How Does a Rider Train a Horse For Western Pleasure?
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Principles
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Horse training, like all animal training, is accomplished using three principles: consistency, repetition and reward. There are many variations of techniques for western pleasure training and no single technique will work for every horse. However, there are some basic methods followed by most trainers.
Ground Work
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The ideal western pleasure horse moves quietly and freely at all gaits on a loose rein. His head and neck should be relaxed, with his poll level with or slightly above his withers. To accomplish correct head and neck position, a trainer will start by "bitting up" the horse using a bridle, a snaffle bit and surcingle or saddle. The bridle's reins are tied to the surcingle or saddle in a manner that encourages the horse to lower his head and neck. The trainer lunges the horse in this bitting rig so that the horse learns to travel in the correct position without a rider's influence.
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Under Saddle
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Once the horse learns to move quietly without a rider, the trainer will begin to work the horse under saddle. Many trainers will use a snaffle bit when schooling a horse because it is less severe than the curb bit used in western pleasure classes and it allows the trainer to work each side of the horse's mouth independently. She may also use a running martingale which, like the bitting up process, will apply leverage to encourage the horse to lower its head.
Collection Exercises
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The trainer will ride circles and serpentines to make the horse curve his spine, which stretch and strengthen the muscles across his back. These exercises teach the horse "collection." The horse achieves collection when each foot hits the ground with an equal and cadenced impact and he uses his hind quarter muscles to propel himself forward at an even pace.
Controlling Speed
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Circling and halting are also methods to control the speed and rhythm of the horse's gait. An inexperienced or "green" horse is inconsistent in both. As the horse moves down the arena rail, she may begin to pick up speed. At this point, the trainer will circle the horse to get her to shorten her stride, collect herself and slow down. As the horse repeats the movements, she will begin to understand that she is free to go forward as long as her gait remains steady.
The trainer will occasionally stop the horse if the horse does not respond to circling. However, repeatedly stopping a horse can cause the horse to "lose forward motion," a situation where the horse hesitates or prefers not to go forward at all.
Finishing
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Once the horse has learned to ride rhythmically and consistently with a proper neck and head set with a snaffle bit, the trainer will perform the same ground work and riding work in a western curb bit. Because the curb bit is much more severe than the snaffle, the horse must be advanced in training to insure that he does not develop bad habits, such as gapping his mouth, dropping his head to his chest or rearing. If the horse exhibits any of these signs, the trainer will usually go back to the snaffle bit exercises to reinforce the training.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Photos by Jennifer Diamond-Yan and Carole Perkins
