Get your western pleasure horse ready for the show by practicing five gymnastic exercises.
To compete and succeed in the contemporary western pleasure class, a western pleasure horse needs to be in optimal physical condition. However, conditioning a rail horse involves more than just engaging in walking, jogging, and loping exercises.
A performance horse can be likened to clay in the sense that it requires continuous effort and refinement to transform it into a pliable and versatile form from which various creations can be crafted. It is important to note, though, that if the clay is left on the counter and allowed to cool, it will regain rigidity and become difficult to mold.
The desire for your horses is to have a warm, soft, and malleable piece of clay consistently. Regardless of the level of completion or experience in western pleasure, a horse will revert to being stiff if not consistently trained.
In order to get your western pleasure horses ready for the show ring, you have the option to utilize these five straightforward exercises that will improve their movement, transitions, flexibility, and balance. These exercises include engaging in a prolonged trot, performing shoulder and hip movements, initiating departures and transitions, executing loping squares, and utilizing the technique of backing up.
WARMING UP
To begin the exercises, warm up the horse by longing him and riding him lightly in order to ensure his mental presence. During the longing process, avoid merely using the whip to make him run around. Instead, take the horse out and assess his mental state. Determine whether he is excited or calm and prepared to work.
If the horse comes out with his tail over his back and runs around crazily on the longe line, it is undesirable. If he exhibits some craziness, it is advisable to allow him to tire himself out and perhaps tie him up for a short period to recover before riding. Riding immediately after an intense longe session is not preferred as the horse will be breathing heavily and mentally not ready.
Once you mount the horse, take a walk around while assessing his mental capacity once more. If he remains calm, proceed with a light lifting exercise to test his attentiveness. Gently lift the reins and prompt him to raise his shoulders, head, and neck. If he responds correctly, progress to a jog and observe if he stays attentive to your commands. Next, apply pressure with your leg and request him to shift his body; assess his response. Additionally, ask him to transition into a lope while checking for proper leg and hand cues. Afterwards, evaluate your brakes and potentially ask him to yield to your leg.
If you find that he still has excessive energy or is not focusing on you, the approach of focusing solely on movements and callisthenics may not be suitable. Instead, inquire about how to reduce his energy level by suggesting activities such as playing or using the horse walker. Only when he shows willingness and attentiveness by responding correctly to your questions, you may proceed to the callisthenics.
Exercise 1 – Long Trotting
In this exercise, you can perform a medium working trot with your horse where they use a full stride. This pace is faster than a jog but not considered fast. The main objective is to focus on balance, strength, and complete extension of the legs while keeping the back rounded. Despite being in a working trot, the horse should still maintain a proper frame, ensuring that the head and neck are as level as possible, resembling a show ring frame. One of the key aspects of long trotting is to ensure that the horse is responsive to your cues, specifically the spur, leg, and seat cues. Therefore, while long trotting, it is important to check if the horse is properly responding to these cues. To vary the exercise, you can adjust the horse’s rhythm by asking them to slow down their extension and then prompt them to speed up for a faster extension.
This exercise is a great way to grab attention and unite the body and mind. It strongly highlights the importance of compliance in a less experienced horse that tends to transition from a trot to a lope or decrease speed. It serves as a method to convey the message, ‘You must maintain the pace I instruct you, neither exceeding nor falling short.’
Exercise 3 – Departures and Transitions
When practicing this exercise, alter the order of your departures and transitions to identify areas that require improvement. Occasionally, switch from a lope to a trot, then from a trot to a walk, from a lope to a walk, and from a walk to a lope. This variation will ensure that the horse complies with your commands. If the horse fails to execute a transition accurately, halt him, prompt him to move backward, and then proceed to ask again. If he executes the transition correctly on the subsequent attempt, refrain from further intervention.
When transitioning, make sure the shoulders are raised up to the neck level. For a lop departure, keep your hand steady if the horse is trained. If the horse is less experienced and needs assistance in lifting their shoulders, head, and neck, move your hand forward slightly and raise your wrist. This action serves as a cue that you can train your horses. Moving your hand slightly forward and raising your wrist signals the elevation of the horse’s entire front end.
Exercise 4 – Loping Squares
To perform this exercise, you will be loping a square. Begin by loping in a straight line, then pause, shift your shoulder to initiate the turn, and resume loping. When you ask the horse to lope, maintain a regular riding position with a relaxed leg. However, when you approach the turn, your legs will move forward as you shift the shoulders, with your outer leg slightly more forward than the inner leg of the square.
