Tee is always a pleasure to ride
The Pleasure Horse
By Troy Andrew Smith
Before we go any further I want to define what I’m talking about when I refer to the Pleasure Horse. I’m not talking about the horses trained in various Pleasure Horse Classes in the show world. I am talking about what many people would refer to as a trail horse but we may not be riding trails on him. Some might call him a kid’s horse but he may be being ridden by a seventy year old. When I talk about the Pleasure Horse I don’t care if he is under a Western or English saddle. I am talking about owning a horse that is a pleasure to ride.
Since I was first foaled in ’52, don’t believe my kids when they try and claim that was 1852, I have been around horses and horse people. I have observed over the years there are as many or more types of horse people as there are different breeds and types of horses. I made a living and fed my family many a time from the back of a horse. I’ve done this in many different ways, from working as a ranch hand to doing stunts on movies, from breaking colts for other people to breezing race horses that were bucking off their Jockeys. I’ve guided Dudes in the Rocky Mountains and wrangled them for movies. I love horses but some horses were a job to ride and some were a real pleasure.
You may have noticed I keep capitalizing the term Pleasure Horse, well that’s because I’m going to use it as a proper name throughout this article. They could be called Chuckie or Tee (my two) or Sea Biscuit, Widow Maker (not a likely choice for a pleasure horse name) but the point is the Pleasure Horse by any other name is still a Pleasure Horse.
How does a person find a Pleasure Horse? They are everywhere and they are hard to find. That may sound like an oxymoron and like I’m talking out both sides of my mouth, but it is as true a statement as you’re ever likely to find in the horse world. You go to a stable that has twenty horses in it that are all broke to ride, I may think five of them are a Pleasure Horse, you may like them all or none of them.
A Pleasure Horse is probably the most subjective animal in the world. A jumper needs to be able to clear fences without falling. A cutting horse has to be able to cut cattle in an impressive manner. Same goes for a roping horse, pack horse, harness horse, Reiner or Bronc, they all have a job to do that defines what type of horse you would be buying. A Pleasure Horse on the other hand has an all encompassing job with very little definition, except they should be a pleasure to ride.
My best advice to you is to ride a lot of horses. If you are lucky enough to have a friend that has a SAFE horse you can ride, to get the feel of things so to speak, then do so. But, ride a lot of horses. Try out several. See, what Breeds of horses fit your personality best. Decide what type of riding you’re doing the most and find the horse you feel the most comfortable on.
I feel a word of warning is needed here. On every movie set I’ve ever been on, at almost every horse show I’ve been to, on nearly every Dude Horse outfit I’ve worked on or visited, there’s a horse that has it’s head in the air, won’t stand still, prances and stomps, is high energy at it’s utmost and there is somebody who’s never set straddle a horse in their life that says, “Oh! Look at that horse! He’s so spirited! Wouldn’t you just love to ride him?”
The answer to that question is… NO! I’ve had to ride too many of them just like him and they are not a pleasure.
Keep in mind, different breeds of horses were developed to do different jobs, just like dog breeds are. The average weekend rider doesn’t need a real hot blooded, high energy, go, go, go, type of horse. I, myself, like Quarter Horses, they fit what I do. I have also ridden very nice Morgans, Tennessee Walkers, Fox Trotters, Arabians, Thoroughbreds, and many others that were Pleasure Horses. I’ve also ridden horses from all of the above mentioned breeds that were the most miserable waste of horse feed ever to have avoided an Alpo can.
One quick example of what I’m talking about is the Arabian. This breed of horse was bred to be able to run across the desert for a hundred miles without a drink of water and never falter. They make outstanding endurance racers; they also (even though I can’t prove this with actual numbers I’m betting it’s very true) put more Southern Californians in the emergency room than all other breeds combined.
Why? They’re not mean. But, they are very high energy. As weekend riders people feed their horses very good quality feed, grain, Alfalfa hay, supplement vitamins and minerals and then ride a couple of hours every other weekend if they are lucky. The poor Arab is burning up from the inside out. It has so much energy stored up it can’t hardly stay in it’s own skin. And yet, I hear it all the time, the same people are worried they’ve worked their horse too hard. It still, after this many years amazes me when I hear these same people tell the Paramedics, “I don’t know what happened, he just went crazy on me!”
Next time we meet up, maybe we’ll discuss a few ways to keep the person in the ambulance from being you, but for now, remember; A Pleasure Horse should always be a pleasure to ride.
Hope to see you down the trail, not laying on it.
