Laura Ramsey Blackburn

Do you prefer to ride bosal horses or bridle horses? Why?

This is a fantastic question! It depends on the horse. Necks that are a little too long or a little too short are easier to deal with in the bosal for me. The perfect neck and a really broke horse you can ride off your legs, bring on the bridle and all the drape that can come with it!

How do you make a pleasure horse look like it’s a pleasure to ride? What traits must they have?

I find it’s good to think about the traits I must have. Relaxed seat, confidence in the preparation, a mindset of belief in the horse. The horse can move square off all four legs with impulsion and a pretty headset with a soft jaw; that helps but it’s really our job to trust they will be a pleasure, not second guess them or pick at them and try to softly correct or cover a bit when the bobbles pop up.

What is the key to a good warm up prior to a class?

I like a brief warm up as soon as possible in the horse’s career that it becomes realistic. I would prefer to get the horse loose but not ask for too much before I really want to ask for it all in the class. Keep it positive, don’t make the horse crabby. Think about what the goals for the class are and then work towards those attainable goals. Not every class needs to be a swing for the fences and the same goes for the warm up.

Do you have a particular tack or clothing obsession?

I love the tooled hats out right now and think they add a fun new spin on the western look. I like Harris tack and the monogrammed headstalls they do. This feels like a high point in western fashion; so many fun looks and people embracing what they feel good in. I am here for that, and I am always here for all the sparkles.

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

Extremely important. Winning is fun but winning money is really fun. Incentivizing competitions increases the value of the animals and makes breeding more financially feasible. The industry needs more quality babies hitting the ground every year from diverse breeding perspectives. Those babies need to be marketable, valuable and have earning potential. The AWPA is key to making that happen.

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

I love a great moving, beautiful mare with a lot of substance and a great neck like Vera Wang or PA Maya. The OG great for me was/is C A Hermoso.

Do you prefer to ride bosal horses or bridle horses? Why?

As a former English rider, the bosal just makes sense to me. It’s a comfort zone I am used to. I feel balanced and more in sync.

How do you make a pleasure horse look like it’s a pleasure to ride?

What traits must they have?

For me, smooth and true gaits are key. Chemistry between horse and rider. If you are lucky enough to have this, the rest will come.

What is the key to a good warm up prior to a class?

I rely on the expertise of my trainers. Each horse requires a different routine.

Tell us about your favorite pair of boots. My old Arita paddock boots. Have had them for years, just put new soles on them. Some things are hard to part with.

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

Being relatively new to the Arabian breed I find the AWPA so exciting. The anticipation of it all is thrilling. I will say the Arabian community does this right.

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

As I was learning about the breed and disciplines, I found myself attracted the Jerome line of horses. I have a bit of a sweet spot for them.

Do you prefer to ride bosal horses or bridle horses? Why? Both! We get to use two hands with the bosal, and I love the journey of starting with a young horse. But I have enjoyed the bridle horses too ... the feeling of riding so independently on a well-trained bridle horse is like nothing else!

How do you make a pleasure horse look like it’s a pleasure to ride? What traits must they have? Keep things “soft” and fluid if you want it to look like a pleasure. The horse needs to be pretty, have great movement, have a shapely neck, and a happy attitude.

What is the key to a good warm up prior to a class? Staying focused on my horse and my ride ... not letting the others warming up get in my head!

Tell us about your favorite pair of boots. Ariat paddock boots with elastic sides. No zipper, no laces. Comfy!

How important do you feel the AWPA class is for breeding? It’s become a huge deal! Kudos to the founders! What a great program. Unfortunately, my horse is not in the program, and I almost didn’t buy him because of that.

What is one thing you would like to see changed or improved regarding the western pleasure horse? Boy, I’d sure like to see us get back to a true and fluid moving western horse. The stilted gaits have become too extreme and don’t look like a pleasure for the horse.

