Western Pleasure

Western pleasure is one of the most well-known styles of western riding. This style of competition is meant to show off the manners and suitability of a horse to perform its different gait cadence and speed. All horse breeds to perform in these competitions but temperament does play a role so each horse needs to be quiet, calm, have collected, soft gaits and have the strong muscles that are required to sustain slow, controlled movement.

The purpose of western pleasure is for the horse to show how well he can move his body. This is why it is required for the horse to move slow so the judges can see every little movement the horse makes. There is a controversy in this event today in the way the horse holds its head. Some judges have come to prefer that the horses hold their heads low while they perform. This causes the horse to use more muscle to pull its hind end underneath itself. The judges like this because they know that horses who can do this are better fit. This is also a problem though because in the long run, it can cause a horse serious soundness problems. It wears away at the horses joints and can cause them to become lame. Lame is a term used for a horse who is not moving correctly due to an injury. An example of this in humans would be if you sprained your ankle, you would start to limp. Because of the pain it may cause there horses, most owners today are not training their horses to keep their heads low to the ground.



During competition, riders all compete together. They are asked to ride around the outside of the arena either at a walk, jog, or lope in either direction. They also will be asked to halt and stand quietly and also to back up. A first place horse in this competition is decided on their quality of movement, proper motion, form in motion, and calm manner.

Summary of Brightness Discrimination Article

In “Brightness Discrimination and Neutral Point Testing in the Horse,” published in the Canadian Journal of Zoology, Gudrun Geisbauer, Ulrike Griebel, Axel Schmid, and Brian Timney have finally figured out a test to determine whether horses can see colors or not. They have discovered that even though horses have some of the largest eyes among the vertebrates, the vision is considered to be poor because of a low count of cones on the retina. These men used multiple different horses in their study. First, they started by showing them one color ring among three other grey rings. They kept repeating this until they figured out what colors the horses were able to discriminate. After the experiments were completed, the outcome was that all horses do not see the same colors. Some horses could discriminate red and blue but not green while others could discriminate green and yellow and not blue. There were also some who could discriminate all four colors. For years, scientists have been trying to figure out whether or not horses can see color. After this test, they finally have an answer.

Riding Equipment

There are many differences between western and english riding. The main difference between western and english riding is the equipment used. In western riding, the saddle is much larger with a deeper seat and a horn. The horn was originally used as a place to hold the lasso when cowboys would herd their horses. It allowed easy access to rope a stray cow. Unlike english metal stirrups, the stirrups on a western saddle are wood and wrapped in leather. On average, a western saddle will weigh about twenty pounds compared to an english saddle which only weighs 10-12 pounds.

There is also a difference in the bridal and reins. The bridal is the equipment that goes on the horses head and holds the bit which is put in the horse's mouth. The bit puts pressure on different parts of the horse's mouth which is what tells the horse what to do. On an english bridal, there is a nose band that wraps around the horses muzzle. This just makes sure the horse keeps it's mouth shut and helps prevent them from chewing on their bit. Western bridals don't have this piece. They have what is called a chin strap which goes directly under the horse's mouth.

English bridal

Hunt Seat

Hunt seat is another type of riding. It is based on the tradition of fox hunting. Hunters classes include flat, no jumping, and fences, jumps, where the horse is judged in movement and form. Equitation classes judge the riders ability both on flat and over fences.

A champion hunt seat rider has perfect form: proper leg position, weight in heels, soft hands, good posture, balanced seat, eyes up, and when working with fences, eyes looking towards next jump.

Three different types of hunt seat:

Show Hunter- these horses are judged on their movement, way of going, manners, and jumping form. They need to be smooth, quiet moving, well-built with an excellent temperament. This riding class is also known as "English Pleasure".

Show Jumper- in this class, only jumping ability is scored. Because of this, most horses that perform in these classes have more power and energy. These horses would include breeds such as thoroughbreds and warmbloods who are taller and have more muscle mass. It is rare that you will see a horse perform in both hunter and jumper because of difference in temperment and style of moving.

Equitation- these classes judge the rider only on there position and control. This means that the horse does not need to have perfect movement but should have good manners as to not take away from the rider's abilities.

Dressage

There are many different types of riding that horse people participate in. One of them is dressage. Dressage is the art of training a horse in obediance and precision of movement. This discipline is meant to show of a horse's athleticism and ease in motion. It is sometimes to referred to as "horse ballet".

Horses are judged on each movement they make, and it is scored from 0 (not executed) to 10 (excellent). There are many different levels they riders are able to show at that range from amateur to professional. When a competitor achieves 6's or higher in their movements, they should conside moving up to the next level.

A standard dressage arena is 20 meters by 60 meters, and letters are placed around out perimeter of the arena that are used to mark the lines that the horse needs to take. The horse enters at A and there is always a judge sitting at C.

Dressage is one of the few riding styles that compete at the olympic level. It was first accepted as a sport in 1912. The dressage tests that are performed are at the highest riding level: grand prix. Each horse is judged by five international judges using the scale mentioned above. After each horse is graded, the totals are added up and then converted to a percentage. The higher the percent, the higher your standing