What makes a good western pleasure horse?

[GrandLiena]

I never intended to show my standardbred mare because of her anxiety, but over the course of several months she has shown me that showing may not be out of the question for her. I have been questioning around, (having never shown or been around show events), seeing what I would want to do with her if I did show her. I was given a few off brand lessons in dressage and I’ve been drawing from dressage training for the work I have done with her, but I have been told that western pleasure would be more up my ally.

I am a western rider, so naturally I would like to do a western class. I have researched western pleasure but I havent found a real answer to my question. Is my horse a good candidate for western pleasure?

She is fourteen, but a super fast learner. She is too athletic for her own good, being an ex racehorse. I have accomplished a nice jog with her and have made loads of progress in getting her head set low. She is gaited, but she rides like a stock horse after all of the training I have done with her, and I have been told that she would make a good dressage horse. (don’t know if that helps or not…???)

Thank you in advance for any comments~!

[NoSuchPerson]

I would aim at Western Dressage rather than Western Pleasure.

Your horse is likely not a good candidate for western pleasure, although there are all sorts of caveats tied up in the answer.

[beau159]

Ultimately, it depends on what LEVEL you want to show.

If you just want to go to local open shows to have a good time with your horse, so have at it!

If you want to be super competitive at large shows, typically a Standardbred isn’t going to be the type to be in the ribbons; especially learning something new at his age.

So I guess it really depends on what you are wanting. It’s impossible to tell if your horse is a good candidate without seeing your horse move. Western pleasure is all amount MOVEMENT and how your horse covers ground.

[GrandLiena]

Thank you for the input, I wouldn’t plan on doing anything too advanced with her. I apologize for not having video on hand. I have been nagged about posting video on my other post for a while now, and I was going to take some videos of her trot work today but we had some drama unfold at the barn, so that didn’t happen… but hopefully I will report back with some video tomorrow.

[paulaedwina]

Gonna let my prejudice show. 1.I have a percheron/standardbred cross 2. I think WP is horrible.

Please don’t compress your standardbred’s wonderful gaits to fit Western Pleasure. Have you looked at Ranch Pleasure or Western Dressage? Not to mention you’ll have more fun and more room to grow in RP and WD with your horse.

Paula

Paula

[GrandLiena]

The more I hear from other people, the more it sounds like western dressage is whats best for her, and myself for that matter. I’ve heard a lot of hard core western riders say its stupid but I’m not trying to please anyone but me and my horse so maybe that is the decision to be made.

[paulaedwina]

My horse goes better in Western tack so I’ve recently switched to Western (say, last 6 months or so). I was pursuing traditional dressage and started looking at Western dressage. I found NAWD and we’re saved!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biZei-ieLH4

I belong to a Western barn (mostly rodeo and some eventing) so I’ve been exposed to many sports I had never considered before and am thoroughly enjoying myself. So far I’ve turned barrels, bent poles, and sort of pushed cattle! I am also interested in Ranch Pleasure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7XfhckFS80

I think maybe those hardcore Western riders say it’s stupid because they assume we’ll turn our horses into princesses or something

Paula

[GrandLiena]

Hahaha!! My horse is a princess! And she would be great for barrels I’ve always wanted to try that.

[Tee]

There is no reason you can’t do both. I have two very nice Morgans that go English and Western Pleasure. There is nothing compressed or artificial about how they go and we’ve done well in open classes. They don’t crawl along, but they go nicely in frame and are happy horses.

With my Lippitt, we’ve just started doing some Western Dressage and are both enjoying the challenge. I think in the long run, each discipline will complement the other, and having an all around horse is never a bad thing.

[beau159]

[QUOTE=GrandLiena;8386309]
Hahaha!! My horse is a princess! And she would be great for barrels I’ve always wanted to try that.[/QUOTE]

It’s YOUR horse. Do what you both enjoy.

Of course, a standardbred isn’t exactly your prime breed for barrel racing. But if you want to do it for the fun of it, all the more power to ya.

