What is the difference between western pleasure and western horsemanship classes?

Question

What is the difference between western pleasure and western horsemanship classes?

Answer 1

i havent done much in "western" but i think western pleasure is learning the basics like canter trot e.t.c

and......................................

western horsemanship i think is stuff with your horse like learning not just riding but YOUR HORSES RIDING

but then again i havent done much/ANY western.

well GOOD LUCK!

Answer 2

Kari is right.

Said more simply:  western pleasure judges the horse, western horsemanship judges the rider.

Answer 3

Pleasure will be just learning the basics, how to ride the horse western style. It's for people who just want to learn, not compete in barrel races or anything like that.

Horsemanship is probably for people who want to do something with their skills, like competition style.

I'm not sure because different people use the words in different ways, but I would guess that 'pleasure' is for people who just want to have fun and 'horsemanship' is for more serious riders.

Answer 4

Western pleasure is a rail class.  The entire class enters the arena (typically at a jog going counter clockwise), then is asked to walk, then lope (on the correct lead).  Then they revers and do the same gaits.  At the end of the class they're asked to back (sometimes in the line up and sometimes along the rail).  The class is judged on quality of gaits and brokeness.

Horsemanship is judged on you!  Typically you'll do rail work just like in a western pleasure class, but you'll also do a pattern.  For the pattern there is usually cones.  It will be something like Jog from Cone A to Cone B, perform a 360 degree pivot on the hindquarters, then lope on left lead to Cone C.  At Cone C, stop and back 4 steps and proceed to your position on the rail.

The horsemanship classes require a broke horse and a good rider.  You need to have control.  You need to make your ride look effortless.  The good horsemanship riders make it look easy when truely there's nothing easy about it!  You want to sit tall and be confident.  Don't school your horse even if something goes wrong.  Just quietly fix it and move on.

Hope that helps!

Answer 5

In a nutshell?

Western Pleasure judges your horse- how much of a "pleasure" he would be to ride, aka, does the judge want to ride your horse? Judging based on gaits(smooth is good), manners(biggy), and how nice your horse is to look at basically. If your horse acts up, it's not good.

Western Horsemanship judges YOU! - how you ride. Judging based on how still you are, rider position, and how you handle problems. Strange to hear, but having your horse act up a little, say spooking at something, can help. Here's why- it catches the judges attention, and if you handle it well, the judge sees you are a good rider.

Hope I helped!

Answer 6

Western Pleasure is rail work, walk trot, canter. Western Horsemanship usually consists of riding your horse in a pattern consisting of walk trot, cantering in a specific lead, and backing. Sometimes rail work is needed after a pattern to break tie in scores.

Answer 7

Western Pleasure is judged on the horse's 3 gaits: walk jog and lope only, in the ring with all the competitors at once. Horsemanship classes use patterns much like a dressage test, one horse at a time. http://equisearch.com/horses%5Friding%5F...  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_ple...