In this particular exercise, once you move the shoulders over, you can then request the horse to lope off with more engagement in the shoulders and with your leg slightly extended forward. Additionally, depending on your assessment of the horse’s needs and the position of its body, you may incorporate turns on the hindquarter or forehand. The primary focus of this exercise is to maintain the horse’s straightness and prevent it from leaning inward while moving along the arena rail.
Exercise 5 – Backing Up
After completing the exercise session, ensure to always perform a backup. Avoid positioning the horse in the center so that it doesn’t associate it with a horse show. It is also important not to execute the backup directly along the rail. For the backup maneuver, engage both spurs, keep the horse aligned, and then release the pressure to halt him. If the horse fails to perform the backup correctly, request him to repeat the task. However, if the horse executes it accurately, dismount, pat him, and loosen his cinch to provide immediate relief. This action conveys that he did well, and our session is concluded for the day.
We Ask Trainers: Tips to Fix Bad Western Pleasure Habits
GoHorseShow approached trainers seeking advice on how to rectify poor western pleasure training habits. In addition to the lack of recognition from judges for such movement, the most evident remedy involves encouraging horses to move forward with the necessary rhythm and cadence. Nevertheless, altering these habits is a challenging task that demands both time and patience.
We all desire self-carriage, according to Brad Jewett. My preference is not for the horse that moves smoothly at the lope. This horse is likely tilted too far and appears to have a three-beat rhythm at the lope. These horses struggle to add another class to their performance at the horse show. Essentially, all the problems mentioned previously lack a rhythmic pattern. These horses have been forced to fit into a category that doesn’t suit them. I spend several weeks working with these horses, focusing on walking and trotting circles, loosening their ribcage, and teaching them how to steer.
My first step in breaking down the barrier created by being a pleasure horse is to focus on all of these aspects. It is crucial for a horse to naturally have rhythm, regardless of the length or speed of their stride. If I have to teach a horse that rhythm, it becomes challenging for them to learn the trail. In horsemanship, we prefer horses to have self-carriage so that the rider doesn’t have to constantly kick or push their heads. Our industry has many exceptional pleasure trainers and horses who excel at preparing them for a comprehensive program.
Melissa Shetler – I find this topic fascinating. Firstly, I have a strong affinity for my all-around horses that are trained in western pleasure. Their excellent responsiveness, thorough training, and tendency to obey commands make them exceptional all-around performers. Consequently, I am grateful to the western pleasure trainers for establishing a solid foundation that allows us to build upon. This has consistently played a crucial role in the success of my all-around horses.
However, there are certain habits that we, as comprehensive trainers, must alter to suit our requirements. For instance, horses that have a tendency to overbend and exert excessive pressure on the leg tend to be more challenging to align in their body for instructing lead changes, among other things. I have discovered that promoting forward movement is an effective solution for many issues. Horses that are trained to move forward willingly, while still following steering commands and responding to leg signals, are the ones that we achieve the greatest success with. It is important for them to understand that moving forward is permissible and even encouraged.
The best horsemanship horses have the ability to be urged forward but still respond to our leg and hand aids. The comfort level of these horses is extremely important. It is essential for them to understand that they are not making any mistakes by going faster than they are accustomed to. Personally, I engage in a significant amount of hand galloping with all of my horses. Additionally, I utilize many of our show horses to lead other horses. Once they have learned to trot with control, long trotting becomes very beneficial. It enhances the mobility in all gaits. Similar to cantering forward, trotting freely while guiding and reacting to leg cues is crucial.
Once again, I find these horses to be my favorite when it comes to transforming them into exceptional all-around horses. Therefore, I am willing to modify our training methods in order to assist them in adjusting to our practices.
Austin Gooding believes that it is important for pleasure horses to have a strong understanding of basic skills. He has observed that many horses become overly reliant on the rider for control, which can affect their timing and ability to carry themselves properly. To address this issue, Gooding focuses on developing the horse’s self-carriage, guiding abilities, and willingness to cooperate. One of his preferred methods for achieving these goals is to teach the horses western riding, as it helps align their bodies and improve their flexibility.
This year, there is a greater focus on the accuracy of gates rather than solely being slow at the major competitions, which is a positive development. Nowadays, pleasure horses are exceptionally well trained, which means that the criticisms directed towards modern pleasure horses could easily disappear if we made minor changes in our showing techniques. In the show ring, many of us excessively rely on the brakes, most likely not out of necessity, but rather due to our ability to do so.
