Equestrian Horse Tack

Dressage (a French term, most commonly translated to mean "training") is at it's root competitive horse training, with competitions held at all levels from amateur all the way to the Olympics. Its fundamental purpose is to develop, a horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, thereby maximizing its potential

There are many variations in English riding, but all feature a flat English saddle. Saddles within the various English disciplines are all designed to allow the horse the freedom to move in the most optimal manner for a given task, ranging from Classical dressage to horse racing.

Western riding is a style of horseback riding which evolved from the ranching and warfare traditions brought to the Americas by the Spanish Conquistadors, and both equipment and riding style evolved to meet the working needs of the cowboy in the American West. American cowboys needed to work long hours in the saddle over rough terrain, sometimes needing to rope cattle with a lariat (or lasso). Because of the necessity to control the horse with one hand and use a lariat with the other, western horses were trained to neck rein, that is, to change direction with light pressure of a rein against the horse's neck.