Western Pleasure

Prepare your western pleasure horse for the show pen with five gymnastic exercises.

A western pleasure horse must be in top physical shape to compete and win in today's western pleasure class. But when it comes to conditioning a rail horse, there's more to it than just walking, jogging and loping.

To prepare my western pleasure horses for the show ring, I use five simple exercises to enhance movement, transitions, flexibility and balance. The exercises consist of long trotting, shoulder and hip work, departures and transitions, loping squares and backing up.

In today’s western pleasure, it is a sad fact that many horses are trained and shown with little regard for natural movement. They are forced to move uncomfortably causing them to appear laboured or lame. While we do have many great horse trainers that are doing an excellent job, and some amazing horses that look comfortable and happy doing theirs, there are many more that don’t.

AQHA Professional Horsewoman Robin Gollehon gives the low down on selecting a western pleasure prospect.

The modern western pleasure horse must be balanced, attractive and very athletic looking. A steeper slope to his shoulder will make him less ground covering and will allow his neck to come out of his body leveller. A strong top line with withers higher than the hip will give him more balance when in motion. The angle of his shoulder will also help him to swing his legs from the top line, rather than bending at the knee, and the knee should be low to the ground.

The western pleasure class exhibits the fundamentals of correct self-carriage, and although it is often seen as an easy class when you start western riding, however, to be genuinely correct in this class takes training and dedication. Many people are quick to note their disapproval for a pleasure horse with his nose on the floor displaying incorrect movement. However, letting your pleasure horse run on with his head overly high, and his back hollowed is equally undesirable.