Trail Horse Western And English In-Hand Trail: Fill & Download for Free

The key is to stay upright, put on hand on flat top of the horn, not around it, and let your body flex, using the free arm to help keep your balance. Push against the horn cap to force your butt back into the saddle so you stay as deep and connected as possible. Never pull against the horn as that would pull your upper body forward and out of the saddle.Your feet will be busy too. Heels should push down as deep as possible. Don't grip with your knees as your feet may well need to come behind the vertical to maintain balance. The grip is more in your inner thighs, and legs should remain parallel to the horse's sides. When your upper body flexes back, your feet follow and stay under your shoulders.The nice thing about the average Western pleasure or barrel racing saddle is that it's designed to be sat in rather than on, like an English saddle. I've ridden in both for 55 years--English pleasure, equitation, over fences, dressage, barrel racing, pole bending, roping, and trail riding, all competitive except roping— and find it much easier to ride out a bucking horse in a Western saddle. I must admit I didn't like the roping saddle with a flared swell that locked my upper legs into place, but that's a personal peeve, not generally shared by my calf roper friends. It wasn't my strong suit.

Welcome to my world, LOL! Being overweight currently myself, I have dealt with this and studied the issue extensively.Some scientists have done research and come up with the 20% rule, which would require a horse at a healthy weight of 1250 pounds for you. However, many people are going over this percentage up to about 30%.It is important to consider many other factors. Are you in shape, so you can keep you core steady and in balance? Are you an experienced rider who knows how to follow the movement of the horse? Do you know how to post at the trot, which even the cowboys do whenever possible to avoid jarring themselves or the horse? Yeses mean the twenty percent rule can be stretched a bit.Consider also how often and how long you will ride. Critics of the 20% studies say they applied to cavalry horses in much more strenuous use than the amateur trail rider will do. If you are planning to do some jumping or barrel racing you would want to err on the side of cautionAfret all that droning, here is my suggestion:a horse no less than 5 or 6 years old, up to the lower teens.Nice big feet and thick bones. A horse shoe size of at least 1 ( they go typically from 00 to 3)a medium length back equaling one third of total body length. Too short just gives less space for a larger size saddle. Too long is weaker.Unless you are going for a true cowboy look, go for a height at least 15.2 hands, 16 if you are riding English.A big quarter horse is an excellent choice provided it is stocky with big feet. Stay away from ones bred for in-hand showmanship classes, they may be fat but not strong. Stay away from little feet because such quarter horses are prone to navicular disease.A draft cross or a large boned thoroughbred would do. Or one of the warm blood breeds.If you are a trail rider, you might consider a gaited horse such as a Tennessee Walker. Smooth for you and less bouncing for the horse’s back.other tips: slow warm up and cool down, rides of an hour or so, and western saddles distribute weight over a larger area. Always make sure your saddle fits well.

I’ve really only gone on two official trail rides. My favorite was easily in New Mexico.One was in Albuquerque, New Mexico (or nearby, I’m not quite sure) and it was amazing. The guy leading it was really patient as my mom and sister got used to riding and helped me learn how to hold the reins in one hand, as I’m used to English style riding. He told us our horses’ names and was very friendly from the start.The other was in the 1000 Islands, New York. This dude basically ripped us off. Took us for a 20 minute ride around a fucking field and charged us $100, when it specifically said it’d be through the woods. The horses weren’t too well trained and I’m pretty sure they put me on a stallion, because he seemed to constantly want to run off. It was also Western and they gave us no instructions on how to ride and commented on how people who came there seemed to come without knowing how to ride.I’ve also been on short trail rides at my local barn in New York, but nothing huge. They’re fun, especially when the horse jumps over a big puddle of water or something.