This makes me laugh because I think they did this to show that if you learn western or English it has its roots in the same thing. Which is why they can each ride the others horse.
Yes and no, these riders definitely knew how to ride the other side at least a little bit before getting on the other horse. The controls in dressage and reining is very different,. If you knew nothing about riding a different discipline, you’d look like a complete fool
Or maybe they did this because in both professions horsemanship is important factors in every sport. To know and being an sync with both man and horse.
That was amazing! They need more events like this! To bad people had to ruin it by complaining about the other style and getting into technical stuff. Just enjoy the bloody thing without complaining. It's not that hard
I love that this showcases both disciplines in multiple ways. The horses and riders are just as good as each other no matter what discipline. If you don't believe that just look when they swap horses. This is so amazing and what I needed right now. Thankyou to the people who made this, it's amazing.
Both styles of riding are useful for different things. Different worlds doesn't mean ones better instead there both amazing pieces of art. And western horses (QH) are shorter but they are stockier and that's useful for their discipline. English horses like TB, Warmbloods etc are taller and have longer legs which is useful for their discipline.
Whilst breeds are different and are better at different things I have seen many amazing quarter horses ridden english and preform amazingly, such as Snowman who jumped around 11ft, the list isn’t long since many disciplines limit what breeds can be showed. At my barn all riders start out on quarter horses, despite the fact that we ride english. They can do amazing things and it is a shame you rarely see a large variety of breeds at shows. I have been to a show where western and english were competing together, one of the best ones I ever completed in.
Absolutely beautiful! I love how these people compared different moves in reining compared to dressage. It really brought out the similarities and differences in both saddles/ disciplines.
Never ridden western but I can tell its a lot more relaxed then English riding. I like that about western riding but at the same time, the precision and elegance of English riding, is probably why im an English rider :3
+the yolo bro's The most important thing is what you're doing at the time. I started western, switched to English, but if it were a long ride, I'd go western.
I ride western when trail riding, I totally agree. But I do enjoy English and ride English anytime I am not trailing, and I prefer a confined space in the saddle then the western, but they are both lots of fun.
It depends on what kind of Western riding you’re doing it can be just as technical as English Riding. This western horse isn’t actually that good. But the trail event , working western horse , horsemanship, and showmanship are all very technically based.
I think what I love about Western is that it grew out of 12 to 16 hour days in the saddle in lots of conditions. I don't know what Dressage evolved from. I loved the humor in this routine though and the way the riders were entertaining us.
This is an excellent video that clearly defines the fundemental differences between the two riding disciplines. I have ridden both. I can attest to the fact that riding Dressage is by far and away more intense, but pleasurable to both watch and perform. I love western because it is less intense. Both these horses and riders performed beautifully. A joy to see such cooperation.🎩
Erika Krausmann less intense? I ride both but in dressage/English I feel relaxed but when barrel racing there's a much greater risk and in my opinion, way more intense
I honestly feel the disciplines and really the styles of riding have their own difficulties, trail riding on a Saturday afternoon is pretty NON strenuous compared to a barrel race or jump off on a Saturday night.
I love this so much! It does a great job showing the difference between a focus on efficiency and a focus on form! It really shows how western is truly about a relaxed, trigger-quick horse that can work smoothly and efficiently, and English is about that finesse and form that isn’t made for hard work, but rather pure art. They’re both amazing and beautiful! I ride western since I do it for work and I’m in Wyoming, but I always wished I could learn dressage
I learned to ride by riding English then Western. Had a really bad fall as a kid and was deathly afraid of horses after, so my instructor didn't want me riding bareback til I regained my seat and confidence again. Western is definitely made for work and pleasure riding, but every once in a while go back to English and work on posture. Haven't ridden in a while, but I'd love to go out west and trail ride
@@katwebster1986 I do enjoy English because you really feel the horse more clearly than a western saddle, but there’s nothing so freeing as being 20 miles into the wilderness on a horse. I hope you get to experience it someday! I’m glad you’ve regained your confidence after a fall like that!
But English riding isn't only about dressage and of course it's for hard work too! How do you think people hunt or jump or play polo in English saddles if they are only for looking pretty? In the New Forest the annual round up is done on horseback and they seem to manage perfectly well. I'm sure any decent gymkhana pony is as fast, agile and responsive as a barrel racer.
@@cyflym11 you’re absolutely right! And I never said anything about English only being for looking pretty. Just saying that dressage has a completely different feel to reigning, and that’s because of the different discipline and what’s considered the proper “look” for both of them. They both do hard work, and they both do shows, and they’re both loads of fun!
How much fun is that! Both horses look lovely! I am sure each rider learned something in the experience of swapping horses. The best horsemen are those who remain open minded to learning more and more.
That cow pony is so cute! I love that conformation. It's balanced, natural, long and low, like a Western horse should be. I'm not knocking the English horse, he's high and collected as he should be, but the collection is too deep in my opinion, for what my opinion is worth. The Western horse looks more free and comfortable. Respect to these good riders.
For many years I rode Missouri Foxtrotters Western and I trained them in all the reining and western moves PLUS all the dressage moves and I rode in a western saddle., and called it "Cowboy Dressage".. it would really blow peoples minds and they would ask why??? answer...for control of my horse...! ! ! Why not ??? He would do all the spins sliding stops roll backs. etc as well as leg yeilds side pass shoulder in shoulder out, lengthing the stride. boy would I get the comments BUT I had CONTROL of every part of my horse... and we would even do cattle round up. bunch of fun. and why not ???
Kaleigh Rakowski WHY do YOU think it's stupid??? What is riding all about???? control of and a CONNECTION with your horse...What difference does it make what saddle you are riding??? SNOB appeal??? I found a lot of that. Dressage and English riders think they are better.....wrong ! ! ! We rode trails for 30 years and the western saddle is the way to go. AND why can't a western horse be trained in dressage??? I would really like to hear your reasoning on "I think it's stupid"....
I don't mean its stupid and I don't want to cause drama just you can't feel all the same movements in a western saddle as you can in a English. My opinion
Kaleigh Rakowski Have you ridden in a western saddle??? If you have not how can you judge??? How do you know you cannot feel the horse??? I could feel enough of the horse to control him and to do the moves....... I think there's a lot of snob appeal going on....don't knock it unless you have tried it...my opinion...
I used to ride western but I switched to hunter jumper and now I'm dressage and once I felt a dressage horse move I didn't want to ride western again. You can feel so much more in a dressage saddle. In my opinion.
Okay, so the algorithm somehow decided to pop this into my recs 12 years too late, but I just want to say that I adored this. I've done reining years ago, when I could still afford to ride at the student stable I went to, and learned how to do basic dressage despite riding in Western tack, so seeing them side by side was delightful. Also, I think this is a great showcase of how not so different Western and English riding really are: the only real divide besides the shape of the tack the horse is wearing is that Western skews a little more toward functionality and being able to sit your butt down in that saddle for an entire day if need be, while English errs on the side of elegance and a showcase of precision and control.
This was so much fun to watch! Highly enjoyed seeing a reining horse side by side with a dressage horse and both having a good time doing what they do best, showing everyone what true athletes these horses are. (and the riders were great too!)
Some people see English and western as completely different people, and maybe a bit, but in the end everybody is just here to have a great time and bond with your horse and fellow riders. This is great!!
Basically, I'm an English rider (just dressage and jumping sometimes at the local equestrian center once a week, haha), but I've tried out Western as well for a while. Both disciplines are fine, but I'll stick with recreative riding. I find this nice to see, it shows that the aids and techniques are pretty similiar, even though the horses are responding just a bit differently from what they've been taught.
@@goprocowgirl6446 yeh thats common in the English discipline, especially dressage. As an english rider myself (jumper) i find my hands get heavy sometimes but i think its bc its lowkey hrd to relax in english, there is always something you have to keep heavy in your mind, time (jumpers) elegance (dressage) patience, lots of scope (hunters) good lower leg (equitation) speed, stamina, knowing what your horse will actually jump (cross country) does your horse's grooming meet the requirements ( in hunter and jumper shows, in some they may want you to have the horse tail or mane braided a certain way) are you using the right tack? (If you watch the more professional hunter and jumper shows, you will notice a difference in their style) (those are just a few of the things i named) where as with western from my pov, y'all seem to really be able to be laid back at times.
