you go.

Glad it all worked out for you

Imagine how that poor nag felt with that pounding!

https://www.sheathunderwear.com/

These are real helpful for riding. I was skeptical, but don't ride without them after trying them.
I like the longer leg model.

yes I am aware of the potential for jokes, puns or mockery bringing up this subject.

If you don’t have much experience I’d hold off on riding English and stick to seeking out a place where you can ride Western. Riding English when one doesn’t have much experience not to mention overweight and outta shape can be a bad experience. Your legs will flop all over the place and you really have no place to grab on to.
A Western saddle is much better for the novice rider to gain some seat time and confidence.