For westernriding a special breed is developed: the Quarterhorse. But you can also find other breeds working as a westernhorse. One of the breeds you can find is the Connemara.

The Western style has developed from the cattle drivers of America. To sit on a saddle all-day you need a style that is comfortable for both rider and horse. The horse can carry on the longest when it moves in the most natural way. This is the basic of Westernriding.
The horse should move easily, smoothly and alertly in the basic movements, with the neck and the back aligned horizontally. In this way the horse is able to use the back effectively.
To accomplish this western riders make a lot of volts or circles. The objective of this is that your pony obeys to the aids (leg/hands) in a quick and relaxed way.

In competition you recognize these basic movements again in the Pleasure class. The participants ride in groups in a relaxed walk, trot or galop. The American terms of these movements are walk, jog and lope. In this class you also have to be able to let your horse go backwards a couple of steps. On a higher level you can participate in classes like Western Riding or Western Horsemanship. In Western riding the important thing is how well the horse performs. Horsemanship is about the cooperation between the individual rider and the horse and the responsiveness of the horse. With a your horse older than 6 years old, you have to ride with one hand (the other hand is beside your body). Herewith you show that the horse is obeying the reins.

A totally different kind of competition is the Trail. Together with your horse you must pass all kinds of obstacles which can also be encountered in the "free nature". For example you have to open a gate and close it behind you after having gone through it. Or you have to go backwards trough an L-shape obstacle, cross a little bridge or sidestep over a bar. Points can be earned when the horse is alert, cooperative, obedient and 'cool'.

The third main line is the well-known Reining. Parts that everyone knows are the Sliding Stop and the Spin. It is a very spectacular type of dressage where much emphasis is put on the hindquarters. From an easy turn half-turn on the hocks to a fast spin two years of training are necessary. Like with all the lines of horse riding that demand some more of the body of a horse, with Reining too it is important to take into account the shape and the condition of the horse. Other important parts of Western riding are the Speedgames (race around barrels or slalom) and Working with cows.

With all the aspects of Western riding it pictures differently than dressage. The most conspicuous feature is that a westernhorse you don't demand head-raising and continuous collection. But that collection is there, coming from the hind legs. You can see it well during stops and going backwards. There is no continuous contact between hands/reins and the mouth: sometimes the reins are loosened. But despite of these differences, a lot of resemblance can be seen. Westernhorses also have to learn half-pass, changes in the air and speed-changes. The position of the dressage rider looks a lot like the position of the werstern rider. The biggest difference is that we demand from a westernhorse much more independence, this horse has to do a lot of thinking on its own.

The Connemara can very much cope with Pleasure and Trail. They like to learn things and can learn very quickly. So opening gates and passing bridges are no problem. For competition in Reining and cow-cutting a Quarterhorse is more appropriate. The way the horse is built and the natural ability to work with cows is very important in these lines.