Milan Murphy Western is nice for long rides and you can relax but in cutting its like English lol we’re not aloud in the warmup arena if we don’t have a cowboy/girl hat, show shirt, boots, jeans, and other things i probably forgot lmao oh and the horses tail had to be “perfect”😂 it’s all fun until you gotta compete 😂well it’s still fun but the relaxing part is completely gone😂
When the dressage horse trotted out in the beginning, he was positively floating! That said, they are both beautiful horses, working in intense disciplines, with great riders. I like them both!
I like watching Dressage & other English riding events but I'm a Western rider and I could probably never ride English. Seems too fancy for me. That's just my opinion. Lol.
i ride both and they are pretty fun I just think its hilarious when my western friends get on my jumping horse and are like wait he doesn't neck rein...
Western saddles are big, comfortable things meant for someone to sit in most of the day, given that they were originally made for things like cattle herding. They're also made so that you're sitting way down deep, your center of gravity low, which makes it easier to maintain your seat when the horse is doing things like the fast spins seen in the video, or the types of movements used when cutting cattle, where the horse drops their head and lowers down on the front legs, darting back-and-forth to keep the cow cut from the herd from joining back up. You don't have to do more than sit there and let the way the horse moves shift your body. It can be very high-energy stuff, but mostly sitting in a Western saddle is incredibly chill.
Yes maybe. But remember that proper dressage training (im going to mark proper) is aiming for relaxed horse in correct position, to develop good horse posture and muscle. Sadly there are dressage riders that use violence to make horse Look "good" by hurting them very badly. But to be honest, it happens it every horse discipline. There is no, better discipline that is healthier for horses. Free riding, when performed bad, damages the horse spine. Same As dressage, show jumping and Western. (sorry for possible mistakes. Non English speaker.)
I certainly found it more natural and pleasing on the eyes. But the English horse definitely looked proud. Though the Western horses demeanour seemed to change to irritation and discomfort, after the English rider got on. I guess her technique was probably a little too heavy handed compared to what the horse is used to.
@@choconutty9511 It looks only natural to you because you are used to the sight. You will barely ever see horses in the wild trot or canter with their nose on the ground. Besides that, carrying a rider requires a different posture. It's like saying that the movements of a gymnast are worse than those of someone who is jogging while scuffing their feet on the ground.
PSA: Both disciplines are equally as difficult and equally as beautiful. Coming from an (amateur) English rider, I adore my style but I would love to learn Western someday too it looks like a lot of fun
Annie Engström: The form of the dressage horse is not ''very bad for the horse'' it's acutally made to benefit the horse, naturally a horse puts 60% of it's weigth og the front and 40% on the back. When a human appears up there the balance is dusturbed. Therefore dressagehorses are trained to use the bigger muscle groups more, the hind legs, the back and the neck, that is why the neck curls in that way, and the horse kinda looks like it's walking a little uphill. An untrained trained horse will carry the rider on the skelton, which is not made to carry a human so it's bad for it, a trained horse will carry the rider on the muscles. Sadly, many people only see a horse taking it's head down.
This comment didn't age well.. they have come out with way more research and a lower head doesn't mean anything negative for the horse, having collection is everything.
It is unnatural for a horse to carry his head like a Dressage horse! It cuts their wind and balance down. Try taking some anatomy lessons and watch horses in their natural habitat! All dressage is for the appearance of a human being, not what is best for a horse. If the rider is balanced and moves with the horse instead of bouncing, it makes it easier on the horse and they use all of their muscles. No horse is fully developed joint wise until they are 4-5 years of age. Nothing should be put on their backs until then. That is why so many race horses break down so young.
As a rider who went from riding dressage to riding western due to a horse's injury, there is such a parallel between the two that people don't really recognize. It's alllll in the seat and legs my friends.
Honestly I do not see how you guys think the cowboy did better on the dressage horse than the dressage rider. They both did great. I have jumped and barrel raced and they both are hard. I loved them both but I am an English rider deep down (:
Lela Nicole the dressage rider couldn't even manage a sliding stop for crying out loud. That's about as basic as it gets in reining. Both disciplines are impressive though, I'm just pointing out what I saw. I think some aspects of English riding are really quite amazing, even if I don't totally agree with the training methods. Especially the bits. And barrel racing is completely different than reining. I have barrel raced, and compared to every single cow horse event or everyday ranching, it ain't that hard. It's a very poor representation of the western style in general in my opinion.
I ride Western, mainly since my mom also did and was a barrel racer, so I'm basically raised into it. Both English and Western are equally difficult, I believe, but I don't think I could ever see myself all elegant and fancy like the English rider in the video. I love the comfort of Western riding, and honestly find it a lot more entertaining to watch. It's just- the tension of watching barrel races, where _literally_ every millisecond counts, I love it. I have watched a bit of show jumping, which I did find pretty entertaining as well, but also couldn't see myself doing. The only jumping I'll be doing with my horse will be over logs!
I think both disciplines are awesome, it's just as usual it's the people doing them that ruin the discipline and give it a bad name. Eg I hate how western riders think their way is "more natural" or traditional, considering us English people have been out hunting and riding English style since before "America" (modern day) even existed! I also hate how a lot of dressage (and showing) people tend to be bitchy and shallow. I did a bit of dressage last year on my Arab x saddlebred (looks pure Arab), and got a load of gossiping bitches behind my back saying "Arabs shouldn't do dressage" (I came in 3rd place that day...just saying!) So there are horrible people in every discipline, it is the fault of nasty people and it isn't to do with the training or the concept of the discipline.
Ikr People think that just because I am handycaped that kids like me cannot do equestrian, I took 1st and 6th place in the 2 compilations That I took part in, the 6th place ribbons were out of 50 riders , both youth and adult. Plus some of the others were able-bodied riders.
That dressage horse is art! So beautiful and looks like he isnt putting any effort. And I love the western horse. So pretty and trained! Amazing riders❤
omg this is the best thing I have ever watched lol they should do stuff like this all the time my favorite part was when the cowboy got on the dressage horse I laughed so hard 😂😂
this is so awesome! i've always been quite the quintesential English rider, i started in a school doing showjumping and cross country, then trained primarily in dressage for about 3 years before just recently starting work at a reining competition yard. i'm going for my first lesson today and thought i'd look up dressage-reining, and found this! so similar yet so different... and the horses look like they're enjoying themselves :) i love the warmbloods big paces compared to the nippy QH.
As a dog trainer, I was constantly asked, "What's the best breed of dog?" I always replied, "There's no such thing." Why? Because each of the 500+ breeds of dog in the world was developed for specific reasons and specific jobs. Duck hunting breeds are not "better" than protection breeds, and protection breeds are not "better" than herding breeds. Nor are duck hunters "better" than cow or sheep ranchers. Same with equestrian disciplines; each is suited to their own purposes and one is no "better" than another. Dressage, Western, Hunter/Jumpers, Trail Riders; all the same worth, just different.
You are correct. Some people make ignorant statements about it without researching and understanding it. I have ridden for 30 years and never had a sore or lame horse from doing dressage. As with anything else, it must be done correctly with the comfort of the horse always in mind
horseluvr1021 You know what creates a bond? understanding. whether an individual shows that in their riding differs, but just "because" it is dressage does not mean anything. Think about how horses learn: you apply pressure until they do the correct action. The horse realizes what is desired by remembering when you release the pressure. if you don't give release, the horse does not know what it did right, and tries to find the answer, sometimes through extremes like bucking and balking. For this reason you could say that Western riding is more correct because there is little pressure (loose reins) until the horse has done something wrong = Very very clear picture of what is wanted. This creates a happy horse because horses like patterns and understanding. = real bond. If done correctly, dressage can be wonderful for the same reason. but dressage is not the only correct answer...
horseluvr1021 Cool. sounds very nice. But do notice how the reins are pressure, kicking is pressure, and most important release is the cue. If you don't know what pressure and release is look it up. it is how horses understand and learn, how horses talk to each other.
