Comments on: Guide to the Slow Jog

By: Alyssa

Alyssa — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 14:28:02 +0000

I would have appreciated a guide on how to develop a slow job more than a guide on what to look for in a slow jog.

By: Gabby

Gabby — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 09:20:15 +0000

Family Center Farm and Home offers some really great saddles at: http://www.familycenter.us/saddles-for-sale/

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 06:58:14 +0000

I understand it now how do I achieve it?

By: Erin

Erin — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 08:05:26 +0000

So happy that AQHA is starting to ask for extended gaits and that a fast jog is accepted. It is so much more comfortable and healthy for the horse,

By: Diana

Diana — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 09:02:01 +0000

Susan from NY..I totally agree with you on the natural gaits. My 12 yr. old daughter just started showing her 7 yr. old paint in our local horse club..New Jersey Horse Assocaiation and we love it. Lincoln really hasn’t had professional training for showing..but he’s very natural and balanced. Each time she has shown him she has gotten higher & higher in judging. Her very first show she was 5th & 6th out of 6 with 2 judges. Well her last show she placed 3rd out of 9..and she really doesn’t ask him to tuck his nose at the trot. She’s natural and light with her hands and he does great. Now on the other hand I see these other people constantly pulling, bumping and yanking on these poor horses just to get them to rub their noses just about to the ground for the canter..it’s just terrible and so un-natural but yet they still place high..I just don’t understand it..I will never let my daughter do that. If I ever saw her in the show ring yanking on her horse to get him to do anything un-natural..I’d yank her right off him and pull her right out of the ring. If it’s not fun anymore than get the heck out!! Oh right now my daughter only does Walk/Trot HUS and English Eq. but she does canter at home and does beautifully even bareback.

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 04:42:56 +0000

My guess is that the original “Western Pleasure” idea was a good one, classes showcasing the easiness and pleasure of a nice Western riding horse. Over the years, the things got misconstrued and the judges started looking for gross exaggerations that led to very unnatural movements in the jog and lope, such as the “trot in front and walk behind” for jog, and a 4 beat something that in no way resembles a jog or canter! This unnatural training will lead to eventual lameness in those horses. I’ve seen local WP riders constantly jabbing their horses’ bit in a effort to “train” their horse to carry his head so his nose is level with his knee!! This is so WRONG! The poll of the horse should never, ever go below the height of the wither and the jog should be clearly two beat (both front and back jogging) and the lope should always be 3 beat and above all, according to the AQHA, all gaits should be natural to the conformation of the horse. If one has to jab and jab at the bit (which, by the way is considered abuse according to the AQHA rules) then the gait is no longer natural. WE have to get through to the judges that they must look for “correct and natural” movements and never pin the offenders. That’s the only way the abuse will stop.

By: Horse lover

Horse lover — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:02:05 +0000

I think western pleasure is fun..I really like it when my horse is slow.western pleasure is also how a horse carries himself I know when I go to a show the horse that carries himself better wins over the slow sloppy horse.If your horse is bred for pleasure it is a lot easier for the horse too.. If you have a horse that naturally moves slow western pleasure is great!I really like western pleasure and I wish people would stop judging the people that love pleasure!!If you don’t like pleasure don’t do it but don’t talk bad about it under a pleasure article.

By: horsez4ever

horsez4ever — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:58:33 +0000

I do 4h with my horse and we do almost everything, my favorite is the games. I would do western pleasure but my horse goes too fast…. otherwise I do not see any thing wrong with western pleasure!!

By: Olivia Flannery

Olivia Flannery — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:46:29 +0000

hmm…dispite what the other people have to say about this article, i fully agree with it. i, in fact, do western pleasure. i think the reason people think it is so horrible is because they have no idea how the horse is ACTUALLY moving…when we slow our horse down, we are actually driving them up underneath themselves, so that they can maintain better balance. we are getting them to the point where we dont have to ‘hold’ them up, so that way, they end up having a soft mouth. it really impoved my horses abbility in alot of different ways. on trail rides, she is better balanced from being taight to hold herself up, insetead of relying on me to hold her up. just because a horse is slow, doesn’t mean that they have un natural gaits. my horse is slow because she is lazy, and pretty much cant run. also think of it this way, people teach gaited horses to pick up their feet and strut their stuff. is that natural? so before you go judging us and our plaesure-ponies, please, take a look at ALL other diciplines (and tell us if they are natural) before you say that they are wrong.

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:16:30 +0000

Hey guys stop complaining Western Pleasure used to a lot worse. At least now they are aiming for “forward motion”. Sure they are traveling slower than they would be out in the pasture but it isn’t as unnatural as it used to be. Horses used to become lame because the gaits were so slow.