Horses in this country are often used for competitive show events or leisure recreational activities. Owning horses and participating in activities while riding them has been a long-standing tradition. Over time, the range and number of events for horses to compete in have increased. The type of event a horse competes in determines the level of exercise and specific conditioning/training program required for the animal athlete. Equine animals are comparable to human athletes as they must undergo conditioning and training to excel in their physical performance. Western pleasure is a highly popular equine competition event that involves moderate intensity and medium duration exercise.
In Western pleasure, the focus is on judging the horse’s performance and movement, not the rider. The judges evaluate how well the horse is a pleasure to ride, which includes factors like being well-trained, calm, and moving correctly. The horse is judged based on its ability to respond to the rider’s cues while maintaining a relaxed rein contact. During the competition, the horse and rider perform near the arena rail, demonstrating three gaits in both directions: walk, jog, and lope on the correct lead. In challenging competitions, the judge may request riders to show their horse’s extended stride at any of the three gaits. Typically, a moderate jog extension is called for. Additionally, horses are required to back up at some point. The duration of the event varies depending on the class size and the number of participants, usually lasting around 5-10 minutes.
In the arena, the judge(s) position themselves in the middle to have a clear view of all the riders and determine the class rankings accordingly. This particular image shows the judges instructing the horses to perform the left lead of the lope. Behind the scenes of horse competitions, a significant amount of time, potentially hours or even days, is devoted to preparing the horse for the new environment. This includes familiarizing them with the surroundings, exercising them until tired, and extensive practice to ensure the horse and rider perform at their best. Western pleasure classes during horse shows are typically divided into different categories and age groups, allowing youth and adults to compete separately. The judge selects a winner for each class and ranks the remaining horse and rider pairs based on their observations throughout the class. Within the horse industry, many individuals perceive this class as highly influenced by personal preferences and opinions of the judges, rather than being timed or scored.
When starting the training of a new equine for a specific event, the handler’s main focus should be on exercising, training, and conditioning the horse. The horse needs to practice and prepare in order to be physically fit and in the right shape to compete in the event. The owner should never neglect the horse’s health due to their own lack of preparation. Additionally, it is crucial for the owner to consider the nutritional requirements of the horse, especially considering the increased level of exercise. The primary nutrient that performance horses need is energy. Horses must have enough energy to achieve and maintain their ideal body condition, as well as to perform their tasks. For a western pleasure horse, a training program should consist of exercises that aim to condition the horse for slow speeds and moderate intensity levels. The horse will see improvements in aerobic capacity, limb strength, and adaptation of skeletal muscle through these exercises. To excel in this event, the horse needs to have sufficient stamina and endurance. They require stamina physically and mentally to maintain proper form and stay focused on the rider’s instructions. Moreover, the horse needs endurance to overcome the challenges and demands of training. It is normal for the horse to face difficulties and frustrations while learning a new discipline and not fully understanding the rider’s expectations. Training a high-quality western pleasure horse can be challenging. Consequently, many owners opt to send their western pleasure horses to professional trainers who have experience in training, riding, and working with horses.
The first step in training a horse is to ensure that they are able to move forward correctly at the walk, trot, and lope while maintaining the correct leads. Once the horse has mastered these gaits, the trainer can then focus on training for specific events. In the case of a western pleasure horse, the trainer will use a combination of lunging and riding for exercise. Lunging involves the trainer holding a long lead rope, called a lunge line, attached to the horse’s halter. Using voice commands and body language, the trainer can guide the horse’s movements. Lunging not only provides exercise, but also helps build respect and trust between horse and rider. It is also a useful tool for addressing behavioral issues such as excessive energy. After lunging, the trainer can then proceed to ride the horse.
Training the Western Pleasure Horse
To successfully train a western pleasure horse, the first step is to select the appropriate type of horse. While training can enhance any horse, starting with the right “raw material” is crucial to develop a competitive pleasure horse. The primary requirement is that the horse is a graceful mover. The definition of “pretty” may vary among individuals, but in western pleasure, it refers to a horse that naturally moves with collected, fluent strides, hind legs properly positioned, and keeps its neck and head level. Although less refined horses can be improved, they will never reach the level of a strong pleasure horse. The ideal western pleasure prospect is an attractive and sizeable horse that moves gracefully, drawing attention. Since numerous horses participate in the event simultaneously, the first objective is to catch the judge’s notice and create a positive impression. Notably, a smaller horse fails to leave a significant impact compared to a larger one, so size is a factor to consider. During the actual training process, the aim is to teach the horse to avoid going fast, respond to cues without haste, and maintain collection. It is important for the horse to achieve this while maintaining a loose rein and consistent form, regardless of the gait being executed.
Once your horse is familiar with the fundamentals such as walk, trot, and lope, can execute the correct lead when commanded, and can be easily controlled to slow down or stop, your priority becomes helping the horse find a state of relaxation and avoid rushing. Contrary to popular belief, a sluggish horse does not make an ideal choice for a pleasurable experience. A horse that constantly needs encouragement to move forward is unlikely to provide an enjoyable experience for both observers and riders. Ideally, you need a horse that willingly and energetically moves, but without exhibiting haste or becoming overly assertive.
