Emma Chapman Western Demo

On a rainy Saturday in March some of our members took a road trip to Richmond to watch a Western Riding Demo. The demo was given by Emma Chapman Training and her team of fantastic riders and their amazing horses.
The demo began with Emma giving an introduction of the riders that were there on the day and their horses including their preferred disciplines and experience. She then went on to give an overview of the different  disciplines of western riding and the different dress styles for each. 

The demo then continued with a further explanation of the discipline Trail Riding. This class requires the horse and rider to negotiate a series of obstacles placed on the arena surface, the obstacles included a small bridge, a gate and backing between poles. The 

riders then demonstrated how they ride these obstacles and how they teach a less experienced horse to negotiate them.

​After this the riders went on to demonstrate the Horsemanship discipline. In this class riders are judged on seat, hands, ability to control and show the horse. During this section Emma explained the principles of  western riding and the importance of using the seat to give the correct aids. ​ 

When ridden properly the horse and rider are both very relaxed and the horse can be ridden with a very long rein and minimum use of the reins. ​

One of the riders then demonstrated how responsive the horses are to the correct aids by riding the horsemanship pattern with just a neck strap instead of a bridle.

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The final demo consisted of showing the Ranch Horse Pleasure discipline which is similar in theory to Dressage. Competitors are required a set pattern and a successful ranch horse will reflect the versatility, attitude and movement of a working horse.

The whole demo was a fantastic insight into the world of Western riding and shows just what a relaxed way of riding it is. We all had a fantastic day and hope to visit further demo's/clinics in the future. 
If anyone would like to know more about Emma Chapman Training or Western Riding in general please use the below links.
http://www.emmachapmantraining.co.uk/
http://www.wes-uk.com/