Judging School Handbook - American Morgan Horse Association

Style and AttitudeTechnical Ability vs. Technique Ability: Since weare faced with considerable entries in each pleasureclass today, we need to consider more than just theway the horse performs the required class routine(…his “technical ability”) and learn to identify andreward the more intangible qualities of style, presence,attitude, and manners. These are qualities thattend to separate the “coffee from the grounds” andfrom an individual’s entry’s “technique ability.”The top western pleasure candidate will have an airof supreme assurance about him. He is confident,bright in expression and uses his ears well, yet at alltimes he appears relaxed, fluid, and steady. He is ahorse who likes himself and his job and sells himselfto the judge and the crowd from the moment the ingateopens, not some lifeless robot that slogs his waythrough the class routine and simply does not make atechnical error. He should not express any sign oftension, wariness, intimidation, or aggression. He isthat horse who brings a “little extra something” intohis performance, and whether you define it as charisma,style, attitude, or a combination of all these factors,it comes out as being the rare quality that makessome horses superstars, and a lack of it makes othersalso-rans. This presence and attitude is the samewhether you’re judging park horses or western horses.While considering these qualities and attitude, weneed to understand the term “manners,” especially asthey relate to the different classes within the section:The Junior Exhibitor Western Pleasure Horsemust be safe, pleasant and mild mannered, showingcomplete cooperation with his rider. All signs ofresistance, resentment, or aggression must be severelypenalized. Suitability of the horse to the rider(size, length of stride, responsiveness, etc.) is of particularimportance.The Ladies Western Pleasure Horse must displayan elegant, refined, and cooperative way of goingwith absolute acceptance of regimentation of speedand a light mouth at all times. Misconduct, resistanceor unpleasantness of any kind must be severelypenalized. Transition of gaits must appear to beeffortless and smooth.The Amateur Western Pleasure Horse mustshow all of the tractability and willingness of the32fully trained pleasure horse. He may be somewhatstronger than the ladies or junior exhibitor horse,but must be completely cooperative and absolutelyagreeable at all times. A light mouth and a willingnature are paramount to the AmateurPleasure horse.The Junior, Maiden, Novice, Limit, or GreenWestern Pleasure Horse must display an agreeablenature and a willingness to accept direction and regimentation,but occasional coltish errors shouldreceive a lighter penalty than they would in classesfor finished horses.The Open Mare, Gelding, Stallion (etc.) WesternPleasure Horse should display a bright and willingattitude and while they may be a bit more aggressivethan Ladies, Amateur or Junior Exhibitor horses,they must show impeccable manners and a light andtractable nature at all times.Head and Neck Carriage in theMorgan Western Pleasure HorseIn the Morgan breed, we are required as judges toevaluate conformation and type right along withactual physical performance (60%-40% in qualifyingclasses and 50%-50% in championships). Due tothe unique conformational structure of the Morganbreed, especially with regard to ideal neck placement,you will find that many of the horses shown inthe Western Pleasure section tend to exhibit a higherset-on head and neck carriage than you may havebeen used to seeing in other breeds of WesternPleasure horses. If you’re new to the Morgan breed asa judge, this may cause you some concern at first, butit shouldn’t.As mentioned earlier, certain job descriptionsrequire a bit different look, and horses who competesuccessfully in events such as western pleasure,hunter pleasure, and roadster may deviate from thenorm somewhat. A horse that carries his poll a bithigher than would be normally considered proper fora western pleasure silhouette should not be eliminatedfrom consideration for that factor alone, anymore than we should discount a horse that may belower in the poll than the ideal Morgan in-hand orEnglish pleasure horse. If the horse has the correctattitude, style of motion, smoothness of gait, responsiveness,and balances properly on a light rein, he isa definite contender for a top ribbon, regardless of