About Western Riding Equipment

While Western riding can trace its origins all the way back to 400 BC, most people are more familiar with Western riding in terms of American cowboys. These days, Western riding is a style of riding that controls a horse's movements through the use of light pressure and weight transferring. Western riding requires its own type of equipment.

Saddle

A Western riding saddle has a few prominent features. Among the most common features are the existence of a horn and the inability to remove the stirrups from the saddle. Western saddles are wide, which spreads the weight load across the back of the horse. A Western saddle does not have its own padding and must be used in conjunction with a saddle pad. Western saddles are secured to the horse by the use of a cinch rather than a buckle.

Reins

Two types of reins are used in Western riding. These include split reins and romal reins. Split reins are designed to allow the rider to place a finger between the reins, which gives the rider the ability to make easy adjustments and retain control over the horse. Romal reins join together at the end and are held without a finger between the reins. When using romal reins, it is important that the rider maintains a distance of 16 inches between the reins.

Bits

Snaffle bits and curb bits are used most commonly in Western riding. Riders like using snaffle bits because they do not have any leverage, which means that they do not react to pressure put upon the reins. Snaffle bits are more gentle than their curb bit counterparts. A curb bit has leverage and is considered to be a more severe bit choice in Western riding. When used correctly, either bit works well to give the rider the proper degree of control that is needed in Western riding.