The most common mistakes that we observe individuals making, which could impede their progress, are related to what you could do wrong.
| – not pulling him soon enough. You have to tell when he is accelerating and nip it in the bud, instead of letting him get definitely too fast and then correct him; otherwise he might not understand because he’s not connecting the pull with what he did wrong. – not being consistent. This is the hardest for most people, who tend to be lenient. If you allow him to go faster at one time or another and then correct him at other times, he can’t understand you., and he will not learn. – not using strictly one rein. Most people are so used to having both hands on the reins, they find it hard to consistently use only one. Carry your reins with plenty of slack in one hand (the inside hand), and keep it still. We recommend grabbing the saddle horn, thus keeping that hand and the reins fixed at all times. If you don’t do it that way, you might find yourself using both reins before you know it. When you need to correct the horse, reach down with your free (outside) hand, grab the rein, take a “cushion feel” for a split second, then pull toward the wall. As soon as the horse responded and slowed down, let go of that rein! – not immediately letting go of the rein they pulled on. – not pulling adequately. You need to pull hard enough so it’s going to be an unpleasant experience for the horse, one he’d rather try to avoid in the future! Adequately also means not pulling overly hard – you want to get to where all you need to do, should he speed up slightly, is touching that outside rein as a reminder and he will immediately slow down to his original, comfortable speed. – to jerk on the rein, i.e. to not first take a “cushion feel” of the horse’s mouth before pulling. If one jerks on the rein, if one hits the rein suddenly, the horse will become afraid of the rider’s hand and nervous, raise his head, get rattled. If you first feel out his mouth, then pull, you can pull even hard enough to completely turn him around, if that is necessary to make your point, without him getting scared. He will accept that pull. With jerking, however, he will get scared and try to save himself – you’ll have created a problem. |
Once a horse has become proficient at jogging, which typically takes a few days depending on the horse, we move on to teaching the lope. Teaching the lope is more challenging, so it is important to establish a strong foundation at the jog first. This ensures that the horse understands the basic concept and reduces the initial urge to go fast. The process for teaching the lope is similar, but it usually takes longer for the horse to lope slowly at their full capability. When the horse starts to relax at the lope and no longer requires constant guidance, we can gradually work on getting them to engage their rear end, resulting in a slower and more collected lope. At this stage, light rein pressure can be used subtly to keep the horse focused and push them into the bridle. As soon as they respond, the reins can be relaxed as a reward. Next, we focus on transitions. Going from a walk to a jog is usually simple, but teaching the horse to pick up a lead without raising their head or becoming tense takes more time and practice. Consistency and patience with subtle cues will lead to success. The more thorough our dressage-like work with the horse, the better our results will be. When it comes to two tracking and lead departures, the positioning should not be as exaggerated as when practicing, and the horse should not be directed towards the fence, as judges frown upon this. In a show setting, the horse should be slightly bent with their neck just to the inside of the arena. Transitioning from a jog to a walk is relatively easy, but going from a lope to a walk is more challenging, and even harder to transition from a lope to the desired slow jog that the judge will appreciate. This is where feel comes into play, and it is difficult to explain or teach. Feel is the communication between rider and horse. If cues are too abrupt, the horse may stop instead of transitioning to a walk or jog, which is not appealing. If the cues are not precise or not respected by the horse, they may break into a trot before walking, which will also not impress the judge. Practicing these transitions repeatedly is necessary until the communication between rider and horse is perfect. Finally, let’s discuss backing up. In larger classes, judges often forgo the traditional lineup and instead call for a stop, allowing riders to back up along the rail wherever they happen to be. To the horse, it is all the same. The horse should be trained to back up when the rider squeezes with their legs and applies minimal pressure on the reins. This indicates that the horse should not move forward and results in a relaxed backup with a reasonably loose rein.
To successfully prepare for a line-up in front of a judge, it is important to plan ahead and be aware of when it will be your turn. Take note of the judge’s location and the number of riders ahead of you. When the judge is about two or three riders away, begin getting ready. Apply gentle pressure to your horse’s mouth and encourage him to move towards backing up. When the judge reaches you, add a final bit of leg pressure to prompt your horse to back up. It is crucial to avoid picking up the reins when the judge is already in front of you, as this may result in the horse raising its head and giving an unfavorable impression. By preparing in advance, the judge will only see a horse that backs up gracefully without any obvious cues. In the western pleasure class, the focus is on a horse that is enjoyable to ride and watch, rather than one that moves the slowest. Therefore, it is important to demonstrate that your horse is relaxed and not in a rush. Show that you can control your horse without needing to constantly check its movements. Maintaining a relaxed pace with a loose rein and smoothly transitioning between gaits are necessary. Additionally, displaying proficiency in backing up will increase your chances of being a winner in the competition.
