The leg and seat aids are what I call body aids. They work with the reins in communication with the horse. As riders, we want to be balanced on our horses, what I call balanced riders. We want to ride in the center of the horse and we want to stay perpendicular from our ears to our heels. We can shift our weight back to communicate with our horse that we want a change. I am not talking about leaning way back but just moving the shoulders back about one or two inches.

When the big day comes to saddle up for the first time, it is usually not a really big deal. If you have put the time in on ground work and you have a solid foundation you should be ready to saddle. If you have worked with your horse to desensitize her to the saddle blanket, you now need to get her accustomed to the cinch. A horse’s belly is a very sensitive area. Out in the wild, the legs and belly are really vulnerable areas.

Teaching a horse to ground tie is one of the easiest commands to train. I’ve seen some elaborate ways of teaching a horse to ground tie. Some trainers put a line on the halter and a second line between the front legs and through a surcingle. If the horse moves forward, the trainer pulls on the lines. Some trainers tie the horse to an object on the ground which teaches the horse where it needs to stand. I use a much more simple method.

Welcome back to Western Pleasure 101. This is the final article in the three-part Western Pleasure series. First, I’d like to thank ridemagazine.com; the readers; Sandy Baldwin, who has put my words into print, and my clients; who have supported this project. These articles are for individuals who are not able to commit their horses to full training, but who are still interested in Western Pleasure.

This is the second article in our series on the western pleasure disciplines. These articles are intended for riders who want to get into western pleasure and can’t go to a training barn or who would like to do it on their own, as there are many shows where an amateur or novice can participate. My previous article discussed the selection of a horse. This article discusses a bit about the history of western pleasure, what we’re looking for in the western pleasure horse, and what can be done to train a horse for a western pleasure show.

This month is the beginning of a series of three articles for amateur riders who wish to show in western pleasure and are working without a professional trainer. This first article will discuss the the importance of selecting the right horse for the western pleasure show.