Lovely video. I've doen quite a bit of English riding in my time, because that was all that was available over here, but always felt that in Western riding the horse and rider look more like a team than they do in English riding. I thought the "cowboy" adapted to riding the dressage horse much better than the dressage rider did to the cowboy;s horse. Her arms were flapping about wildly when in fact the Western rider was much more subtle in his reining. I've been able to have a go at reining now, and think it is much more civilised without the controls on the bit that we tend to do over here.
I love this video so much! both of them are amazing riders with awesome horses. both of them struggled with the different disciplines but had fun! i hate the English vs Western. get over it! our training is similar but with different outcomes. too bad if we ride in different saddles
I definitely laughed out loud when the cowboy went into the pirouette. I think they both did fantastically, this was supposed to be a skit and they did their job beautifully- to entertain.
English riding is not only about jumping. Plus, not every horse can jump high. You forget here that English riding also includes the dressage. Dressage is all about how you ride, if you and your horse can work together and make it look good. In this video you can see that a dressage horse can't really be a western horse, but a western horse can't be a dressage horse either.
It's like the tango and the waltz being performed next to each other... it's amazing how the same partnership and the use of the same muscles produces such different movements. It's beautiful to watch both together.
Both of the horses must be from impeccable bloodlines. Not your average horse. Great temperaments, intelligent and extremely expensive to purchase. I love watching their beauty and discipline
3:52 hahaha that stop was hilarious! you're supposed to put your feet foreward, not just lean backwards^^ it's not that simple. amazing this!!!! love it
@@elliegreen7966 How do you know she is a barrel racer? Secondly, she didn't say anything rude, so why are you lashing out at her like that?And ranch reining isn't a thing. There are many different kinds of reining, but that isn't one of them. Be kind and don't stick your nose in anything you don't know about, as you said before.
Cause english is more naturaly. Do you know, what REINing means? It mean riding by REIN and it is realy bad for horses. Finally, u cannot ride wester without saddle and briddle, but you can ride english without it.
And next fact, when America was found, english riding was there for "some" centurys. Wester riding is work style like harness and hauling wood. Cowboys need work horses for every day work in farm. English was born for horse and riders comfort, like a sport and hobby, but practicaly and naturaly. Wester was born like work method and just riders comfort - i bet 100000$, that if truely cowboy from 19 -first half of 20 century would see todays western saddles and riders, they would laught at them.
Actually, english riding was mainly developed for the purpose of war. It is true however that 'english' riding was developed before 'western riding'. + I don't know exactly what you meant and I might be wrong in correcting you on this but english riding was developed in Europe and had already been around for quite some time when the USA was founded, it was not developed over there. I ride english myself and therefore prefer dressage. However, that's just a personal preference and I respect everyone's choice on preferring one or the other.
The point that most seem to be missing is the fundamental similarities that they are showcasing between the two disciplines. Even though dressage and reining appear to be very different, the fact that these two riders who are advanced in their own disciplines can switch horses and still accomplish the elements of the different style says everything. Even with practice, you cannot discount the strength of their transferable skills. I was a dressage rider, but I have a ton of respect for reining - I have played at reining enough to know the fundamental similarities outweigh the differences.
well that's probably her first time being on a reinging horse and in a small hard saddle like a Western saddle since English saddles tend to be different and you're supposed to post when the horse is trotting in English
That was weird... What I don't get is why would you want a horse to step like all 4 legs are pogo sticks or why would you want to turn spin a horse without much forward motion? Horses don't naturally do this!
Riding a horse or any animal for that matter is NOT natural. Get real. All that being said, each to his own. I do natural horsemanship and dressage and I hear the fighting between trainers based on principles all the time. Just be good to your horse and give it the best life you can afford.
Actually, horses do naturally do these things! They're just refined and on cue for riding. Stallions piaffe on their own all the time, and many horses spin, do tempis, etc naturally in the pasture! Watch a cow horse on its own without a rider, he will get low and cut without hardly moving forward :)
Dressage techniques were invented for war. A correctly trained horse would be able to make its way through tangled battlefields with greater ease and safety than one that was not--lifting their feet higher than normal aided this. Cowhorses were likewise trained to do certain things that would make herding cattle easier; trying to move a herd could be difficult if a horse didn't know how to switch directions quickly, and spinning around was not the least "natural" trick they had in their book.
So much time and commitment has been spent on each horse and each rider. Each discipline is beautiful in its own way and I find myself tearing up watching dressage cuz it can be so beautiful but I'll always ride western and my dream to be such a disciplined reining rider is still a dream for now.. but that reining horse is a much more useful horse and a much more comfortable ride that the dressage horse.. that is my opinion which we all know only matters to myself.
Really proves we’re just a saddle and a stylization away... theres no such thing as western riding vs english cowboys invented the concept of western riding so they can call english too fancy then ask you who made your saddle and what bloodlines your horse has and why you buy tough 1 tack, take it from a poor equestrian that rides both, good riding and horsemanship is the only thing worth anything in either, and both are the same if done right.
As a western rider, it amazes me how elegant looking english riders look. i can never quite grasp it when i tried taking lessons, but thats probably also because i myself and very awkward when i try to do anything lol
Why did this have to be called "dressage meets western"? This was REINING that's a discipline in western riding come on now, as a team penning/sorting rider and novice Reiner I just wish this had been called what it was; dressage meets reining or English meets western.
At least here the Western horse doesn't have his muzzle practically touching the ground and a canter that doesn't go anywhere. I still think that English riding is more pleasing to look at and has the potential for more precise movements, but this Western does look natural, unlike some examples of this style that I've seen.
+Rebecca Cole It's not pleasing at all to me. Horses aren't supposed to hold their heads like that. Let the poor animal have it's natural head so it knows it's safe for heavens sake. They don't have peripheral vision like ours. so they look around.
+13wolfy13 Collection is actually beneficial to horse and rider. Besides, the horse is not behind the vertical, meaning it is not experiencing hyper-flexion, so what is wrong? Horses even use collection in the wild as a survival mechanism.
Actually, it depends on the horse! My horse has an uphill build and likes to canter and trot around the paddock perfectly collected with a high, arched neck all on his own. A downhill quarter horse with different center of gravity and lower neck would be unlikely to do that because it simply isn't comfortable for that conformation and neck set. Look at where warmblood necks are set on the horse in comparison to quarter horses and you will see what I mean :)
Rebecca Cole watch Special nu baby riden by Matt Gaines cut cows. That, is precision in the western world. Reining and barrel racing are not good examples of the western style in my opinion. Western riding was developed on the range while herding cattle, and the cow horse events better display what western really is in my opinion.
I love how the dressage rider tried to do actual dressage western horse To me the dressage horse was more prepared and pampered Western it just looked raggy I do dressage and jumping
That is because a reiner, a true reiner, is very touchy. The slightest movement of the rider can make the horse move. Sometimes after a spin, some riders move the reins to straighten the horse out, but if the other rein touches the other side of the neck, the horse while look like he is wobbling. Not the horse's fault.
I know reining isn't the best Western sport to compare to natural, yet Dressage is way less natural so my point is, you basically called all natural moving horses raggy.
Nikki B The Orcinus orca Actually, I'll disagree. Ever watch horses playing in a pasture? They don't jog along with their heads down slowly, they arch their necks and play. Dressage is all about carrying a rider efficiently and bringing out and improving the horse's natural movements. Now horses with low set necks may keep their heads level, but most riding breeds tend to bring their necks up and arched when excited or playing. When you have a horse naturally holding the bit and listening to your aids, this is what happens naturally. You don't need to force them to move like this.
enmonjea "Improving natural movements" How is that improving, reining improves natural movements, for example the turning, that is the natural flight response improved... I don't see how prancing around on their hind legs in a circular motion is improving anything. Yes, I know horses prance naturally but, really? Improving?
The people that say dressage and other English sport as cruel is because of rolkor were they keep the horses heads basically high and tucked to their chins its un natural and if you look into it, it actually does cause damage to the horse long term but as long as it makes them look"elegant and poised "it didn't matter, western is more natural to the horse they don't keep there head in an unusual position and the bit isn't shoved down to make them constantly carry their heads high unnaturally. Both are pretty in there own way one is just a little more safer and comfortable on the horses mouth neck and back.
