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Horse Behavior and Training

Western Pleasure

By:
Sig
Date:
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed

I live in the Uk so have not seen that much western riding. I have seen some reining and some cattle work and I generally liked it and would like to try it sometime, but today I saw a video on Facebook from a western pleasure show, I have never seen anything like it. The horses looked like a bunch of lame zombies hobbling around in slow motion. I would like some views on this. Is this something commonly seen, what is the point of it? how do they train the horses to go like this. what is Monty's view on this type of riding?
Signe

vicci - UK (North Wales)
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed

Can you send us a link Signe so that we can see what you saw; we can have a better discussion about it then :-)

Sig
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed

here is the link:
https://www.facebook.com/BIGPAUL310216/videos/10156108509740527/?pnref=story

JoHewittVINTA
Please upload your photo 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed 600 lessons completed 650 lessons completed

Hi. Don't even need to look - disconnected horses who don't want anything to do with humans, as they're bad news. I made the mistake of sending Humphrey away to be broken to harness & saddle. Was told they needed to keep him 6 weeks. Went back 5 days later & saw a rabbit in the headlights, rushing around with his mouth open. Totally disconnected. Brought him home to my friends' yard. Worked using Monty's methods & Stan, who doesn't ride & was frightend of horses having been reared off & kicked away. Three months later we have a pony happy to be ridden, but still with issues & Stan, who is ADHD, totally in love. Yeah, it's not plain sailing, but hey, we are getting progress, for both parties - so who is helping who? Cheers, Jo.

vicci - UK (North Wales)
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed

Hi signe. Thanks for the link, I have had a look and I must admit I am a bit confused. I've read the comments and it seems this is considered to be an achievement within the discipline but as an 'outsider' I don't find it particularly attractive to look at however it doesn't mean bu default that it is cruel.
:
Like you, I would be intrigued to know HOW they achieve this, I would love to think it is all done humanely by everyone but I don't think any of us are that naieve :-(. It's like any discipline, dressage, jumping, racing...it's the 'how' that 'why' that are the most important questions to ask.
:
I look forward to hearing from others who have far more knowledge than I do in this area.

Kicki -- Sweden
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed 600 lessons completed

Talked to a friend (and neighbor) who is involved in Western riding - all sorts of disciplines - and this is what he thought of it:
This is an abomination and the Western Riding Association (he mentioned them by some abbreviation staring with "N", so not sure if he meant here in Scandinavia or in the US) had reacted too, saying this has to be stopped and the judges needed more guidance so that they could come down hard on this kind of extreme behavior (I hesitate to call it "gait") so that riders didn't get the idea that this is were we are going. Because, clearly, some judges must've rewarded this for others to follow suit and try to slow it down even more to gain even more points.
.
On a side note here, I have to wonder why we humans always have to loose sight of reality and go past the ideal and try for the extremes?!
It's like the Bulldogs and Persian cats getting so stub nosed they can't breathe any more, or German shepherds with hips so low they can barely walk correctly, let alone lead a full life before their hips give out. Yes, the breeders who formed the breed wanted a slight slope in them for power, but NOT this we see today!
.
Back on subject!
There is no use for this sort of slo-mo lope in any discipline and harmful to the horses. If you want to go slow - walk or trot your horse! It is of no use to you if it hasn't got its balance.
.
Since he was on a roll, he also gave the practice of "pushing peanuts" a good chewing out and compared it to the much discussed roll-kur in dressage.
(Apparently, peanut-pushers are horses that are made to run with their noses a few inches above ground.) Now, stretching out the neck is fine, but when the horse puts its weight on its shoulders instead of supporting it from behind, that's when unnecessary wear and tear, and damages, happens.

Sig
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed

Thanks for the response Kiki, it is good to hear that the Western community do not all support this :-)

Mel - Ramsgate UK
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed

Thought I'd youtube search some training methods on this and naa, didn't like it. To get them to keep their head down there were on a very fine line of continually on the bit with a minute gap to give the horse release. Although it looks on a loose rein, if they put their heads up they are into pressure.
To train them into the slow walk/canter consists of boring repetition in a small circle to help bend them, a normal canter gradually being pulled back until they get the slow walk/canter.
I slowed a few of the videos down and you can see in the horses faces they are not happy and can easily see the bit pressure if they raise their heads.
For me it's just another human trying to control rather than a partnership.

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