WESTERN riding is one of the oldest surviving forms of equitation and is popular with riders of all levels. Although it requires great skill to compete at a high level, it is accessible to everyone - from novice level upwards. It is a style of riding designed to be comfortable enough for the rider to spend hours in the saddle while working in harmony and partnership with a well schooled, responsive horse.

Andrea Calvesbert meets a Herefordshire exponent of the discipline - and finds it definitely isn't the "easy option" for horse or rider.

Riding style that's anything but the easy option

AFTER 23 years of riding, I felt I could put up a fairly decent performance on a horse - but then I tried Western riding.

It was the most eye-opening experience I have had for a long time - feeling a horse go forward when you lighten your seat and click, without requiring any leg pressure at all is amazing - but in the space of one hour I realised the past two decades counted for very little.

I needed guidance on how to stop, turn and ride a horse forwards while, at the same time, trying desperately to find a centre of balance somewhere between the horse's ears and tail.

Emma French, who runs Crystalwood Equestrian, at Credenhill, was kind enough to compliment me on a 'nice dressage seat' but quickly pointed out that wasn't what was required in Western riding.

Champ, a 12-year-old Appaloosa, was very understanding of my less-than-polished performance and gave me a glimpse of just how enjoyable this style of riding could be, and how much trust is involved between horse and rider.

Anyone who thinks Western riding is an easy option for people who can't ride well, or for lazy horses who want to shuffle along, is very wrong.

Having said that, it is exactly what Emma thought before she was introduced to it at the age of about 15.

She was being taught in a traditional yard and was finding the horses there reluctant to perform the movements being asked of them.

"It was all such hard work and, eventually, when even the instructor couldn't get her horse to do a turn on the forehand I realised my horse would do it very easily when ridden Western style and I just decided if that was the way he would do it, that's the way I would ride," she recalled.

"I've never looked back."

Emma now rides and teaches Western and English styles but always starts her young horses Western.

"It is very easy for the horse to understand what you are asking," she explained.

"It was developed by the cowboys who needed their horses to be relaxed, supple and comfortable and work all day, so they took the horse's language and used it to teach their animals what they wanted, explained Emma.

She is not at all 'anti' English riding and uses it to improve the way her horses go when they are ridden Western.

She believes that the two styles can complement each other and are not as far apart as some people think.

For example, although Western has less collection and much less cadence than English riding aspires to, in both styles the horse should be working through its back and be soft and responsive. The Western horse should have calm, easy paces and be correctly balanced at all times.

The Western Equestrian Society describes how the Western horse is trained to respond willingly to the lightest of aids, mostly leg pressure and weight.

It says: "The philosophy behind training a Western horse is based on placing the horse in the correct position and allowing him to work it out himself. Soon he will learn that he only meets resistance when he does something wrong - and the resistance stops immediately he carries out the manoeuvre correctly."

Emma said: "If you tell a Western-trained horse to 'whoa' I guarantee he will stop. Even if he is frightened of something he will stop.

"He might not stay stopped for very long if he is nervous because horses are flighty animals, but it will buy you a couple of extra seconds to plan how you are going to get out of a sticky situation."

Obviously Western riding will not be for everyone.

A Western horse is trained in a way which makes it comfortable for both horse and rider to cover a long distance whereas a dressage horse is trained for collection and impressive paces. Combining both is possible for those people who would like a well-trained, extremely responsive horse.

Emma also assured me it is possible to re-train an older horse to Western.

Anyone who is a fairly competent rider prepared to 'listen' to their horse can do it; it is a case of initially combining the Western aids with the instructions the horse already understands.

There are shows solely for Western riding but Emma is the first to admit a Western horse is never going to do particularly well in a conventional dressage test.

"I compete at Western shows whenever I can, but I also compete at low level dressage," she said.

"However you have to be prepared for the fact that your horse might well do turns on the forehand and canter changes with very little effort, but in a prelim test you are being pulled up on how you execute a 20 metre circle!"

I know which way I would rather ride if I was planning a three or four-hour hack and I am well and truly hooked on learning more.

Maybe next time I will master that jog.

l For more information on Western riding, log on to the WES website at www.wes-uk.com. To try Western yourself, Emma can be contacted on 01432 760241.