Are you kidding, western quarter horses are just as bad as any English horse, the trainers tie their heads up for hours, so they can't bring their heads, and tie them down so far down, that they can't bring their heads up. And most English horses like saddlebreds and Arabians for example naturally have their heads up and in when they move, they like to show off, so ya every breed has pros and cons, so pick and chose what you like from each and use it. Like I do
plkrahenbuhl92 Similar to what you said about english horses often having naturally high heads, western horses often carry their heads naturally low. It's really just the breed in general. Also tie downs, which I think is what you're referring to are often only used to keep the horse from tossing its head. Not always, but most of the horses that need tie downs just have a bad habit of tossing their heads too much out of impatience (at least in my experience). Most of the time a horse that needs a tie down will eventually learn and not need on anymore.
Amber Chappell The brunt of people who ride English and do dressage are AGAINST and DO NOT practice rollkur. Neither discipline itself is "safer" or more "comfortable" on the horse's mouth and neck. I've witnessed Western riders practicing rollkur as well, it's not just English.
Good lord. You get a few bad apples than automatically people assum that is the way the horses are taught. To correctly teach western or dressage to a horse requires a ton of work. I don't know much about english, but the head set is set by taking the time and slowly working the horse to carry themselves that way. You do not tie their heads to the ground or to the chest or what ever you goofy thing ignorant people believe. Actually, in western you flex the horse's body and neck. The more you spend time doing it, the horse will automatically lower their heads. You get some bad apples and now spurs are the spawn of Hell. When you get people who lose patience and don't get the right response quickly, that is when the spurs need to come off. They're purpose isn't to whale on the horse's side simply to make them go faster, which is where you get anti-spur people. You bump and press the spurs not kick the horse with it. Some horses are bred from successful sport horses and will actually be naturally equip to perform moves. The hate of reining and dressage and whatever performance, is passed from person to person. One person sees a bad apple and then will run to their friends at the barn and tell them what they saw someone do. Watch succesful trainers who teach that performance and read about it rather than rely on rumors. I heard that reining requires more suppling than a dressage horse does. And that is just it. I HEAR that. Do I know it? Not at all as I heard that from a professional western rider. Can I see it? Sure. When I watch a spin on a dressage horse, it is slower and looks more straight. Whereas on a reiner, the spin is fast and the front legs cross over while the head is still lowered. A reiner's slide requires the horse to build up speed and once they reach top speed, which is where the shoulders are highest, the rider sits down, some may give the horse a verbal hault as well, which tells the horse to stop instantly. Their momentum carries the horse forward. For it to be done professionally, the horse should walk forwards on their front legs will sliding rather than stopping and having the whole head and neck come up, which hollows their back rather than keeping it rounded. A rollback, a lot of neck reining, but bump the horse back at the nose, and lay the rein over their neck. Flexing side to side, start on the ground before you ride the horse. But assuming the horse already knows, tenderly touch one rein and the horse will quickly respond. The bit is almost useless in reining. There is much more to it than what I can explain. English? Hell I don't know. I had spent three months learning how to ride English and can't even tell the horse when to stop moving. I automatically resort to western signals and I got repreminded from doing it. I got in trouble for having way too much slack in the reins. So I tighten them and then got in trouble for having them too tight. My English knowledge is little to none. But I am sure it takes just as much time as western. Needless to say, stop seeing to believe. Just know that there is many ways to teach a horse. Whether it is right or wrong. I am using my iPhone to type so pardon any mistakes and the lengthy reply.
I love how the english rider is like "this is so cool!" And so is the western rider!! They act like they are having a lot of fun!
I don't think it was an 'act'... ;-) they were
Fun fact: Equestrian is meant for everyone to enjoy and to bring us horse-lovers closer. Not to create a fight about which discipline is best. :D
1. This should have more likes.
2. Most people argue about how their discipline is better because they sadly can't see how much each discipline share.
Amen!
JD Dressage FAVORITE COMMENT EVER💙💗💙💗!!
PREACH!
YES GIRL PREACH
This makes me laugh because I think they did this to show that if you learn western or English it has its roots in the same thing. Which is why they can each ride the others horse.
Yeah I agree with you. It is a good lesson to teach equestrians that think one discipline is better than the other.
Yes and no, these riders definitely knew how to ride the other side at least a little bit before getting on the other horse. The controls in dressage and reining is very different,. If you knew nothing about riding a different discipline, you’d look like a complete fool
I know almost zero about horses. Thanks for the explanation, any info helps.
Or maybe they did this because in both professions horsemanship is important factors in every sport. To know and being an sync with both man and horse.
@Brooke Eckstein that’s what she was saying. it’s a good lesson to teach people who do believe that
That was amazing! They need more events like this! To bad people had to ruin it by complaining about the other style and getting into technical stuff. Just enjoy the bloody thing without complaining. It's not that hard
XxJacintachicagoxX yesss
I agree, why can't people just accept that the two are different and that doesn't make the other wrong.
DTCeventing Not when its about abuse v.s. kindness towards the horse....
Lily is abuse sadly happens in both disciplines so it’s really got nothing to do with English or western when it sadly can happen in both
Spot on. ,
i'm a dressage rider and honestly the western horse looks so much more comfortable
Same, I really wish high level dressage wasn't so strict on headset and equipment. Personally I think a comfortable horse is a pretty horse.
They are
My throbbing inner theigh is saying preach sisters 😅
In your enemy I'm western team
I don’t know what I feels like to ride with an English saddle or dressage saddle but it looks uncomfortable
Dressage horse: I'M THE PRETTIEST HORSE IN THE WOOOORLD!
Western Horse: Nah... kepp it cool, buddy.
XS
xD
But the dressage horse is indeed sooooo beautiful. I think I fell in love a bit ;D
@@Mariciella yes Ikr and the way she stands so straight and gracefully..
I love how the western horse doesn't give a crap and the the dressage horse is like .must .be . perfect
fr lmfao😭
I love that this showcases both disciplines in multiple ways. The horses and riders are just as good as each other no matter what discipline. If you don't believe that just look when they swap horses. This is so amazing and what I needed right now. Thankyou to the people who made this, it's amazing.
Right?? I'm so happy I've finally found a video that showcases both disciplines without pitting them against each other!!
THE ANNOUNCER!!!!!! "oh no" "Is this really going to happen" I DIED!!!!
Both styles of riding are useful for different things. Different worlds doesn't mean ones better instead there both amazing pieces of art. And western horses (QH) are shorter but they are stockier and that's useful for their discipline. English horses like TB, Warmbloods etc are taller and have longer legs which is useful for their discipline.
have you by any chance seen the 18 hand quarter horses that are being bred nowadays?
Amit Waissman The poor huntseat horses... it's sad
MyGuyTy821 how is it sad? I'm sorry your dumb. All disciplines of riding are natural.
Whilst breeds are different and are better at different things I have seen many amazing quarter horses ridden english and preform amazingly, such as Snowman who jumped around 11ft, the list isn’t long since many disciplines limit what breeds can be showed. At my barn all riders start out on quarter horses, despite the fact that we ride english. They can do amazing things and it is a shame you rarely see a large variety of breeds at shows. I have been to a show where western and english were competing together, one of the best ones I ever completed in.
And Arabians can do both ;). Sorry - you opened it up .
Absolutely beautiful! I love how these people compared different moves in reining compared to dressage. It really brought out the similarities and differences in both saddles/ disciplines.
Never ridden western but I can tell its a lot more relaxed then English riding. I like that about western riding but at the same time, the precision and elegance of English riding, is probably why im an English rider :3
Creepercraig 22 Western has elegance....its just covered in mud and cow spit.
+the yolo bro's
The most important thing is what you're doing at the time. I started western, switched to English, but if it were a long ride, I'd go western.
I ride western when trail riding, I totally agree. But I do enjoy English and ride English anytime I am not trailing, and I prefer a confined space in the saddle then the western, but they are both lots of fun.
It depends on what kind of Western riding you’re doing it can be just as technical as English Riding. This western horse isn’t actually that good. But the trail event , working western horse , horsemanship, and showmanship are all very technically based.
