Fun post! I must tell you my story. I started out in my very first lesson riding western, with the intent to continue. However, my instructor decided to "retire" from the business as her schoolie had to be put down. She happened to suggest another trainer to me, who was a hunter/jumper. Being a horse crazy young girl, it was all the same to me and I decided that I'd start the English lessons as long as it meant contact with horses. So...if my first instructor had not quit the business, I would probably still be riding western today. Kind of a scary thought to me, as I dearly love jumping and the English discipline. It really has shaped my life in many ways! Of course, I only had one western lesson...so it didn't adversely affect the transition to the hunter/jumpers. All the same, it was a valuable experience