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The Height of a Winning Pleasure Horse Thoughts from Renae Dudley & Karen Misko  Several of our readers have recently asked about the importance of the height of a winning pleasure horse. So, We have interviewed some important industry professionals, & will rotate in responses to the following questions: [Response from top breeder Karen Misko]: 1. How much influence does a horse's height have on being able to place in western pleasure classes, is that the same for the English pleasure? I have seen the horses' height range from 14'2" in the late 60's with Pecho Dexter to 16 hands in the late 70's with Physical Ed and Super Damion at the Congress. During those times I felt that height dictated much more to the winning in Western Pleasure than today. Presently, I believe and have personally succeeded in having 14'3" hand horses (Chrome N Pine) to 16 hand (Lucky Asset) winning in futurities. The key difference today is that we are breeding and training for outstanding legs and specific pleasure conformation that enables the horses, whether it is an English Pleasure horse or a Western Pleasure horse to do their "Jobs". Even in the early 90's, people were not quite getting how deep, flat or slow legged a horse must be to win at Tom Powers or the Congress. In fact, the breeding has become so refined and successful that the past 2 futurity seasons including last week's Tom Powers illustrate how terribly tough it is to be in the top 3; the competition is incredible and the horses are great! The same phenomenon has occurred with the English horses within the past 2-3 years. In the 60's and 70's you could put a 15 hand horse in the Congress English and place, that started changing in the 80's and certainly changed in the early 90's! In the English, I feel that to compete you must have at least a 16 hand horse with a very big stride to compensate for not being 17 hands presently. However, I still think that a 14'3" hand horse could win the Congress more easily than a 16'1" hand horse in the 2's due the the size of the Congress pen. I cannot imagine a 15 hand horse even placing in the English at the Congress now! Therefore, I feel that the size is a greater influence in the English than the Western presently-you must look at their legs before size and people do now. 2. Please give the size-range trend in heights as you see it for both categories... For western pleasure, I see it at 14'3" -16 hands. For English, 16 hands as a minimum to 17'2". 3. Is it possible to win with a smaller horse? If so, what would that take? It is possible to win with a smaller horse; remember Cleve Wells on Chips Hot Chocolate as a 2 year old? There are many examples of 14'2-14'3" horses that have been Congress and World Champions during the past 5 years. The key is fitting the rider to the horse for the overall picture. I would much rather have Tina Kaven, Jon Barry or Brent Tincher on my 14'3" horse than Gil Galyean, Guy Stoops, or Cleve Wells. But, in the same position, I would much rather have the latter group on my 16 hand horse than the prior group. ------------------------- [Response from Renae Dudley, Judge & Breeder]: "Just about the time I want to commit to an answer on this question I am defied by my beliefs. Truely, I think only the judges that are looking for excuses or don't know let the height factor enter into their judging. The trend toward big hunter horses tends to be in the minds of the trainers and owners more than the judges. I can name some great smaller (15'2) hunter under saddle horses that win at the big ones because they are such classic, correct movers. As the trend toward "bigger is better" has evolved so has the inability of these big horses to perform on the rail. Many are too big and simply can't do a collected canter at a reasonably acceptable speed. The rare ones that can are priceless. As far as size goes in the Western classes? There are some wonderful little horses out there. The size factor here enters in when the owner or trainer wants to move the horse into more events. I like to have my all-around horses to be a minimum of 15'2 because they are more suitable to more riders. In classes where the emphasis falls on the exhibitor it is most important to have a good looking matched team. The rider's height and weight as compared to horse's height and build is definately a factor." Send Your Opinions Here PHJ: Our Thanks to Karen Misko and Renae Dudley for their time. Check out their websites: Misko Quarter Horses and Jim Dudley Quarter Horses If you have a topic you would like addressed, send questions HERE. Trainer Database: Ad a Trainer | View Trainers |