I think what I love about Western is that it grew out of 12 to 16 hour days in the saddle in lots of conditions. I don't know what Dressage evolved from. I loved the humor in this routine though and the way the riders were entertaining us.
This is an excellent video that clearly defines the fundemental differences between the two riding disciplines. I have ridden both. I can attest to the fact that riding Dressage is by far and away more intense, but pleasurable to both watch and perform. I love western because it is less intense. Both these horses and riders performed beautifully. A joy to see such cooperation.🎩
I have my dressage horse in training with a western pleasure trainer so he can gain some fundamentals he's lacking!
Erika Krausmann less intense? I ride both but in dressage/English I feel relaxed but when barrel racing there's a much greater risk and in my opinion, way more intense
I honestly feel the disciplines and really the styles of riding have their own difficulties, trail riding on a Saturday afternoon is pretty NON strenuous compared to a barrel race or jump off on a Saturday night.
+Mellie K I agree, I don't know if I would be able to barrel race successfully as I have a fear that my horse is going to tip all the time. Haha
+Mellie K. Unless there's angry hornets on the trail....then its bronc riding. ;)
I love both disciplines.
I love the speed and craziness of Western but also the graceful steps and movements of English. Either way, I’m an equestrian.
I love this so much! It does a great job showing the difference between a focus on efficiency and a focus on form! It really shows how western is truly about a relaxed, trigger-quick horse that can work smoothly and efficiently, and English is about that finesse and form that isn’t made for hard work, but rather pure art. They’re both amazing and beautiful! I ride western since I do it for work and I’m in Wyoming, but I always wished I could learn dressage
Love your comparison, exactly how I see it!
I learned to ride by riding English then Western. Had a really bad fall as a kid and was deathly afraid of horses after, so my instructor didn't want me riding bareback til I regained my seat and confidence again. Western is definitely made for work and pleasure riding, but every once in a while go back to English and work on posture.
Haven't ridden in a while, but I'd love to go out west and trail ride
@@katwebster1986 I do enjoy English because you really feel the horse more clearly than a western saddle, but there’s nothing so freeing as being 20 miles into the wilderness on a horse. I hope you get to experience it someday! I’m glad you’ve regained your confidence after a fall like that!
But English riding isn't only about dressage and of course it's for hard work too! How do you think people hunt or jump or play polo in English saddles if they are only for looking pretty? In the New Forest the annual round up is done on horseback and they seem to manage perfectly well. I'm sure any decent gymkhana pony is as fast, agile and responsive as a barrel racer.
@@cyflym11 you’re absolutely right! And I never said anything about English only being for looking pretty. Just saying that dressage has a completely different feel to reigning, and that’s because of the different discipline and what’s considered the proper “look” for both of them. They both do hard work, and they both do shows, and they’re both loads of fun!
How much fun is that! Both horses look lovely! I am sure each rider learned something in the experience of swapping horses. The best horsemen are those who remain open minded to learning more and more.
That cow pony is so cute! I love that conformation. It's balanced, natural, long and low, like a Western horse should be. I'm not knocking the English horse, he's high and collected as he should be, but the collection is too deep in my opinion, for what my opinion is worth. The Western horse looks more free and comfortable. Respect to these good riders.
This is the kind of positivity we need in the equestrian community
For many years I rode Missouri Foxtrotters Western and I trained them in all the reining and western moves PLUS all the dressage moves and I rode in a western saddle., and called it "Cowboy Dressage".. it would really blow peoples minds and they would ask why??? answer...for control of my horse...! ! ! Why not ??? He would do all the spins sliding stops roll backs. etc as well as leg yeilds side pass shoulder in shoulder out, lengthing the stride. boy would I get the comments BUT I had CONTROL of every part of my horse... and we would even do cattle round up. bunch of fun. and why not ???
Wow. Its called western dressage. Nothing special. I go to shows and people show dressage in western tack. I think its stupid
Kaleigh Rakowski WHY do YOU think it's stupid??? What is riding all about???? control of and a CONNECTION with your horse...What difference does it make what saddle you are riding??? SNOB appeal??? I found a lot of that. Dressage and English riders think they are better.....wrong ! ! ! We rode trails for 30 years and the western saddle is the way to go. AND why can't a western horse be trained in dressage??? I would really like to hear your reasoning on "I think it's stupid"....
I don't mean its stupid and I don't want to cause drama just you can't feel all the same movements in a western saddle as you can in a English. My opinion
Kaleigh Rakowski Have you ridden in a western saddle??? If you have not how can you judge??? How do you know you cannot feel the horse??? I could feel enough of the horse to control him and to do the moves....... I think there's a lot of snob appeal going on....don't knock it unless you have tried it...my opinion...
I used to ride western but I switched to hunter jumper and now I'm dressage and once I felt a dressage horse move I didn't want to ride western again. You can feel so much more in a dressage saddle. In my opinion.
Okay, so the algorithm somehow decided to pop this into my recs 12 years too late, but I just want to say that I adored this. I've done reining years ago, when I could still afford to ride at the student stable I went to, and learned how to do basic dressage despite riding in Western tack, so seeing them side by side was delightful. Also, I think this is a great showcase of how not so different Western and English riding really are: the only real divide besides the shape of the tack the horse is wearing is that Western skews a little more toward functionality and being able to sit your butt down in that saddle for an entire day if need be, while English errs on the side of elegance and a showcase of precision and control.
I love this clip - so much fun and a great showcase for both disciplines xx
This was so much fun to watch! Highly enjoyed seeing a reining horse side by side with a dressage horse and both having a good time doing what they do best, showing everyone what true athletes these horses are. (and the riders were great too!)
Some people see English and western as completely different people, and maybe a bit, but in the end everybody is just here to have a great time and bond with your horse and fellow riders. This is great!!
Basically, I'm an English rider (just dressage and jumping sometimes at the local equestrian center once a week, haha), but I've tried out Western as well for a while. Both disciplines are fine, but I'll stick with recreative riding. I find this nice to see, it shows that the aids and techniques are pretty similiar, even though the horses are responding just a bit differently from what they've been taught.
UGH reigning and dressage... my favorite disciplines. Anyone else notice how made the horses were when the people switched horses? XD
Mad- I truly hate auto correct -.-
Kittys.equii_clips I saw the opposite - a relaxed horse whenever the guy was on it!
Kittys.equii_clips that poor dressage horse looked happier to me. That woman has horribly heavy hands.
@@goprocowgirl6446 yeh thats common in the English discipline, especially dressage. As an english rider myself (jumper) i find my hands get heavy sometimes but i think its bc its lowkey hrd to relax in english, there is always something you have to keep heavy in your mind, time (jumpers) elegance (dressage) patience, lots of scope (hunters) good lower leg (equitation) speed, stamina, knowing what your horse will actually jump (cross country) does your horse's grooming meet the requirements ( in hunter and jumper shows, in some they may want you to have the horse tail or mane braided a certain way) are you using the right tack? (If you watch the more professional hunter and jumper shows, you will notice a difference in their style) (those are just a few of the things i named) where as with western from my pov, y'all seem to really be able to be laid back at times.
Milan Murphy Western is nice for long rides and you can relax but in cutting its like English lol we’re not aloud in the warmup arena if we don’t have a cowboy/girl hat, show shirt, boots, jeans, and other things i probably forgot lmao oh and the horses tail had to be “perfect”😂 it’s all fun until you gotta compete 😂well it’s still fun but the relaxing part is completely gone😂
When the dressage horse trotted out in the beginning, he was positively floating! That said, they are both beautiful horses, working in intense disciplines, with great riders. I like them both!
Dressage has really exaggerated movements.. both are beautiful. I appreciate the hard work of the riders and their horses.
I like watching Dressage & other English riding events but I'm a Western rider and I could probably never ride English. Seems too fancy for me. That's just my opinion. Lol.
Nah, I ride both and both are fun. :) When you start out on English you don't normally carry a crop anyway. Try it, I think you'd like it. :D
Haha i get where you're coming from but english isn't all fancy, just dressage :)
i ride both and they are pretty fun I just think its hilarious when my western friends get on my jumping horse and are like wait he doesn't neck rein...
