Helpful Hints for Western Pleasure Training

NPHA Pleasure Celebration Show, the 'Holy Grail' for western performance competitors, is being held at SIEC next week, with over $100,000 worth of prizes on offer this is the most prestigious western show in the country.  If, instead of packing the gooseneck and making the trek to Sydney, you're sitting at home wishing your horse was good enough to attend NPHA, read on for information that may prove useful for your horse's training regime!

Western Pleasure is a highly specialised event and breeding the perfect horse for the event is an ongoing challenge for Australia's top breeders, however, even the best bred horses that have it all - movement, temperament and looks - require the right training to make it to the top.

To excel in the competitive world of western pleasure a horse has to - amongst other factors - possess soft, slow-legged movement and sometimes, even with good natural movers, it's difficult to achieve the slowness usually required to win in the show pen, without sacrificing quality of movement.

In regard to slow and correct movement in the lope, an article published on pleasurehorse.com by Dana Hokana - respected USA based western trainer - recently caught my eye.  Dana addresses the slow debate and then goes on to provide seven practical and useful tips for training your horse to slow down, while still maintaining correct movement.

As an amateur competitor who trains my own horse, I found the information provided in this article easy to apply to my training at home and thought I'd share it with others who might be interested.  There are no fancy gimmicks - it's all about solid, basic training for correct movement.  Even though I'm blessed with a naturally slow horse, Dana's training tips have helped by providing tools that ensure his movement stays consistent and correct.

CLICK HERE to read Seven Steps to Slow Your Horse Down - Without Sacrificing Movement, on Pleasurehorse.com

by: Jo Johnson (Photo of beautiful Appaloosa mare Ampleur Hot and Hawnie - who will be at NPHA next week - courtesy of Amelia Leeman)