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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

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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