Everything Horses Girls English is pretty fancy. In western you can wear colorful bling. in english you can choose between black and navy blue haha
Lol.
Both are so very gorgeous!!! Amazing to see them side by side!
The western ride looks much more relaxed and comfortable.
Yeah because western riding is about comfort and relaxation and dressage riding is about mind and muscle control.
Western saddles are big, comfortable things meant for someone to sit in most of the day, given that they were originally made for things like cattle herding. They're also made so that you're sitting way down deep, your center of gravity low, which makes it easier to maintain your seat when the horse is doing things like the fast spins seen in the video, or the types of movements used when cutting cattle, where the horse drops their head and lowers down on the front legs, darting back-and-forth to keep the cow cut from the herd from joining back up. You don't have to do more than sit there and let the way the horse moves shift your body. It can be very high-energy stuff, but mostly sitting in a Western saddle is incredibly chill.
Yes maybe. But remember that proper dressage training (im going to mark proper) is aiming for relaxed horse in correct position, to develop good horse posture and muscle. Sadly there are dressage riders that use violence to make horse Look "good" by hurting them very badly. But to be honest, it happens it every horse discipline. There is no, better discipline that is healthier for horses. Free riding, when performed bad, damages the horse spine. Same As dressage, show jumping and Western. (sorry for possible mistakes. Non English speaker.)
I certainly found it more natural and pleasing on the eyes. But the English horse definitely looked proud.
Though the Western horses demeanour seemed to change to irritation and discomfort, after the English rider got on. I guess her technique was probably a little too heavy handed compared to what the horse is used to.
@@choconutty9511 It looks only natural to you because you are used to the sight. You will barely ever see horses in the wild trot or canter with their nose on the ground. Besides that, carrying a rider requires a different posture. It's like saying that the movements of a gymnast are worse than those of someone who is jogging while scuffing their feet on the ground.
14 years later and this still makes me smile! ❤
PSA: Both disciplines are equally as difficult and equally as beautiful. Coming from an (amateur) English rider, I adore my style but I would love to learn Western someday too it looks like a lot of fun
Zara Wolfe I'll tell you it'll be hard in the beginning. I switched to western riding a few years ago but it was the best decision I've ever made.
They're BOTH great riders- they complement each other...I like the music choices, as well.
guys stop bickering just enjoy it
right on!
I saw this one at the fair, it was the best opener they ever had.
Annie Engström: The form of the dressage horse is not ''very bad for the horse'' it's acutally made to benefit the horse, naturally a horse puts 60% of it's weigth og the front and 40% on the back. When a human appears up there the balance is dusturbed. Therefore dressagehorses are trained to use the bigger muscle groups more, the hind legs, the back and the neck, that is why the neck curls in that way, and the horse kinda looks like it's walking a little uphill. An untrained trained horse will carry the rider on the skelton, which is not made to carry a human so it's bad for it, a trained horse will carry the rider on the muscles. Sadly, many people only see a horse taking it's head down.
This comment didn't age well.. they have come out with way more research and a lower head doesn't mean anything negative for the horse, having collection is everything.
It is unnatural for a horse to carry his head like a Dressage horse! It cuts their wind and balance down. Try taking some anatomy lessons and watch horses in their natural habitat! All dressage is for the appearance of a human being, not what is best for a horse. If the rider is balanced and moves with the horse instead of bouncing, it makes it easier on the horse and they use all of their muscles. No horse is fully developed joint wise until they are 4-5 years of age. Nothing should be put on their backs until then. That is why so many race horses break down so young.
They’re both so pretty and amazing at their unique disciplines
As a rider who went from riding dressage to riding western due to a horse's injury, there is such a parallel between the two that people don't really recognize. It's alllll in the seat and legs my friends.
Both disciplines are incredible and super fun. Both have bad eggs, and both have absolute golden geese 👏
Honestly I do not see how you guys think the cowboy did better on the dressage horse than the dressage rider. They both did great. I have jumped and barrel raced and they both are hard. I loved them both but I am an English rider deep down (:
same here but iam home grown western rider..but I can jump too
i prefer western but eventually I will also do English. eventually i want to show in both english and western
+Chevy Girl Both are very fun in my opinion. I have just taken a love to jumping so that is why I prefer english.
Rachael Glaeser i need more training before i can even think of doing jumping
Lela Nicole the dressage rider couldn't even manage a sliding stop for crying out loud. That's about as basic as it gets in reining.
Both disciplines are impressive though, I'm just pointing out what I saw. I think some aspects of English riding are really quite amazing, even if I don't totally agree with the training methods. Especially the bits.
And barrel racing is completely different than reining. I have barrel raced, and compared to every single cow horse event or everyday ranching, it ain't that hard. It's a very poor representation of the western style in general in my opinion.
I ride Western, mainly since my mom also did and was a barrel racer, so I'm basically raised into it. Both English and Western are equally difficult, I believe, but I don't think I could ever see myself all elegant and fancy like the English rider in the video. I love the comfort of Western riding, and honestly find it a lot more entertaining to watch. It's just- the tension of watching barrel races, where _literally_ every millisecond counts, I love it. I have watched a bit of show jumping, which I did find pretty entertaining as well, but also couldn't see myself doing. The only jumping I'll be doing with my horse will be over logs!
I think both disciplines are awesome, it's just as usual it's the people doing them that ruin the discipline and give it a bad name.
Eg I hate how western riders think their way is "more natural" or traditional, considering us English people have been out hunting and riding English style since before "America" (modern day) even existed!
I also hate how a lot of dressage (and showing) people tend to be bitchy and shallow. I did a bit of dressage last year on my Arab x saddlebred (looks pure Arab), and got a load of gossiping bitches behind my back saying "Arabs shouldn't do dressage" (I came in 3rd place that day...just saying!)
So there are horrible people in every discipline, it is the fault of nasty people and it isn't to do with the training or the concept of the discipline.
I totally agree. (BTW: Arabs are amazing!!)
I agree. I ride bareback, prefer hacks and don't care about the breed of the horse
Not every western rider think that. I actually never met a western rider who thinks that. Plus western has been in Europe and Asia the same a English
As*
Ikr People think that just because I am handycaped that kids like me cannot do equestrian, I took 1st and 6th place in the 2 compilations That I took part in, the 6th place ribbons were out of 50 riders , both youth and adult. Plus some of the others were able-bodied riders.
That dressage horse is art! So beautiful and looks like he isnt putting any effort. And I love the western horse. So pretty and trained! Amazing riders❤
omg this is the best thing I have ever watched lol they should do stuff like this all the time my favorite part was when the cowboy got on the dressage horse I laughed so hard 😂😂
this is so awesome! i've always been quite the quintesential English rider, i started in a school doing showjumping and cross country, then trained primarily in dressage for about 3 years before just recently starting work at a reining competition yard. i'm going for my first lesson today and thought i'd look up dressage-reining, and found this! so similar yet so different... and the horses look like they're enjoying themselves :) i love the warmbloods big paces compared to the nippy QH.
As a dog trainer, I was constantly asked, "What's the best breed of dog?" I always replied, "There's no such thing." Why? Because each of the 500+ breeds of dog in the world was developed for specific reasons and specific jobs. Duck hunting breeds are not "better" than protection breeds, and protection breeds are not "better" than herding breeds. Nor are duck hunters "better" than cow or sheep ranchers. Same with equestrian disciplines; each is suited to their own purposes and one is no "better" than another. Dressage, Western, Hunter/Jumpers, Trail Riders; all the same worth, just different.
Very good, mature answer, RBNightlinger. :D
@@mawmawvee Amen!
I have never seen anything like it, brilliant.
Look at the western horse when the dressage rider started to ride him, the horse changed in my eyes :D
Adorable. That chestnut is such a stunning horse.
Dressage horses are stunning! I hate how every one says its abuse! ITS NOT!
You are correct. Some people make ignorant statements about it without researching and understanding it. I have ridden for 30 years and never had a sore or lame horse from doing dressage. As with anything else, it must be done correctly with the comfort of the horse always in mind
horseluvr1021
You know what creates a bond? understanding. whether an individual shows that in their riding differs, but just "because" it is dressage does not mean anything.
