What riding disapline is harder english or western?

I ride english and I have never really tried western... it looks really complicated to me...
Answers:
I am a hunter-jumper, cross country, and reined cow horse rider. Granted, I'm not an excellent reined cow horse rider but I do have experience in it.

There are aspects of english riding that are difficult and there are aspects of western riding that are difficult. It depends on which discipline you start off with. A western rodeo rider will most likely have a difficult time switching to english and an english show rider will probably have difficulties switching to western. The mechanics are generally the same but the style of riding and the style of the horses are a bit different. I know as a long time English rider I had trouble switching to the short bulldog type Quarter Horse after riding big Warmbloods. Its a fun change and everyone should be familiar with both disciplines.

An english pleasure and western pleasure rider are about equivalent to each other in "difficulty". A hunter equitation rider and a western trail pattern rider are probably about the same. A jumper rider is equivalent to a reiner. There is no equivalent to a cross country rider or a roper (they are all crazy and talented!). Being an active show rider I know that my equitation classes, no matter the saddle, require strict body mechanics and concentration - its pretty much the most painful 20 minutes no matter how much you ride.

No matter what we are all Equestrians and we are all incredible athletes. The horse of course is the best athlete of all but we still have to be 100% in tune with our horses 100% of the time and that in itself is difficult.
I'm not sure
Western takes no talent. English does. Depends on "how" your riding western. Generally, western horses are much more well trained then english horses. Most fancy western horses are push buttons so riders just sit there. English you have to actually work with your horse.
I would say English is harder, but English is better.
I usually ride western, but I have ridden english before. Personally I think western is easier. You do not have to post, the saddle is easier to stay in, and if you ride in competitions the rules are not as strict. Also, when the horse trots, the saddle doesn't kill your butt.
not sure. I think it partially depends on your horse. For example, if you ride western and have a fast horse, you have to work on speed of gaits all the time, if you have a natually slow horse than its easier. Visa versa for english ya know?
riding in a western saddle on a trail ride is easy because the saddle provides more stability. Riding western in competition is equally as difficult as english. Reining (which is ridden western) is the same thing as dressage, just sped up in a western saddle. All the training is nearly identicle, the movements are similar, and it takes a ton of skill and training to do both.

Western pleasure/equitation is difficult in a different way to english. Riding western requires a ton of training to get a nice slow pace out of the horse with out it cheating and breaking gait. Being able to get good movement out of a western horse can be very difficult. To hold your body in the position for western classes takes muscle, as you have to sit very, very stil, and have subtle movements to cue the horse to do its movements. English may be more of a 'cardio' work out, meaning posting and riding at a faster pace makes you a little more tired, but western also requires a degree of fitness and a ton of coordination.

In short, they are both equally difficult just in different ways. When riding in a western saddle for trail riding then obviously western is easier to stay on as there is more to hold on to. Any riding that is recreational (meaning the occasional trail ride or pony ride) will be easy. It takes skill to ride ANY seat correctly. It also takes just as much training to make an english horse go correctly as it does a western horse. English can be a little easier to 'fake' a trained horse, where as western can be a little easier to 'fake' a good rider. To an experianced eye it is obvious what riders and horses are trained and skilled.

** also serious western competitions are JUST as strict and difficult as hunt seat/english competitions. The details of you and your horse have to be perfect, and the patterns required for horsemanship are extremley complex and difficult. I show AQHA and class A arabians, and have shown hunter jumpers. All these circuts have high standards in every division, there is no 'easiest' seat to ride in.
I was riding 15 y english and then i moved from Germany to the USA and started with western riding.
I like both styles and you need definatly for both talent .
I also think that western riding is harder .
Whenever i see western competitions , I am always stunned how amazing they can ride .
Excuse my lame english ,but i am working on it .
Riding in a Western saddle is easier for me...I just like to trail ride, no fancy stuff...Although when your in competition Western and English is equally hard..
I don't believe ether style is harder than the other. I have done some show jumping, trail classes, and a whole lot of barrel racing and I think that each one is equally as hard! All three require talent, and soooooooo much training! It is really a matter of opinion though. As far as saddles go western are far more comfortable!
I honestly think that riding english is the more challenging style of riding. It requires the rider and horse to have better posture and concentration. But western riding can have its share of complications as well.
30 years later I also think English is more demanding. Try high-level dressage with capriole, levade or courbette, and training polo ponies. Not the game, the training.
Eh, they are the same, so long as you have instruction in both. Western pleasure idseasier, i guess, but I don't like it.
Um, it's totally up to you. No one's to judge and say that either is easier or harder.

