Sara

I'm shocked no one has answered your question as yet!!
Let me tell you a couple things about saddles. ( English vs Western)
I own both.  I have ridden on Western saddles for over 60 years. I bought the English saddle after becoming a member of the UNI, about a year an a half ago. The reason I bought it was because Monty uses one that has been modified to fit his needs for his demos and most of the first rides I have watched him do. I think I remember him saying that it was light and much quicker to use. He may have mentioned his age, which is one reason I purchased one. I have 5 horses and I work with them each 3 days a week. The English saddle only weighs 6 to 8 pounds as opposed to the Western. (24-28 pounds) and it's so much quicker to saddle up with it. It keeps me from lugging 3 heavy saddle out from the Tact room.
As to your question about whether to use either, I truly believe the horse will not give much thought to which one you're riding on except one is lighter.
 My advice  to you is for you to decide which saddle fits your lifestyle and the type of riding you will be doing. From your last comment, I take it you will be pleasure riding and for that I highly recommend the Western.  It is much more comfortable on trail rides and for me I carry water and food on any trail ride I go on because most of my rides last 3 to 4 hours. The Western has many loops and hooks on it to carry almost anything. I know Monty does not believe in treats but I always carry treats on trail rides to help calm him down if he gets anxious or a little excited over something.  I never treat my horses while doing any type of training though. Just added that in case Monty reads this.
Whether Western or English, both are basically the same thing but differ in so many ways.
I hope this comforts you and helps you to decide on your choice.
Many happy days on your travels and above all else please stay safe.



Connie Mack

Hi Sara. The main difference between western & English saddles is that the western saddle has a bigger skirt so, yes it weighs more but it spreads the riders weight over a greater part of the horses back. I have a child's western saddle, mainly for Max as he's only 11.3. This spreads my weight over much more of his back than a English child's saddle would. He was given to me as 'The incredible bucking pony' that no one wanted 10 years ago - he has NEVER tried to buck me off. But then, I've never whipped him which is the event I believe caused him to dump not 1 but 2 adults in quick succession. Choice of saddle, manner of riding, has to be an intelligent choice - what the horse wants & the rider. The full sizes western saddle causes me difficulties because my damaged left leg goes numb - I tried this 30 years ago. The small one I have now causes me no problem. Some horses go great bitless, others don't. Some horses like treeless saddles, but not all. The western saddle is better for older horses with prominent withers. Bottom line, we need to be very flexible when it comes to tack, equipment. Too many horses are ridden in excessively harsh bits because they wouldn't slow down - due to the pain in their mouths! So the human upped the severity of the bit. Apollo died on 05/06/2005. I still miss him every day. He had been a polo pony - routinely ridden in a gag snaffle. I tried everything but I couldn't get him to stop unless I stood up & hauled so I bought a big, thick rubber bit. You would not believe the fight we had to get this thing in his mouth the first time. A piece of broken glass with barbed wire wrapped around it would have been easier! God knows what he thought this thing was but having discovered it wasn't something bad, he opened his mouth for it for the rest of his life. Actually, I think the polo offered underneath also helped. Hope this helps you. Cheers, Jo.