Unleash the Spirit of Western Horsemanship

Unlocking Equestrian Wisdom: The Horsemanship Journal Library

Western Riding
Western Riding

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.

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True Cost of Breeding
True Cost of Breeding

Breeding your own foal is understandably an attractive proposition. You know the mare, and as it’s generally thought that 60% of the foal (temperament, conformation, etc.) comes from the mare, this seems like a good way forward. However, it’s not a cheap way of getting your next horse.

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Condition for Barrel Racing
Condition for Barrel Racing

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. 

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Cause for Concern
Cause for Concern

Western pleasure - is there cause for concern or is it all a fuss about nothing?

It starts with a guy recording a Western Pleasure class at Congress on his phone; he uploads it to Facebook. Before long, the footage is being shared worldwide. Why? Because the western pleasure class, it seems, is scrutinised more than any other western riding discipline. 

 

Having followed the social media flurry of comments in 2017, we decided to ask Western Horse UK readers what they thought. 

 

The results are certainly interesting but first let's be clear this isn't the most scientific study, 70 respondents are not representative of the feelings of the whole western community in the UK. There is likely to be some bias, as those most passionate about a subject are more likely to take the time to respond to a survey.

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Western Riding | Master the Trail Lope Over
Western Riding | Master the Trail Lope Over

With a bit of practise and a few handy tips from Tim Kimura, the Man of Trail (MoT), western riding trail lope overs aren’t as intimidating as they may seem.

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World Equestrian Games 2018 report by Francesca Sternberg
World Equestrian Games 2018 report by Francesca Sternberg

The 2018 WEG was originally to have been held in Canada, but 18 months ago due to financial issues, Canada pulled out - leaving the future of the WEG hanging. The horse park in Tryon, North Carolina offered to take the event and overnight it changed countries and venues.

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