I ride english, but I ride in a variety of disiplinces.

Dressage- This is not an easy sport, and it takes much patience and much time. It's not easy to learn all of the movements, and the horse has to respond AND show/have talent in this greuling sport. Dressage is essentially beautiful, I feel that it is one of the most beautiful sports out there. It takes so much stamina, try sitting to a trot on a huge warmblood? It's not easy. Many people who ride Dressage genually love the sport, and wouldn't give it up. It takes many years to be like the people in the Olympics, hence it's an Olympic recognized sport. Usually in Dressage, the horse is trotting most of the time, but there are also canters, like the counter canters and lead swaps. Someone can't just jump on a level 4 horse and do those moves without training. Even though you're not jumping 4 feet, even though you're not practically vertical to the ground in barrel racing, and even though you're not riding an extremely energetic high stepping horse in saddle seat, I beleive that it is one of the most hardest sports out there, and probably one of the prettiest. I'm not just saying that just because I ride Dressage ;). Many people of controversies about Dressage and how the horse is handled. The horse is meant to look like ballet, beautiful and as if it's dancing. I ride Dressage, and I am told to always keep Beau on the bit, and I do. It's hard, since I am only 90 pounds, he can't just easily yank the reins out of my hands. It's hard to keep the horse on the bit, while trying to do a side pass, and worry about sitting back. It's completetly complicated, but worth it in the end.
Dressage- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/dressage...

Eventing- Eventing is also a very demanding sport. I believe that it is recoginzed as a Olympic sport. Eventing is essentially Show jumping, Dressage, and Cross Country jumping in three days at a three day event. I already said what Dressage was up there, so I'll start with show jumping. Show jumping you usually follow a specified course, with about 14 jumps. These jumps can be knocked down, and you're penalized for it. In show jumping, usually agaisn't a clock, and you're trying to beat a time. You don't take your time to do a jump. In Cross Country, it's intense. The jumps don't fall down, and the horse is put through a lot more obstacles that a rail that can fall down when the horses leg hits it. Cross country has banks, pools of water, stationary jumps. Tons more!
Eventing- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/eventing...

Hunt Seat/Saddle Seat- Hunt seat pretty much originated from Fox Hunting. It's hunt on the flat and hunt over fences. There are tons of different classes, such as pleasure, showing if the horse is a pleasure to ride, too where equitation, where the rider is judged. This goes for jumping and on the flat.
Hunt Seat- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hunt_seat...
Saddle Seat- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/saddle_seat...

I did ride western when I was younger, and I LOVE it, I still ride it, but not as much. I don't know much, so I can't blab on about these. I'll put some links about it.
Barrel Racing- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/barrel_raci...
Pole Bending- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pole_bendin...
Western Pleasure- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/western_ple...
Reining- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/reining... Which is totalllly awesome, like the Dressage of the Western world.
Cutting- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cutting_%28...

Usually QH are used in Western riding, or tamed mustangs. TB's, WB's are used in English riding such as eventing, jumping, or Dressage. QH's are used in hunt seat and jumping. Morgans, Standardbred's and Saddlebred's are in Saddleseat type riding.

So equally, I'm sure you and I both can conclude that it depends on what you ride is harder or easier. There is no disipline that is harder than the other, because they are all eqaully challenging.

You can research to find out more, but this is from my expierence.
engilsh is harder by farr,
but you are also able to do more.

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