Western riding covers a range of disciplines from pleasure riding to reining and cutting horses. Cutting horses are chosen for the agility and cunning they display in working livestock. Reining horses possess tremendous strength and athleticism with dramatic sliding stops and dizzying spins performed in choreographed patterns. Pleasure horses showcase the endearing personalities of the western-style breeds with their comfortable ambling gaits and temperaments that gave them the endurance and ability to tame the Wild West. The most dramatic difference between the western disciplines and those previously discussed is the type of tack and the body type of the horse.

The ideal western horse is small-bodied and heavily muscled with tremendous strength in the shoulder and hindquarter. The legs are fine-boned and refined, as is the head. The neck is short but proportional and often thick. The joints are flatter and straighter than most breeds.

Common Breeds

•        Quarter Horse
•        Appaloosa
•        Arabian
•        Paint
•        Morgan
•        Pony Breeds