WESTERN PLEASURE is a class at horse shows, and it involves a rider on a western saddle, rather than a casual ride for pleasure. In order to participate in a western pleasure class, a horse must give the impression that it is enjoyable to ride. During the class, horses must perform at a walk, jog, and lope, demonstrating correct leads in both directions of the arena. Additionally, they may be asked to back up, and Arabian horses may be asked to hand gallop. The horse should work with a reasonably loose rein or light contact, without excessive restriction. Western Pleasure horses are expected to have a relaxed appearance, demonstrate control, balance, brightness, and alertness. The class is judged based on the horse’s performance, manners, condition, and conformation.
The body structure of the western pleasure horse differs depending on the breed, but all breeds are known for having smooth and natural strides with good elevation and the ability to carry themselves. The horse should hold its head in a relaxed and natural position. Stock-type breeds maintain a level topline, with the lowest point being the “tip of the ear at wither-height” and the highest point being “eye level with the withers” or “poll level with or slightly above the withers”. In comparison, Morgans, National Show Horses, and Arabians carry their heads higher than stock breeds. The head position mustn’t be too high or too low in order to maintain proper body balance. It is essential that the horse’s face never goes behind the vertical. Over-bridling, over-tucking, or over-flexing the horse is considered a significant fault and should result in appropriate penalties.
GAITS: When it comes to walking, it is important for the gait to feel natural and have a four-beat rhythm. A good walk will maintain this rhythm, as well as a level topline and a relaxed appearance. On the other hand, the jog is a two-beat gait where the horse’s legs move diagonally. A good jog will maintain a two-beat cadence, a level topline, and a balanced appearance. The horse should seem to touch the ground very softly. As for the lope, it is a three-beat gait that should feel easy and rhythmical. A good lope will have a balanced three-beat gait, a strong and deep stride, a level topline, and a relaxed appearance. In some cases, judges might request extended gaits, such as a walk and jog for stock breed associations, or all gaits under USEF rules. Stock breeds will typically showcase a flat-swing in their front legs, while lighter breeds like Morgan, NSH, and Arabian horses will exhibit more bent-knee action in different gaits. For TWH’s (Tennessee Walking Horses) and MFT’s (Missouri Fox Trotters), instead of the jog, they will perform their unique gait. The Rocky Mountain horse, on the other hand, only performs the trail walk, show walk, and pleasure gait.
The TACK is a western stock saddle with square or round corners, and it is important to note that having silver equipment will not count over a good working outfit. It is considered legal equipment for western pleasure and western trail classes to use a western side-saddle. Ensure that the saddle pad is of sufficient size to prevent direct contact between the body of the saddle and the horse’s back. There are two options for the bridle: it can either be a plain leather or silver headstall with a browband, shaped ear (single or double), or split ear. Additionally, a curb-style bit with a curb strap or curb chain is required. Junior horses are allowed to use standard snaffle bits and bosal-type hackamores. Lastly, the reins may either be split or romal style.
In order to maintain the same meaning, the text below has been rephrased step by step: 1. Rope/riata and hobbles should be attached to the saddle. 2. The use of tapaderos is only illegal under USEF and in working cowhorse classes, but they are NOT utilized in western pleasure classes. 3. Spurs should never be used in front of the cinch. 4. A breast collar should also be used.
The following items are prohibited for use: protective boots, leg wraps or bandages, wire chin strap, noseband/cavesson (allowed for MFT’s and NSH’s), tie down, jerk line, tack collar, martingale, draw-reins, slip or gag bit, mechanical hackamore, roping/gaming-type reins, crop or whip.
The rider’s appearance should be highly polished. The outfit can be as basic as jeans paired with western boots, a long-sleeved shirt, tie, and western hat. Women typically wear elaborate shirts, vests, or jackets. Although shotgun (fitted) chaps are typically worn, they are not mandatory (except in Arabian, Half-Arabian, Morgan, NSH, and ASB competitions governed by USEF rules). Batwing-type chaps are only observed in cutting classes and are also optional. Gloves are not typically worn in western pleasure classes, but there are no rules against wearing them.
Split reins, whether made of leather or woven material, can be held in either hand and the tails of the reins should be on the same side as the hand holding the reins. When holding split reins, they should come into the hand from the top, go over the index finger, across the palm, and exit by the little finger. On the other hand, romal-type reins have a braided extension attached to closed reins. The rein portion of the romal-style reins is held in one hand, which can be either hand, while the romal itself is held in the other hand. The romal falls on the opposite side from the hand holding the reins. The rein portion of the romal-style reins enters the hand from the bottom, by the little finger, goes up across the palm, and exits at the top between the index finger and the thumb. In western pleasure classes, it is not common to use rear cinches. However, if rear cinches are used, they must have a connector-strap to the front cinch and this is considered legal.
Here are some tips for judging: 1. Ensure that the bridle is correctly placed on the model. The crown piece should be positioned on the poll of the horse, not resting on the ears. The cheek piece should not be too close to or touching the horse’s eye. All strap ends should be precisely placed on top of the lower strap. 2. The bit should be at the proper angle. 3. The chin strap should not be tight and should rest lightly on the chin groove. 4. The reins should be smooth with no kinks and should be even, unless the horse is turning its head. 5. The reins should have a soft drape to them.
