Western Pleasure

Western pleasure is a division found at horse shows where the horse is judged on movement, conformation, conditioning, quiet way of going, manners, suitability as a western mount with even and slow gaits, and his responsiveness to cues. It is so named because a horse needs to be seen as a pleasure to ride all day as if it was a ranch horse. This division is found with many, many breeds, but is most commonly pictured with American Quarter Horses and American Paint Horses. It is one of the most popular divisions at breed shows. Horse Illustrated covers topics such as tack and equipment to use, how to train the horse for the division, how to slow down a horse's gaits, grooming and presentation for this event, neck reining, head set, and more.