Think about how horses learn: you apply pressure until they do the correct action. The horse realizes what is desired by remembering when you release the pressure. if you don't give release, the horse does not know what it did right, and tries to find the answer, sometimes through extremes like bucking and balking.
For this reason you could say that Western riding is more correct because there is little pressure (loose reins) until the horse has done something wrong = Very very clear picture of what is wanted. This creates a happy horse because horses like patterns and understanding. = real bond.
If done correctly, dressage can be wonderful for the same reason. but dressage is not the only correct answer...
horseluvr1021
Cool. sounds very nice. But do notice how the reins are pressure, kicking is pressure, and most important release is the cue. If you don't know what pressure and release is look it up. it is how horses understand and learn, how horses talk to each other.
The sport itself is beautiful and elegant, but it's the individual competitors who decide to use cruelty or not.
It's abusive when there's abusive riders using rollkur and abusing the sport
Great video! The western rider makes both disciplines look so easy. I would love the opportunity to ride a western trained horse.
Lovely video. I've doen quite a bit of English riding in my time, because that was all that was available over here, but always felt that in Western riding the horse and rider look more like a team than they do in English riding. I thought the "cowboy" adapted to riding the dressage horse much better than the dressage rider did to the cowboy;s horse. Her arms were flapping about wildly when in fact the Western rider was much more subtle in his reining. I've been able to have a go at reining now, and think it is much more civilised without the controls on the bit that we tend to do over here.
Two top tier athletes, two completely different styles!! Love love love
I love this video so much!
both of them are amazing riders with awesome horses.
both of them struggled with the different disciplines but had fun!
i hate the English vs Western. get over it! our training is similar but with different outcomes. too bad if we ride in different saddles
I definitely laughed out loud when the cowboy went into the pirouette. I think they both did fantastically, this was supposed to be a skit and they did their job beautifully- to entertain.
I love how both riders are just goofing around with eachother. XD
Both of these arts are beautiful
English riding is not only about jumping. Plus, not every horse can jump high. You forget here that English riding also includes the dressage. Dressage is all about how you ride, if you and your horse can work together and make it look good. In this video you can see that a dressage horse can't really be a western horse, but a western horse can't be a dressage horse either.
It's like the tango and the waltz being performed next to each other... it's amazing how the same partnership and the use of the same muscles produces such different movements. It's beautiful to watch both together.
4:52 "Look at em' parking it with a sliding stop" The horse didn't even come close to a stop.
He did it a few seconds before they said it..
yaelsol123 ... Are you blind? That was NOT a stop 😆 The horse was right and the English rider got in his way.
This is one of my favorite videos ever.
I love watching dressage, don't get me wrong, but I'd take the stock horse any day of the week.
Awesome! So cool seeing the riders seat and style change for the horse they were riding. Talented horses and people!
OMG that was sooo much fun to watch!!!! :)
Both of the horses must be from impeccable bloodlines. Not your average horse. Great temperaments, intelligent and extremely expensive to purchase. I love watching their beauty and discipline
3:52 hahaha that stop was hilarious! you're supposed to put your feet foreward, not just lean backwards^^ it's not that simple. amazing this!!!! love it
I was wondering why it looked awkward!
I love the music and the way they have the horses do the “dance”
im for Western!!!!!!😄😄😄😄❤❤❤
Wonderful. Real horsemen respect all good quality riding.
I love both but I like western more. I'm more Into speed
mady b then stick to barrel racing and don't put your nose in anything you don't know about. This obviously isn't speed the horse is a Ranch Reiner.
Girl same
@@elliegreen7966 How do you know she is a barrel racer? Secondly, she didn't say anything rude, so why are you lashing out at her like that?And ranch reining isn't a thing. There are many different kinds of reining, but that isn't one of them. Be kind and don't stick your nose in anything you don't know about, as you said before.
Ellie Green well I both jump and barrel race and I by far think barrel racing is faster and more of an adrenaline rush so...
This is 10ys old, it should have way more views!
That's not a cowboy it's a western rider
Both horses magnificent. Both have their strengths. Lovely program.
them horses are so gorgeous!I❤them but I don't get why people like dressage more?
I've just done English riding and not dressage, but people may prefer it because they find joy and beauty in the practice.
different strokes for different folks! I used to ride both saddle seat AND western.
Cause english is more naturaly. Do you know, what REINing means? It mean riding by REIN and it is realy bad for horses. Finally, u cannot ride wester without saddle and briddle, but you can ride english without it.
And next fact, when America was found, english riding was there for "some" centurys. Wester riding is work style like harness and hauling wood. Cowboys need work horses for every day work in farm. English was born for horse and riders comfort, like a sport and hobby, but practicaly and naturaly. Wester was born like work method and just riders comfort - i bet 100000$, that if truely cowboy from 19 -first half of 20 century would see todays western saddles and riders, they would laught at them.
Actually, english riding was mainly developed for the purpose of war. It is true however that 'english' riding was developed before 'western riding'. + I don't know exactly what you meant and I might be wrong in correcting you on this but english riding was developed in Europe and had already been around for quite some time when the USA was founded, it was not developed over there. I ride english myself and therefore prefer dressage. However, that's just a personal preference and I respect everyone's choice on preferring one or the other.
Sooo LOVELY dancing pair !!!
Cowboy has def ridden English before. Body form is a give away
It’s really good to know and be well versed in both disciplines
Not necessarily. The equitation is the same for both when done properly.
@@terike9738 No, its not. They have 100% ridden each others discipline before
@@blissfulyblue4430 So what if they have. A good rider will have the same position and equitation in any equestrian discipline.
The point that most seem to be missing is the fundamental similarities that they are showcasing between the two disciplines. Even though dressage and reining appear to be very different, the fact that these two riders who are advanced in their own disciplines can switch horses and still accomplish the elements of the different style says everything. Even with practice, you cannot discount the strength of their transferable skills. I was a dressage rider, but I have a ton of respect for reining - I have played at reining enough to know the fundamental similarities outweigh the differences.
That "Oh no.." HAHAHA
This is the video that brings both of the worlds( english/western) together!
The cowboy rode the the dressage horse better then the dressage rider rode the reining horse
so true
agreed, her seat made me cringe, and when she tried to do sliding stops
well that's probably her first time being on a reinging horse and in a small hard saddle like a Western saddle since English saddles tend to be different and you're supposed to post when the horse is trotting in English
I cringed the whole way through her. I don't know how they could even call that a stop.
He struggled to make her horse half-pass correctly and his pirouettes were all over the place. She did those moves OK on his horse.
I always wanted to learn to do dressage it looks like so much fun, I mainly ride western.
That was weird... What I don't get is why would you want a horse to step like all 4 legs are pogo sticks or why would you want to turn spin a horse without much forward motion? Horses don't naturally do this!
Riding a horse or any animal for that matter is NOT natural. Get real. All that being said, each to his own. I do natural horsemanship and dressage and I hear the fighting between trainers based on principles all the time. Just be good to your horse and give it the best life you can afford.
***** But I still don't get why would you ask your horse to walk like all four legs are made of pogo sticks...
ast5515 some horses have a natural bounce in their step anyhow because thats sometimes how they play or sometimes they just thinks its fun.
Actually, horses do naturally do these things! They're just refined and on cue for riding. Stallions piaffe on their own all the time, and many horses spin, do tempis, etc naturally in the pasture! Watch a cow horse on its own without a rider, he will get low and cut without hardly moving forward :)
Dressage techniques were invented for war. A correctly trained horse would be able to make its way through tangled battlefields with greater ease and safety than one that was not--lifting their feet higher than normal aided this. Cowhorses were likewise trained to do certain things that would make herding cattle easier; trying to move a herd could be difficult if a horse didn't know how to switch directions quickly, and spinning around was not the least "natural" trick they had in their book.
So much time and commitment has been spent on each horse and each rider. Each discipline is beautiful in its own way and I find myself tearing up watching dressage cuz it can be so beautiful but I'll always ride western and my dream to be such a disciplined reining rider is still a dream for now.. but that reining horse is a much more useful horse and a much more comfortable ride that the dressage horse.. that is my opinion which we all know only matters to myself.