[GrandLiena]

https://www.facebook.com/heliena.hammond/videos/901841126578539/ This is a little demo I did on video with her, the barn was pretty active so its not great. but considering her anxiety and how many people were there she did fine. I just took her through some trotting and transitions. She was a train wreck with the trot-canter transitions but oh well.

[propspony]

She’s very, very cute, and I love her but she’s fairly opposite of what western pleasure (the show ring version) is looking for. It probably wouldn’t be fair to ask her to try and fit her round peg into that square hole. (at least in the open show ring)

There are now all-standardbred shows that offer western pleasure (as well as a MILLION other classes) that she would excel in.

Here is the link to the standardbred pleasure horse assoc.
http://www.standardbredpleasurehorse.org

and a link to the world show group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/741179429226414/?fref=ts

She is cute as a bug, so I would certainly look into some other fun stuff to do with her, as well. Do you guys have ACTHA in your area? It’s a lot of fun, sorta like a judged trail ride, and I know standardbreds have just been superstars at those competitions.

Their website is www.actha.us

I wonder… some of her anxiety might be helped a little bit if you can focus on bringing your feet back a little bit more under your center of balance, and making sure that your ankles/hips/shoulders all stay in a nice straight perpendicular line. I know that with a walk/pace/trot that forward, it can be hard to stay with it, but when the feet slip forward like that it turns the seat into a driving aid, encouraging the horse to go more forward, which then becomes a bit of a circular cycle.

But man is she cute and I love her. You guys are going to have a LOT of fun together!!

[GrandLiena]

Haha! Thank you. And yeah, I’ve recently been advised to encourage her forward to get her to carry herself, and I was paying more attention to her than myself in the video. But I really really appreciate the input, she is the trail queen of the barn so that is definitly something I’ll look into. I actually plan on getting her into civil war renactments as a calvalry horse. But I’d love to do something competitive as well.

[propspony]

Oh she’s perfect for reenactments! Have you seen this video??? Love it!!!

http://www.horsecollaborative.com/rescued-standardbreds-learn-a-second-career-on-the-battlefield/

I’ve always wanted to do something like that!!

[GrandLiena]

Yes I have! Its a lot of fun, I’ve renacted on a cannon crew as infantry with family my whole life but now that I have a horse everyone is saying calvalry calvalry!

[clanter]

[QUOTE=Tee;8386504]
There is no reason you can’t do both. I have two very nice Morgans that go English and Western Pleasure. There is nothing compressed or artificial about how they go and we’ve done well in open classes. They don’t crawl along, but they go nicely in frame and are happy horses.

With my Lippitt, we’ve just started doing some Western Dressage and are both enjoying the challenge. I think in the long run, each discipline will complement the other, and having an all around horse is never a bad thing. :-)[/QUOTE]

our Morgans also would work in either English or Western tack… they just adjusted their strides/gaits to the tack they were wearing … they were good at it also, we have their ribbons to show it

[beau159]

[QUOTE=GrandLiena;8386766]
https://www.facebook.com/heliena.hammond/videos/901841126578539/ This is a little demo I did on video with her[/QUOTE]

I do agree that she has lovely, FLOWING gaits, and will be quite nice once you teach her to round her back and collect herself. But I would agree that she is not naturally suited for Western Pleasure and it wouldn’t make sense to try to get rid of her naturally nice gaits to try to fit into the western pleasure crowd.

[clanter]

What makes a good western pleasure horse?

consistency comes to mind

[GrandLiena]

Hah… My mare is very consistent, at randomly picking up a rack in an empty room, testing how fast her little legs can carry her under saddle, not giving the slightest care about rein cues, and hopping corners…

Shes learning. She is my biggest test of patience.

[Silk]

[QUOTE=clanter;8393117]
What makes a good western pleasure horse?

consistency comes to mind[/QUOTE]

consistency, slow legged and a overall placid and quiet look. For a light horse (or the stb mentioned in this thread) a little more animation is allowed. Here is a nice video showing arabs in a wp class.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmIoxVzPt_I

The qh type will have less animation and less suspension to be considered ideal in the pleasure pen.