B. Ensure that the saddle is placed correctly on the model. The saddle should not be positioned too high on the shoulders or too far back on the hips. It should fit securely and comfortably against the withers. The cinch should not be tightly fastened against the front leg or positioned at the back around the stomach. Instead, it should be snugly but not overly tight. The blanket or pad should be evenly aligned from side to side and should have the appropriate length along the outer edge of the saddle.
C. The breast collar must fit snugly but not tightly. It should not be hanging down excessively around the points of the shoulders. Additionally, the breast collar connector-strap that connects it to the saddle cinch should not be hanging down between the front legs.
The rider should be seated securely in the saddle with both feet resting in the stirrups. The rider should maintain an upright and balanced position that aligns with the horse’s movement. The hat should be firmly placed on the head without sitting on top of the hair. The hat should be positioned in a straight manner, with the crown neither pointing upward nor downward. There shouldn’t be a chin-strap attached to the hat.
The model should maintain a calm and relaxed appearance regardless of the type of gait it is in. When the model is loping, it should be on the correct lead, which means it should be on the left lead when moving counter-clockwise and on the right lead when moving clockwise.
Western Pleasure, a discipline within Western Riding Styles
For many years, the American Quarter Horse Association, which is a prominent authority in this field, has tried to combat this development by implementing rules that require ground-covering movements and heads to be carried level with the withers. However, they soon discovered that these rules were being disregarded by those showing western pleasure horses. A simple solution to this problem would have been for judges to not award placements to horses shown in this manner. However, it should be noted that judges themselves are often involved in this practice. Many professional showmen and trainers also serve as judges, making it difficult for them to criticize their peers. The judges’ argument was always that they needed to see examples of properly trained pleasure horses with proper head carriage in order to award placements. To some extent, they were correct because if nearly all horses in a western pleasure class are shown in this way, it puts judges in a difficult position. Nevertheless, judges bear a significant responsibility for allowing this negative trend to become so widespread and grow within the pleasure horse industry.
THE REAL NAME OF THE GAME – GOOD MOVERS, TEMPO AND FORM
In this discipline, the objective is not to determine which horse can move the slowest or hold its head the lowest, as some may think. Instead, the goal is to find the horse that moves the best, behaves the best, and performs the cleanest among the class. Judges are responsible for identifying the best mover, and if that horse does not make mistakes, it should be declared the winner of the western pleasure class. Mistakes may include departing in the wrong lead, breaking of gait, loss of form, or inconsistency in speed. So, what makes a horse a good mover deserving of victory? The horse’s movements should allow the rider to sit comfortably without being rocked, particularly at a jog and lope. The horse should also have a flat movement, and ideally, its front legs should fully extend with each stride before the hooves make contact with the ground. The rule book calls for these strides to be ground-covering. However, there is still a notable difference between what the rule books specify and what western pleasure horses actually demonstrate in competitions. Lastly, the horse’s movement should have an even rhythm throughout its performance. The tempo at which pleasure horses are shown is essential, and it is a somewhat complex matter. Although good judges have occasionally penalized horses that were correct in every aspect but moved too slowly, this represents a higher level of difficulty if a horse maintains a slow pace while still being in cadence and rhythm. Thus, the judge is not looking for slowness alone; it is not even desirable in a western pleasure class. A slow horse may appear sluggish, drag its feet, lack collection, and seem unattractive. A good mover, on the other hand, is certainly not rushing but maintains an appropriate pace. It shows no sign of hurry, moves collectedly yet without constraint, carries itself gracefully and calmly, and takes very even and controlled strides. Executing the slow lope requires a well-trained and balanced horse, and achieving this while maintaining a true three-beat gait on a slack rein is even more challenging. For this reason, it is often said that today’s western pleasure classes are won at the lope. Horses that are not good enough movers or are trained by less skilled individuals attempt to compensate for their lack of training, balance, and quality of movement by loping slowly with their bodies on a diagonal. In response to constant checking to make them go slower, they push their hips to the inside, finding it easier to perform the gait that way. Knowledgeable judges often position themselves at one end of the ring, fairly close to the wall, to observe if the horses’ bodies are parallel to the rail in the western pleasure class.
IN THE SHOW RING
In pleasure horse competitions, horses are displayed at the walk, jog, and lope while being ridden on the rail in both directions. Reverses, which involve a turn in the opposite direction performed in a teardrop fashion, are always done away from the rail and only at the walk and jog. This is because performing a reverse at the lope would require a lead change. The announcer is responsible for giving the riders commands such as “Walk your horses,” “Jog your horses,” “Lope your horses,” or “Reverse.” These commands are given at the judge’s signal. During western pleasure competitions, the judge may request for an extended jog (trot) to evaluate the placings. This is at the judge’s discretion. If the competitors are of a similar skill level, requesting an extended jog usually results in more well-trained horses standing out and exposes any weaknesses in certain horses. When asked to extend the jog, the good pleasure horse will maintain evenly-measured strides, remain calm, willingly cooperate, and stay balanced. The final assessment for the judge will be the back-up command, which is requested while the horses are lined up or on the rail. This concludes the western pleasure class.
