Western is a captivating and dynamic discipline that continues to conquer hearts all over the UK. It provides a thrilling way for riders to engage with horses on an entirely different level. In this guide, we'll explore everything there is to know for those wanting to learn to ride western.

Prepare your western pleasure horse for the show pen with five gymnastic exercises.

A western pleasure horse must be in top physical shape to compete and win in today's western pleasure class. But when it comes to conditioning a rail horse, there's more to it than just walking, jogging and loping.

To prepare my western pleasure horses for the show ring, I use five simple exercises to enhance movement, transitions, flexibility and balance. The exercises consist of long trotting, shoulder and hip work, departures and transitions, loping squares and backing up.

Barrel racing is fast and furious with speed, agility, twists and sharp turns as you move through the cloverleaf. Due to the nature of barrel racing, the horse faces many challenges. Five key areas in which a horse can be strengthened and prepared for barrel racing to help give a successful race are:

 

Stamina. The horse must be fit to sprint away from the start line, and sprint to complete the arc from barrel to barrel

Balance. Essential for when they edge around the barrel to achieve the perfect arc beat the clock 

Flexible. The horse must be able to bend in both directions fluidly and quickly 

Strenght. The horse must have the muscle to take the weight shift through the body when going from speed to almost an instant stop 

Mental. The horse must be physically and mentally prepared.