Sarah Paripovich

SARAH PARIPOVICH TRAINING

Do you prefer to ride bosal horses or bridle horses? Why? I prefer bridal horses. There is definitely an art in giving the appearance of an effortless ride while in actuality, there are so many components to riding on a drape. Arabian horses are hot blooded animals and aren’t naturally slow and low. To be able to teach them this, and then do it essentially no handed, is really quite amazing!

How do you make a pleasure horse look like it’s a pleasure to ride? What traits must they have?

The horse needs to respect boundaries, but not fear them. Fear of the rider, bit, or spur leads to jerky movement. I like the picture to flow. The horse needs to move forward, with fluid motion.

What is the key to a good warm up prior to a class?

Don’t ride your class in the warm up! I made this mistake once, and the judge said that to me in the line up. I will never forget it!

Do you have a particular tack or clothing obsession? Not really an obsession, but I do have to clean my own show tack.

How important do you feel the AWPA class is for breeding? It’s been an amazing addition to the breed! It promotes marketability for young horses and encourages people to breed.

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

Before I ever started showing Arabians, my parents would go down to Scottsdale for the last weekend. If Bob Hart was showing Rohara Moonstorm, I would insist that my dad video him schooling and showing. I couldn’t get over how easy it looked for this horse! Bob probably thought my dad was a creepy stalker, but I will never forget watching the videos, wishing I could make a horse look like that.

How do you make a pleasure horse look like it’s a pleasure to ride? What traits must they have?

First thing is the overall happiness of the horse. If they are enjoying their job, moving forward and flowing through the gaits, they will look relaxed and expressive through their ears—that is what makes it look like a pleasure to ride. My dad always told me if he stood 15 feet off the rail with his back turned, he shouldn’t hear the horse lope by; softness is key. So many believe a draped rein means softness; to me it’s about quality of movement and confidence in what is expected of the horse in order to move lightly through what is being asked of them.

Do you have a particular tack or clothing obsession?

Both, in fact. I have used Harris saddles since 1994, when I got my first light colored saddle and won my first Region 12 open western class in it. I swear by this brand and the quality is incredibly consistent. I’ve never sat in a Harris saddle I didn’t like. As for clothing, I’m know for my wild shirts in the western ring; almost all of them are Robert Graham. These shirts really have helped me put a stamp on my brand as a western trainer. Everyone looks for my wild shirts, to the point when I wear a solid shirt, I get questioned about the absence of my wild designs. To me that’s just part of the fun as a trainer, I get a new shirt for each horse and when that horse retires or moves from my program, I almost always retire the shirt as well.

Tell us about your favorite pair of boots.

I have a lot of different boots but my favorite are the pair I inherited from my dad when he passed away. I don’t know what brand they are, and they aren’t anything special to look at, but they hold a lot of meaning for me. I remember not knowing if they’d fit and then how good it felt when I put them on and they fit like a glove. I don’t wear them often but when I do, I can feel my dad’s presence.

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

I think it is a great program and it definitely brings attention to the young western horses. I do think the nomination process is a bit confusing and expensive so many people don’t take advantage of the program because they don’t want the hassle of figuring out how to properly nominate their foals. As a result, a lot of good horses miss out on the opportunity to show in this class.

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

I really think the drape, especially for amateurs, has been very detrimental to our breed. There are only a select group of horses and amateurs that can truly ride well on a drape. If we could just have a light contact, we would open our western division back up to more amateurs for ones that aren’t confident riding on a drape or can’t afford one of the small percentages of horses that are talented enough to ride on a drape well. It would be beneficial for our horses as well. We wouldn’t have to lunge so much, and more horses would be showable and marketable if they could just get a little help from some light contact. In my opinion, many of these horses would move better as well if they weren’t expected to go around with no contact at all.

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

To me, as a junior horse, SF Georgia really changed the game with how soft and elegant she was in the bosal. She’s a beautiful mare that really exemplified what a well-trained bosal horse could be like. As far as an open horse, I’m biased but Holdin Aces; incredibly trainable, soft moving and always willing to do his job. He enjoyed his work as much as I did and that made it easy to teach him. Everything a trainer could ever ask for, that horse was willing to give me.