Judging Western Pleasure
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Transcript Judging Western Pleasure
JUDGING THE PERFORMANCE
HORSE
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Possible Classes
Western Pleasure
Hunter Under Saddle
Hunter Hack
Reining
Western Riding
Hunt Seat Equitation
Western Horsemanship
Trail
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Western Pleasure
Western Pleasure is one of the most
popular show events.
A top western pleasure horse should
be as the name implies:
a pleasure to ride
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Western Pleasure
Contestants compete simultaneously
(all at once)
Travel around the perimeter of the
arena
Walk, jog and lope
Both directions of the arena.
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Criteria used to evaluate
performance horses
Functional correctness
Attitude and Manners
Willingness
Broke ness
Quality of movement
Head set and head carriage
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Functional correctness
Follows all the rules!
Horse picks up and maintains proper
gait
Each gait is correct and true
Proper upward and downward
transitions
Maintaining a proper rate of speed
Soundness
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Quality of Movement
Gaits must be performed with proper
cadence and balance
Softness
Horse maintains a level top line
Horse maintains a collected frame
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Attitude and Manners
Ask the question: Which horse is the
steadies, brokest, most consistent
horse in the class?
Willingness/Broke-ness
Attitude and temperament
Prompt response with no resistance
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Head set and head carriage
Head Carriage: how the neck is
carried in relationship to the body.
The poll must be level or above the
withers.
Head set: how the head hangs off the
neck.
The face must be at or in front of the
vertical.
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Head Set
Head Carriage
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A good pleasure horse…
has a free-flowing stride of
reasonable length
in keeping with his conformation
should cover a reasonable amount of
ground with little effort
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A good pleasure horse…
should have a balanced, flowing
motion
will exhibit correct gaits that are of
proper cadence
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A good pleasure horse…
should carry his head and neck in a
relaxed, natural position
poll level with or slightly above the level
of the withers
face should be level with his nose slightly
in front of the vertical
has a bright expression with his ears
alert
13
A good pleasure horse…
should be shown on a loose rein
should be responsive and smooth in
transitions
should extend in the same flowing
motion
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Terminology: the Walk
The walk is a natural, flat footed, four
beat gait.
The horse must move straight and
true at the walk.
The walk must be alert
The stride must be of a reasonable
length in keeping with the size of the
horse
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Terminology: the Jog
A smooth, ground covering two beat
diagonal gait
Horse works from one pair of
diagonals to the other pair
Square, balanced, straight forward
movement of feet
Extended jog shows same
smoothness
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Terminology: the Lope
The lope is an easy rhythmical three
beat gait
Horses moving to left should be on left
lead
Horses moving to right should be on
right lead
Natural stride should appear relaxed
and smooth
Ridden at a speed that is a natural
way of going
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Disqualification
Changing hands on reins
More than index finger between reins
Head too low for more than five
strides
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Faults to be scored according to
severity
Excessive speed
Wrong lead
Breaking gait
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Faults to be scored according to
severity
Excessive slowness, loss of forward
momentum
Failure to take the appropriate gait
when called for
Touching horse or saddle with free
hand
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Faults to be scored according to
severity
Head carried too high
Head carried too low
Over flexing or straining neck in head
carriage so the nose is carried behind
the vertical
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Faults to be scored according to
severity
Excessive nosing out
Opening mouth excessively
Stumbling
Use of spurs forward of the cinch
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Faults to be scored according to
severity
Sullen, dull, lethargic, emaciated,
drawn or overly tired
Quick, choppy or pony strided
Reins draped to the point that light
contact is not maintained
Tail: excessive movement/ “dead” tail
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