Riding styles, as well as apparel and tack, were developed out of specific historical requirements that were then modified to suit contemporary sporting needs.
Riders communicate to their horses with aids, or cues.
After learning to mount, dismount, and attain proper body position, the novice rider must learn coordinate the aids, an important step in becoming proficient. To make the transition from the halt to the walk, for example, the rider squeezes his or her lower legs against the horse's sides at the girth to generate forward impetus while simultaneously relaxing the hands to allow the horse to begin moving. The cowboy of the American West, a dashing figure in popular novels and films, was in reality a poorly paid laborer engaged in difficult and usually monotonous work. Although some of the young men who worked on these ranches were from the northeastern states, probably a majority came from the South, and many had fought in the Civil War. For their techniques and equipment, cowboys drew on both the Spanish traditions of northern Mexico and southern Texas and those of the Gulf coastal states.