Welcome to Western Equestrian Society.

Western Riding for EVERYONE, all levels of riders and all breeds of horses

WES: An All Breed Society

The Western Equestrian Society (WES) was formed in 1985 to promote the discipline of Western Riding to the standard as practised in the United States.

We promote the sport for enthusiasts at all levels, whether pure beginners or seasoned competitors. You can enjoy all of our ridden activities with ANY breed of horse or pony. Members participate with Highland ponies, Welsh ponies and cobs, traditional cobs, Haflingers, Arabians and also the various western breeds. In fact, you name the breed and there’s probably a WES member out there riding it in a western saddle! We like a bit of variety!

We offer something for everyone

As with all clubs and societies some members enjoy competition and some prefer to do other things. WES offers something for everyone. Typical events range from 2 or 3 day training camps, one day clinics, social events and organised trail rides – we even run a Trail Award scheme so that non-competitive riders can be recognised for their hours spent in western saddle! There are plenty of opportunities to do all of these things, as well as to compete. But whatever you choose to do, the focus at all of our events is to have fun and enjoy our horses and each other’s company in a very relaxed and informal atmosphere. That goes for officials and competitors alike.

A national society delivering local access

There are a couple of things that make us unique in the UK western community. The first is the fact that we’re an ‘all-breed’ society. But possibly the most distinctive feature is that we are national society that operates a regional infrastructure, and can deliver greater access to western events than any other western organisation in the UK. Through our affiliation with other western organisations, such as the AQHA-UK, APHA-UK and the regional circuits (the Garden of England Circuit and the Sherwood Circuit), and through our network of 13 Area Representatives, we provide access to events at local level.