bits & pieces QUICK TIPS riding tips from top trainers
Western Pointers Troy Green of Troy Green Quarter Horses
Q:
My horse is a great hunter under saddle horse. How can I introduce him to western pleasure?
Great question, and I always try to follow a rule-of-thumb of letting the horse tell us what disciplines it is good at. Years ago, all-around horses could truly do everything from barrels, to western pleasure, to hunter under saddle. Although there are horses that can do the same today, every discipline has become so specialized that it is rare to find one that can excel at a high level in both hunter under saddle and western pleasure. A quality hunter under saddle horse will have good rhythm and a good cadence, just as a first-class western pleasure horse will. Work on taking your horse’s rhythm and slowing it down. If you just try to slow the speed down, that’s when horses can learn to move in unnatural ways to compensate. Slow the rhythm but still maintain it. Your horse will let you know if he can do western pleasure and if he is happy doing it. The last thing you would want to do is to ruin your great hunter under saddle horse to get a mediocre western pleasure horse. It’s important as you work on a slower rhythm to get in and get out with your hands and legs. You don’t want to hold all the time and trap your horse at an unnatural pace, nor do you want to pick or nag. Draw back on your reins as you add leg. You should feel a lift and a slowdown; when you get a definite result, release. Your hand and leg aids will work in unison and begin to take on an ebb-and-flow, like a tide going in and out. Get in, get out, get in, get out… always achieving a result, and pretty soon, your horse will have a built-in rhythm, and rhythm is the foundation for every single event. 52
equine Journal
| July 2012
Troy Green has earned over two dozen All American Quarter Horse Congress Championships, while coaching clients to over 50 Congress Championships. Troy has twice trained the All-Around horse at the Congress, and has won at all the major futurities (Tom Powers, Reichert Celebration, etc.). He has also been on the national board for the National Snaffle Bit Association for three years. For more information, visit www.troygreenqh.com.
photo: c. donovan
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