Western Pleasure is a western style competition at horse shows that evaluates horses on manners and suitability of the horse for a relaxed but collected gait cadence and relatively slow speed of gait, along with calm and responsive disposition. The horse is to appear to be a "pleasure" to ride and very comfortable, while being very smooth. Most light horse breeds in the United States and Canada may compete in western pleasure classes, either in open competition or at shows limited to a single breed. However, horse conformation and temperament play a role in this event, and hence animals that are calm, quiet, have collected, soft gaits and the strong muscling required to sustain slow, controlled movement are the most competitive.
Read more about Western Pleasure: Breeds, Equipment, Show Grooming, Class Procedure and Requirements, Controversies
Famous quotes containing the words western and/or pleasure:
“When Western people train the mind, the focus is generally on the left hemisphere of the cortex, which is the portion of the brain that is concerned with words and numbers. We enhance the logical, bounded, linear functions of the mind. In the East, exercises of this sort are for the purpose of getting in tune with the unconscious—to get rid of boundaries, not to create them.”
—Edward T. Hall (b. 1914)
“I will write, as in the past, simply for the pleasure of writing, for myself alone, with no thought of money or fame. Apollo at least will be grateful to me, and perhaps at last I will produce something beautiful—for all things make way before the unceasing striving of an energetic sentiment.”
—Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880)