Really proves we’re just a saddle and a stylization away... theres no such thing as western riding vs english cowboys invented the concept of western riding so they can call english too fancy then ask you who made your saddle and what bloodlines your horse has and why you buy tough 1 tack, take it from a poor equestrian that rides both, good riding and horsemanship is the only thing worth anything in either, and both are the same if done right.
As a western rider, it amazes me how elegant looking english riders look. i can never quite grasp it when i tried taking lessons, but thats probably also because i myself and very awkward when i try to do anything lol
Why did this have to be called "dressage meets western"? This was REINING that's a discipline in western riding come on now, as a team penning/sorting rider and novice Reiner I just wish this had been called what it was; dressage meets reining or English meets western.
I love all rider's & love all horses!!
At least here the Western horse doesn't have his muzzle practically touching the ground and a canter that doesn't go anywhere. I still think that English riding is more pleasing to look at and has the potential for more precise movements, but this Western does look natural, unlike some examples of this style that I've seen.
+Rebecca Cole It's not pleasing at all to me. Horses aren't supposed to hold their heads like that. Let the poor animal have it's natural head so it knows it's safe for heavens sake. They don't have peripheral vision like ours. so they look around.
+13wolfy13 Collection is actually beneficial to horse and rider. Besides, the horse is not behind the vertical, meaning it is not experiencing hyper-flexion, so what is wrong? Horses even use collection in the wild as a survival mechanism.
Actually, it depends on the horse! My horse has an uphill build and likes to canter and trot around the paddock perfectly collected with a high, arched neck all on his own. A downhill quarter horse with different center of gravity and lower neck would be unlikely to do that because it simply isn't comfortable for that conformation and neck set. Look at where warmblood necks are set on the horse in comparison to quarter horses and you will see what I mean :)
Rebecca Cole at least here the western horse has his natural headset and the rider doesn't need to be right on its mouth to communicate with it
Rebecca Cole watch Special nu baby riden by Matt Gaines cut cows. That, is precision in the western world. Reining and barrel racing are not good examples of the western style in my opinion. Western riding was developed on the range while herding cattle, and the cow horse events better display what western really is in my opinion.
This the best video I’ve seen. Next time anyone tells me “well ___ is a better discipline” I’ll show them this
I personally like dressage it is more pretty
H.O.R.S.E.S *prettier
So beautiful to watch.
Used to do a lot of horseback riding in my youth.
Ciao from Little Italy 🇮🇹 Montréal
3:27: "Oh no, is this really going to happen?"
I do both and as much as people think there is a difference there is not. We all do what we love and were all good at it!
I love how the dressage rider tried to do actual dressage western horse
To me the dressage horse was more prepared and pampered
Western it just looked raggy
I do dressage and jumping
The Western rider still looked more comfortable on both horses, and calm...Not a better show, but still a better rider.
That is because a reiner, a true reiner, is very touchy. The slightest movement of the rider can make the horse move. Sometimes after a spin, some riders move the reins to straighten the horse out, but if the other rein touches the other side of the neck, the horse while look like he is wobbling. Not the horse's fault.
I know reining isn't the best Western sport to compare to natural, yet Dressage is way less natural so my point is, you basically called all natural moving horses raggy.
Nikki B The Orcinus orca Actually, I'll disagree. Ever watch horses playing in a pasture? They don't jog along with their heads down slowly, they arch their necks and play. Dressage is all about carrying a rider efficiently and bringing out and improving the horse's natural movements. Now horses with low set necks may keep their heads level, but most riding breeds tend to bring their necks up and arched when excited or playing. When you have a horse naturally holding the bit and listening to your aids, this is what happens naturally. You don't need to force them to move like this.
enmonjea "Improving natural movements" How is that improving, reining improves natural movements, for example the turning, that is the natural flight response improved... I don't see how prancing around on their hind legs in a circular motion is improving anything. Yes, I know horses prance naturally but, really? Improving?
Even though I'm more of an English rider myself, I still LOVE to see people supporting other disciplines as well! It's how it should be
The people that say dressage and other English sport as cruel is because of rolkor were they keep the horses heads basically high and tucked to their chins its un natural and if you look into it, it actually does cause damage to the horse long term but as long as it makes them look"elegant and poised "it didn't matter, western is more natural to the horse they don't keep there head in an unusual position and the bit isn't shoved down to make them constantly carry their heads high unnaturally. Both are pretty in there own way one is just a little more safer and comfortable on the horses mouth neck and back.
Are you kidding, western quarter horses are just as bad as any English horse, the trainers tie their heads up for hours, so they can't bring their heads, and tie them down so far down, that they can't bring their heads up. And most English horses like saddlebreds and Arabians for example naturally have their heads up and in when they move, they like to show off, so ya every breed has pros and cons, so pick and chose what you like from each and use it. Like I do
plkrahenbuhl92 Similar to what you said about english horses often having naturally high heads, western horses often carry their heads naturally low. It's really just the breed in general. Also tie downs, which I think is what you're referring to are often only used to keep the horse from tossing its head. Not always, but most of the horses that need tie downs just have a bad habit of tossing their heads too much out of impatience (at least in my experience). Most of the time a horse that needs a tie down will eventually learn and not need on anymore.
Amber Chappell The brunt of people who ride English and do dressage are AGAINST and DO NOT practice rollkur. Neither discipline itself is "safer" or more "comfortable" on the horse's mouth and neck. I've witnessed Western riders practicing rollkur as well, it's not just English.
Good lord. You get a few bad apples than automatically people assum that is the way the horses are taught. To correctly teach western or dressage to a horse requires a ton of work. I don't know much about english, but the head set is set by taking the time and slowly working the horse to carry themselves that way. You do not tie their heads to the ground or to the chest or what ever you goofy thing ignorant people believe.
Actually, in western you flex the horse's body and neck. The more you spend time doing it, the horse will automatically lower their heads.
You get some bad apples and now spurs are the spawn of Hell. When you get people who lose patience and don't get the right response quickly, that is when the spurs need to come off. They're purpose isn't to whale on the horse's side simply to make them go faster, which is where you get anti-spur people. You bump and press the spurs not kick the horse with it.
Some horses are bred from successful sport horses and will actually be naturally equip to perform moves.
The hate of reining and dressage and whatever performance, is passed from person to person. One person sees a bad apple and then will run to their friends at the barn and tell them what they saw someone do.
Watch succesful trainers who teach that performance and read about it rather than rely on rumors.
I heard that reining requires more suppling than a dressage horse does. And that is just it. I HEAR that. Do I know it? Not at all as I heard that from a professional western rider. Can I see it? Sure. When I watch a spin on a dressage horse, it is slower and looks more straight. Whereas on a reiner, the spin is fast and the front legs cross over while the head is still lowered.
A reiner's slide requires the horse to build up speed and once they reach top speed, which is where the shoulders are highest, the rider sits down, some may give the horse a verbal hault as well, which tells the horse to stop instantly. Their momentum carries the horse forward. For it to be done professionally, the horse should walk forwards on their front legs will sliding rather than stopping and having the whole head and neck come up, which hollows their back rather than keeping it rounded.
A rollback, a lot of neck reining, but bump the horse back at the nose, and lay the rein over their neck.
Flexing side to side, start on the ground before you ride the horse. But assuming the horse already knows, tenderly touch one rein and the horse will quickly respond.
The bit is almost useless in reining.
There is much more to it than what I can explain.
English? Hell I don't know. I had spent three months learning how to ride English and can't even tell the horse when to stop moving. I automatically resort to western signals and I got repreminded from doing it. I got in trouble for having way too much slack in the reins. So I tighten them and then got in trouble for having them too tight. My English knowledge is little to none. But I am sure it takes just as much time as western.
Needless to say, stop seeing to believe.
Just know that there is many ways to teach a horse. Whether it is right or wrong.
I am using my iPhone to type so pardon any mistakes and the lengthy reply.
That's not proper dressage. Dressage is showing of your horses abilities, not forcing them.
So so fun! My heart is busting with love
damb that western horse doesn't like the dressage rider reigning him
That western horse HATED her western rider.
Puppet Master it actually looked very comfortable with him
i love that it shows how a good rider is a good rider regardless of discipline