[countrylady]

Hey All,
just a question and would love to hear everyones thoughts on this.When a horse has been trained for western pleasure how hard is it to get them out of it ? does anyone know?anyone done it?Tips and advise please my friend is wanting to use the horse for adult riding club,trail riding ect and she dosnt want to be loping around :lol:

 

[White Foot]

You don't xD Try doing dressage with him, they are almost identical.

 

[kmdstar]

People work EXTREMELY hard to train horses for western pleasure. To take a trained WP horse and want it to either go back to natural, big movements (assuming it had them before the training) is just not fair to the horse IMO.

It would be so much easier to buy a different horse that hasn't been trained for WP than to retrain a WP horse.

 

[countrylady]

yes she wants natural movements back.I know it takes alot of time to train them for it ect but she already bought the horse and is asking me for advise and i have no idear.

 

[White Foot]

I don't have any advice or tips because I've never heard of such a thing. But in reality dressage and WP are alike in so many ways.

 

[kmdstar]

I don't have any advice or tips because I've never heard of such a thing. But in reality dressage and WP are alike in so many ways.

LOL me either! If someone doesn't want WP movements...they don't buy a horse trained for WP. simple as that!

My only advice would be to sell the horse to a nice home and buy another horse that is NOT trained for WP.

 

[countrylady]

I watched her ride it this morning,she was cantering around it was so slow,shes wanting to canter normal,she kicked him on and it was like?what are you asking he was confussed,he got more tempo but wasnt a normal canter.

 

[kmdstar]

I watched her ride it this morning,she was cantering around it was so slow,shes wanting to canter normal,she kicked him on and it was like?what are you asking he was confussed,he got more tempo but wasnt a normal canter.

She can kick him all she wants, chances are he's not going to give her the canter she wants, he might not even be CAPABLE of doing so. This horse could very well be BRED for western pleasure, not just trained meaning those could be his natural movements or close to them.

 

[countrylady]

yeah i know what you are saying maybe she needs an instructor to come and tell her all of this as i dont know! I just thought i would ask

 

[White Foot]

Good luck

 

[Honeysuga]

I have to agree, she needs to find a different horse. Usually WP is bred in or trained in so well it is next to impossible to get them to move out of it. But it is actually possible, I have seen it done! The lady I knew bought an older WP horse and just rode her on trails and trails and trails, eventually her movements went back to close to normal though they were always a little shuffly...

 

[countrylady]

yeah i was just speaking to a lady on the phone that runs the local club and she said of course it can be done and that its easier to untrain a horse then training it and its been done many of times by people she knows.
Now my mate dosnt know what to think :? lol

 

[Honeysuga]

Well what she shouldn't be thinking is that it will be an instant change or anything but a slow and gradual one. It is years of training that has to be undone and rebooted from the ground up. Of course the horse will never walk trot or canter like a non wp horse, but the gaits can be naturalized through time and patience.

 

[Honeysuga]

Here is an article by a woman "untraining" a peanut roller and wogger to a more pleasurable pleasure horse. She gives a few tips if you can weed them out...

Amy's Training Diary: Retraining the "Old School" Pleasure Horse

 

[maura]

You don't xD Try doing dressage with him, they are almost identical.

Huh? I don't understand this comment at all. My understanding of WP is great, but a dressage horse has to move under itself, tracking up or overtracking, with clear, rhythmic, true gaits - nothing like WP. In order to truly be on the aids even for lower level dresage, a horse has to be both forward and "through", again the opposite of how a WP horse is trained.

 

[roro]

I haven't done that ever nor met anyone person that has done such a thing, so I won't pretend that I have.
First get off his back and out of any specific gear, just lunge with him, a lunge line, whip, halter, and maybe boots on his legs. First get his transitions sharp. For each gait, you will need to repeat the same steps. Add on pressure at the walk for him to go faster. When he does, release the pressure for a few seconds. When he slows down, put on the pressure again. Do not allow him to go into trot unless you ask him to do so. Gradually, you can ask him to move with more vigor and reach more with his legs. Repeat this at the trot and the canter until his gaits all have a good 'forward' to them. When you get on his back, there is another step. While establishing these forward gaits, you will have to soften him up. Do turns on the forehand and turns on the haunches and keep him from getting heavy on his shoulders by doing sharp turns and serpentines. This should be good for the arena riding. As for the trails, establish the same forward and reaching walk you did in the arena. It is absolutely key that he is not allowed to slow down until you ask him to, you want to make a forward walk the normal walk for him. Just like you wouldn't allow him to bite you, you wouldn't allow him to slow down because he wants to either (not that these situations should have a similar remedy, it is more that these are two issues that have to be fixed by consistency). Again, this is just how I would go about doing this and it may not be ideal for you.

 

[dashygirl]

The lady I knew bought an older WP horse and just rode her on trails and trails and trails, eventually her movements went back to close to normal though they were always a little shuffly...

This was going to be my suggestion. Take the horse out of the arena, away from everything WP and just ride.

 

[kevinshorses]

Get the horse out of an arena and do alot of extended trotting. When the horse starts to lope pull it down to the trot and try to extend it again. Posting helps the horse understand also. The key is to ride every day outside of an arena so the horse doesn't see a barrier in front of it all the time. I have helped several horses learn to walk out a little better and travel like a horse and that is how i did it.

 

[kevinshorses]

I don't have any advice or tips because I've never heard of such a thing. But in reality dressage and WP are alike in so many ways.

I think you should maybe watch more of each because they are not anything alike. Have you ever seen a WP horse doa flying lead change or leg yeild? Or an extended trot? I never have. I think it would be hilariuos if a judge called for an extended trot (or better yet walk) during a wp class.

 

[trailhorserider]

Just from what I see with my own eyes, (I don't come from either discipline) WP and dressage are not alike.

Although dressage horses look too constricted and controlled to me, at least they move with impulsion. They give the impression of a powerful horse, finely trained and under control.

Western pleasure horses (again, just my opinion, please don't get offended) look like a tired old horse looking for a place to lay down. Like they have no get-up-and-go whatsoever. Basically no collection, just a horse that is almost afraid to move forward.

I ride western. I ride with a loose rein. My horses move slow on a loose rein out on the trail. But if I ever felt that funky 4-beat canter out on the trail, I would do my best to kick him out of it, lol!

I want to feel some horsepower in the horse's hind end. I want a horse that feels like a sports car, not an old clunker. :mrgreen: