That’s great you want to get into horseback riding - good for you! =]
As far as English vs. Western goes; it all depends upon what you want to do really. Do you dream of jumping or doing dressage? Or are you more interested in barrel racing or western pleasure? Both disciplines have their ups and downs. Both also have their pleasure riding as well as competitive riding - they also have slower paced varieties and faster paced varieties. If you could let me know about your interests, that’d make it a bit easier for me to recommend english or western to you!
Personally, if it were me, I’d start out English - Dressage, specifically. I’d do this because Dressage if faarrrr harder than jumping, and it also teaches you things that are rather important in your riding, right off the bat, instead of jumping. It would make it a lot easier on you to learn the tough things (such as developing a good seat, which will help you sososo much when it comes to jumping [or even barrel racing!]) first, than to put them aside for now. One mistake I made with my first two trainers. :|||
Even if you don’t want to jump, dressage is a GREAT foundation for all types of riding. And if you decide you don’t like dressage, or maybe even english riding in general, you can always switch to western, which making a switch from english to western is quite a bit easier than western to english, so I’ve been told.
Also, it’s never too late to start riding! While, yes, the younger the better, if you really take the time and dedication into the sport, you can do just as well as someone who started from the age of 9 or 10. Best wishes, and good luck! =D
