PROGRAMMA - Zaterdag - Wedstrijdpiste hal 5

Ghent Masters Performance

Western at Flanders Horse Expo 2024 - Ghent Masters Performance competitions

For edition 2024 we have a nice program of Western Riding ready for you. On Friday and Saturday, February 23-24, the 'Ghent Masters' Performance will take place at Flanders Horse Expo.

Wondering what this exactly means? You can read it below. ⬇️

Western Riding' or the American horsemanship knows 13 different disciplines including Reining, Barrel racing, Pole Bending, Cutting, Roping ... but also the 'Performance'. This is pretty much comparable to dressage in classical (English) horsemanship.

The focus is on the perfect control of the aids (seat, legs, hands of the rider) when riding. The most well-known disciplines within Performance are:

Trail: a bit like Agility in dog sports

Pleasure: mastering quiet pleasant gaits of the horse that are a pleasure for the rider

Showmanship: the art of optimally "showing" the horse for the judges

Ranch Riding: riding out an imposed pattern/test in a way that an ideal ranch horse does - smoothly, without hesitation and willing to work.

For the 'Ghent Masters' we have invited the best riders in these disciplines to compete against each other and provide the public with a beautiful spectacle. Under the all-seeing eye of an international 'judge' and thanks to the American horse breeds - the 'American Quarter Horse' and 'American Paint Horse'.