Open Pleasure Driving Horses Action....

[wildhorses]

I am dumb when it comes to telling the difference in the types of movement of horses that people want with all the different driving classes. Anyways, I have someone who wants one of my horses and wants to know if he has the right movement to be an Open Pleasure driving horse. I would like to see pictures of excellent Open Pleasure horses moving so I can determine if my horse has the movement this gentlemen is looking for. Thank you in advance!!!

 

[Leeana]

Here is a video of a world champion SP driving mare shown by patty cloke...its a awesome video!

Link @



Enjoy

 

[Katie Iceton]

I guess I just dont understand it, but to me that does not look natural. The horses head is stuck up so high and its back is so hollow, it just doesnt look right. But that is just my opinion and if thats what Judges look for then I will never win a pleasure driving class unless my horse does that without a check. Sorry if I offend anyone, but I just think that it does not look normal for a horse to drive like that.

 

[ruffian]

That's not necessarily due to the check. My gelding has a high headset and high action like that going across a field. If you watch the video, the check is actually bouncing, which to me indicates that it is not extremely tight and "holding" the horse up.

IMO a single pleasure horse should have high knee action and lots of animation. A country pleasure horse has more of a sweeping gait, with little or no knee action.

 

[ClickMini]

I know the horse and that is the way she goes naturally. If you watch her body she is getting a lot of motion through her back, the check is not in play at all, and Patty's hands are very light. Patsy is an awesome little single horse, extremely talented. She has not been gimmicked, she doesn't wear knockers even, nothing. Just her. I am out at the barn quite a bit and I know how they are handled and trained. Patsy is an excellent example of a good, natural open horse.

To see an example of a national level country pleasure horse movement, you can look at the video I did of my Reserve National Champion Country Pleasure Mare, Flirt.

 

[Flyin G Farm]

Here is my open pleasure horse Little Americas Soshowme Buckeroo, she went to nationals in 2007 and was national champion, reserve national champion and had several other top 10s in open pleasure and roadster. She trots this way no matter if she's hooked to cart, or just out in the pasture. Her generally just flops around and when I drive her at home, there have been many times we don't even bother with the check. She just naturally carries herself this way. She has a very light mouth as well...I could drive her with two fingers if I really wanted to! I'm pretty proud of her

Tracy

 

[sfmini]

This is our gelding, LBFs Commodity Blues, multi World and National Champion in single pleasure driving. He looks like this at liberty as well.

 

[whitney]

I can't post a picture because I don't own the horse, but his name is Rivendells Orions Rock It Hawk and this is the website. This is a baby but...........I thought it was the ideal open pleasure movement IMHO. Notice how the front AND back have the SAME BIG movement, and the front is more UP than out. And the back tracks the front.

http://www.magnificentjourneyminis.com/Stallion.html

Let me know what you guys think, am I really off base here?

 

[Riverdance]

To give you an example that this motion is natural. This is a weanling filly with that type of natural motion. She is now 2 and still moves like that.

 

[Asia]

I think there are alot of horse born with a natural talent for moving like this.

The really good ones are not "forced" to move like that, they just do.

Here is a pic of one of my foals trotting. No training, just natural.

He even walks like this...Head up

 

[Sully]

My Hackney gelding has all that natural high stepping gaits and head carriage. He has never been in a harness or worked. My little guy has nice natural gaits too. He's never been in harness either, he's only 18 months old.

 

[gatorbait4sure]

You only need to drive a horse like that to FEEL how astounding it is!!! The best feeling in the world!

dru

 

[disneyhorse]

Whiteny... Hard to tell from "liberty" photos what your horse will be like under harness. Babies always move more extreme than they do as they mature. You have to see the horse at a working trot to get closer to what they can accomplish under harness... get them to trot without flagging their tail and that is more how they should go under harness. And the "heart" and motor of the horse will have a lot to do with their ability, they have to be a little hotter to hold up the movement for long periods of time.

Andrea

 

[whitney]

disneyhorse I understand about taking a chance on babies and how they mature. I guess my question is, Is the movement that youngsters displaying open pleasure? Or are judges looking for up AND out in the front? Seems to me like thats mixing types of movement, and the rear is just playing catch up. I thought open pleasure was more park type action?

 

[disneyhorse]

disneyhorse I understand about taking a chance on babies and how they mature. I guess my question is, Is the movement that youngsters displaying open pleasure? Or are judges looking for up AND out in the front? Seems to me like thats mixing types of movement, and the rear is just playing catch up. I thought open pleasure was more park type action?

Well, Open Pleasure should be somewhere between Park and Country. More forward "open" movement, not all up-and-down like Park Harness. Country should be more "swinging forward" in front, Open Pleasure should have more knee action incorporated, and Park should be mostly knee action (like the horse is moving but not going anywhere sort of).

Something that isn't usually considered too is that (well, all other things equal) your horses' movement is being pitted against the other horses in the class. If you show in an area without talented driving horses, the movement needed is much less than say at Nationals, where there are tons of talented horses in the ring. This is why some people "drop down" a "level" at Nationals even if they show in another class regularly in their own area.

Andrea

 

[whitney]

THANKS Disney I understand MUCH BETTER now.