Ashley Reimer Carpio

Do you prefer to ride bosal horses or bridle horses? Why? Bosal horses! I love riding the babies and being part of their progression. Plus, riding one-handed is hard!

What is the key to a good warm up prior to a class? Connecting with your horse and shaking off any nerves. By that point, you either know how to ride your horse, or you don’t, so I think it’s more about getting a feel for how they’re feeling at that moment.

Do you have a particular tack or clothing obsession?

I’m always scouting for a new outfit. You can never have enough!

How important do you feel the AWPA class is for breeding?

I think the AWPA has done a lot to increase the value of our young horses. It has increased awareness of up-and-coming sires and driven home the concept of form to function.

What horse past and present, exemplifies the western pleasure discipline?

In recent years, Monaco Jullyen V is the horse that comes to mind. Beauty, athleticism and trainability. He was nearly unbeatable in both the open and amateur fields for many years, and we’re now seeing a few of his babies hitting the ring with great success.

What is the key to a good warm up prior to a class? Keeping myself calm and relaxed - focus on my breathing. I find the more relaxed I am, the better my horse performs.

Do you have a particular tack or clothing obsession?

I love show clothing that is different from what anyone else is wearing - that goes for anything from the Trail Pen to the Western Pleasure ring. I definitely like to stand out from the crowd! There are a few designers that I work with that know it is going to be a “fun one” when I call for a new outfit! For my western pleasure top that is currently being made, I saw a top a concertgoer was wearing at Coachella - took a photo of it - and asked my designer if she can make this into a western pleasure top (she said, yes!). I cannot wait to see the finished product!

How important do you feel the AWPA class is for breeding?

Extremely! The AWPA Futurity classes have record entries at U.S. Nationals and both the purebred and Half-Arabian Finals showed off the incredibly talented group of young western pleasure horses that are being bred.

What is one thing you would like to see changed or improved regarding the western pleasure horse?

Grow the Arabian horse show industry - not only for western pleasure, but for all disciplines. Building off the response above, one way to do this is to offer more prize money or other incentives for exhibitors. Perhaps some prize money for the non-Junior Horse categories? With record entries in the AWPA classes, why not build off that and offer prize money incentives for all exhibitors?

What horse past and present, exemplifies the western pleasure discipline?

When I was a young girl, I cut out photos of Khemosabi from my Arabian Horse World magazines and pinned them to my bedroom wall. He was a favorite of mine because of his natural talent and his ability to pass on his talent to his offspring. My western pleasure mare is out of Monticello V - he is also one of my favorites, for many of the same reasons as Khemosabi. Both were/are known for their calm and gentle temperament, which they each passed/pass on to their offspring. Monticello V has Khemosabi in his bloodlines, so of course, I sought out a horse with both of these icons in their pedigree!