# Lets SEE the difference between.....



## love_casper (Aug 13, 2007)

i'm trying to learn all this stuff before i get too far into the driving world, doing my homework you could say.

so i've been researching and understand the difference (read the entire thread on the Best Of forum), what they look for, but i have trouble telling the difference with a pic.

*so.....show me your driving horses, but tell if they're Single Pleasure, Country Pleasure, or WCP. * and it would help if you could point out what makes that horse...whichever it is. (point out head set, action, are they in a different harness??? ...etc.)

pics and videos welcome! THANKS!





:


----------



## Irish Hills Farm (Aug 13, 2007)

This is Irish Hills Lit'l Crescendo Jackpot (Chestnut pinto). He was my super duper Country Pleasure driving gelding. (He is now owned by someone else). Anyway, I trained Jackpot to drive myself, he HOF in Country Pleasure Driving, has Multi-National Top Ten Driving Titles.

I think this is a good picture of a country pleasure horse.






I also drove him in Roadster as Jackpot had many gears. The last show I drove him in roadster I believe we were 1 1/2 laps ahead of everyone else. The boy could fly! Wish I had a picture of that but unfortunately don't.


----------



## Flyin G Farm (Aug 13, 2007)

Here is my single pleasure horse:











And my country pleasure horse:






Tracy


----------



## Kendra (Aug 13, 2007)

We snapped this out in the pasture of the boys playing the other day ... we thought it was a pretty good illustration between a single and a country horse.



:


----------



## ClickMini (Aug 13, 2007)

Kendra, I agree, that is a very good NATURAL illustration of what a horse would be inclined to! I love that pic!

I just proof-read an article by Patty Cloke that is addressing this very subject. It will be published in an upcoming issue of Miniature Horse World Showcase, so have a look for it! It had good photos illustrating it and also what she is looking for in each type.


----------



## disneyhorse (Aug 13, 2007)

This is a video of my stallion, at liberty. He is a Pleasure horse, as he has too much knee action for Country and really doesn't actually have the extension for Country either (I expect a GREAT country horse to have awesome extension, and very little knee action generally). Country classes are NOT for horses with "no action" like people seem to think they are. It's just a different kind of motion.



It is important to note, when looking at photographs (or video even nowadays) that a flagged tail will produce more "action" out of a horse than they would have under harness.

Here is a photo of my stallion, but with the flagged-tail-trot, you can see how he has more action than his video probably does. I need to get a video up of him at a flagged-tail-trot, as it is more "prancy" with high action than anything.






Lots of people see a horse running in tall grass or deep snow, or with the tail flagged straight up and have visions of a "pleasure" horse but it's different under harness.

AND I need to get pictures of him under harness, that would be even better!

I love seeing driving horses, I love horses that MOVE, I will be watching this thread!

Andrea


----------



## Irish Hills Farm (Aug 13, 2007)

Here are a few pictures I found of Jinx trotting. He is an open pleasure candidate.


----------



## Sarah's Little Blessings (Aug 14, 2007)

Nice!! I like these pictures I finnally "get it" about the different movements down in a single, and cpd horse!! Thanks for starting this post(love_casper), and thanks for posting pictures everyone!!


----------



## justanothercowgirl (Aug 14, 2007)

> (I expect a GREAT country horse to have awesome extension, and very little knee action generally). Country classes are NOT for horses with "no action" like people seem to think they are. It's just a different kind of motion.


 Good point Andrea! Country Pleasure classes are also NOT for horses with "no headset" like some people seem to think they are. It is just a different kind of headset.



:

Here is my CP gelding. We finished our HOF requirements in four shows(looking forward to convention



: )I also do roadster with him.

At a country pleasure trot...






At an extended trot...


----------



## _minihorses4ever_ (Aug 14, 2007)

Here is a video of my gelding I show in CP.. I absolutely love his attitude and walk.. They are both so calm and dependent. Granted, he isn't the BEST trotter in the world (and only 31 inches!), but I like to think he makes up for it. Personally, I am not very fond of seeing very hot horses win CP classes (Regardless of whether or not I am in the class!). I think a CP horse should be very level headed.

Here is a video of him at a show in July with me..

See how calm and responsive he is during his walk/trot transition? THAT is what I like to see.


----------



## Chamomile (Aug 14, 2007)

Here is a picture of my main driving mare, Cammy. She is a country pleasure horse through and through. The reason is, she has a very low head set and a very laid back shoulder, both together make her stride long and low. She naturally throws her feet out in front of her. And there is no way that I could get her head up higher as she is not built that way.

Here is a good shot of a roadster 'Trot on!'






And here is a shot of her just trotting around the arena...






This colt has potential to be an open pleasure driving horse, with some training. He naturally carries his head higher and has more knee action. We are very flashy, knees flying around and feet going like crazy, but we don't really go anywhere



: Not like Cammy who when I'm driving sometimes I wonder if the cart is going to lift off the ground!!! In this picture my Mom is driving him and not asking him to do much but go forward. When I drive him, I ask him to collect up and really drive from his rear. He then has much more action in the front. But I thought this photo shows how his head set is naturally higher... (the overcheck rein is completely loose... in the above photos Cammy doesn't have a check rein on.)






Here is another country pleasure horse. She has a nice head set and very low ground covering strides. In english riding we call that a daisy cutter stride. If you were trotting in a field of daisies her toes would skim the heads of the flowers right off...






Here is her sister, also a country pleasure horse and a daisy cutter...






This colt is a open pleasure horse all the way! You can see how he carries his head so high that his rear tucks up underneath his body and he has tons of front end action..






In all these photos you can see that the horses have a nicely rounded frame. They are all using their hind ends when going forward. In the country pleasure horses it makes for a nice soft line, from hip through the neck onto the bit. With the open pleasure horses they tend to tuck their hinies more and it's more of an uphill look. I hope that makes sense!!

I hope all these pictures help!!


----------



## love_casper (Aug 14, 2007)

wow thanks for the replies and pictures and videos everyone!! this reallly helped!!!!! :aktion033:



:

i'm understanding now. :cheeky-smiley-006:

thanks so much! :aktion033:


----------



## Ferin (Aug 14, 2007)

My gelding, Spirit, is a country pleasure horse.


----------

