For many people - “Western” and Western riding may bring the associations of hard galloping cowboys – chasing wild Indians, leather clothes, cowboy hats and guns blazing. In short – conquering the Wild West. They are only partially true.
In reality the western style of riding comes from the Spanish riding schools and it was imported to the Americas by the conquistadors. To this day there is similarity in some of the Spanish and English terms, when it comes to Western riding. This riding style was and is practiced by the Mexican vaqueros, Argentine gauchos and the North American cowboys when they work with livestock.
In many years this style of riding spread all over the Americas, not because of a fashion style, or some romantic image, but because it had practical purpose. The new conquered territories presented a challenge for the people going west; in the means of needing to have a reliable mount for transportation and work, on which they can count on.
Even back then the well trained horse was worth a lot more than an average trained one. Good workable tack was also paramount because people often spend a full day in the saddle.
In time the cowboy way of life has become more than just a dress code and riding style, but more so a code of honor, where the man’s word and a well-trained horse meant a lot.
Little by little this well trained cattle horses were started to be shown in sporting events. Today the “Western” riding style has created many sporting disciplines with their roots deep into the old cowboy way of riding.
Western riding lessons
In Adgor riding stable we practice Western riding and we are the founders of the first Bulgarian “Reining and Western riding Club”. Horsemanship and Western riding are the foundation of our program. We have developed a full course educational program, which will give you good understanding of the Western riding and horsemanship style of working with horses. This program will give you the means of advancing your skills towards the horse riding discipline you are aiming for. That’s why the time and consistency that you will have to spend learning the new skills is paramount.
Here are the riding disciplines that we offer:
- Trail
- Roping
- Reining
- Riding with bosal
After you have a good riding foundation, you can start taking lessons in some of them if you wish.
We have well trained horses that you can use in furthering your training. The training is led by professional horse trainer, with ten years of experience in the U.S. and a team of qualified trainers.
For those of you who have interest in any of the disciplines offered for training, you can join our “Reining and Western riding Club”.
Horse training
Major part of our program is training horses, and even though the Western riding is just getting started in Bulgaria, there are more and more people who have interest in it. If you are one of them and you want your horse to be trained in any of these western disciplines, feel free to contact us at any time. We will be happy to help. Our training team is constantly improving, gaining more knowledge from top trainers like Clinton Anderson, Ian Francis, Andrea Fappani and others, so we are sure that you will be satisfied with the results.
The training of the horses is done taking into consideration their potential, limits and personal traits.
Western saddles
In Adgor riding stable we use mainly western saddles because of their proven reliability throughout centuries. Their design and making are consistent with the needs for the cowboys to spend sometimes 12 to 14 hours in the saddle in a single day. That’s why the base of the western saddle is longer and wider, so it can more evenly distribute the riders wait over the horses back, and so prevents soreness. The sturdy saddle horn is used when roping, or for leading another horse/s or cattle if necessary. The stirrups are wider and designed for long hours in the saddle, also making them safer and more comfortable for the rider.