Comments on: Video: AQHA Western Pleasure Judging

By: Dale Rudin

Dale Rudin — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 18:37:11 +0000

I love this video too and agree that that’s not what we always see in the show pen. However, if we all commit to training our horses to move properly we can set the trend. Horses deserve to move comfortably and with balance. I implore all WP riders to train for the horse’s sake and not for what will win them points on any particular day.

By: Judy

Judy — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 10:07:53 +0000

This is a good article BUT when one watches the present videos on Western Pleasure event at Congress or most high end shows the horses look terrible. The jog is too slow, their ears are to be level with their withers and they are far from it; at the lope their heads are not to bobble yet they must because they are moving at such an artificial gate. The gaits look ridiculous and far from natural movements. The rule book says what the gates should be like yet these same judges are picking horses that are traveling far from normal and natural gaits. About time they revert back to normal head position and leg movements. AQHA Western Pleasure is the laughing stock event!

By: Tammy

Tammy — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 19:18:22 +0000

This is a very good video; most importantly it is coming from AQHA judges. However, I still do not understand why we go to the Western Pleasure videos and shows and are still consistently seeing horses barely walking, jogging with their noses sticking out and loping like they are crippled and going sidesway down the rail. The horses themselves have no roundness and above all, no expression. They look dull and lifeless. When is this all going to change back to wanting to see the horse at his true gates? I thought this video is saying just that? The “trainers” are not listening and the judges are still rewarding this ugliness.

By: Laura

Laura — Sat, 07 Feb 2015 08:41:19 +0000

This is a great video. I love western pleasure, but it can be ugly sometimes. My horse has much more natural gaits than some wp horses. I hope that this comes back. When looking at the older clips shown in this video, it is much more pleasing to watch. The horse’s movements are more natural. Western Pleasure needs to go back to its roots.

By: Sofia

Sofia — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 13:22:19 +0000

This is a great example of Western Pleasure! The jog is slow without being zombie-like. There is also a little bit of energy “bounce” at the jog. The lope actually looks like a slow canter, and not like the weird lope-trot things that are often seen in Western Pleasure. The horse’s heads are aligned with the withers and not sniffing the ground. These horses also don’t look dead, unlike many other Western Pleasure horses. AQHA Western Pleasure is making a great comeback!

By: Shann

Shann — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 14:10:34 +0000

Your negative comment shows your ignorance and lack of appreciation for horses and horse lovers. We are all one family no matter what style you ride!

By: Andrea

Andrea — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 07:39:11 +0000

I coach youth judging teams, and I also ride western pleasure. This is such a great video to show in order to understand how to judge and how to show western pleasure. To everyone that feels the need to criticize the western pleasure horse, let me just say that every riding discipline has an ugly side – English, Dressage, Saddleseat and so on. It is the few in each discipline who choose to train or make their horse perform in such a terrible way that create a bad reputation for their riding discipline. Don’t make comments about a discipline you have not even tried riding or judging before you open your mouth to criticize it.

By: Mia

Mia — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 12:55:30 +0000

Those horses look like they are limping when they perform those ‘gaits’. Extremely unattractive way to present a horse. They all look beaten down with no light in their eyes. But maybe that’s how those cowboys/girls like their horses?

By: Abby

Abby — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 15:50:43 +0000

Issue playing video

By: Abby

Abby — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 15:49:49 +0000

Cool. I compete in DN EWD shows every year. I’ve seen it all first hand.