Selecting Your Riding Horse Wayne Loch Department of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia Horses should be selected for a specific purpose. If the purpose changes, the horse may not be able to adapt to it.
Some horses have great versatility, but none can excel at all of the activities required of horses.
Pleasure horses include all types kept for the sheer joy of riding and ownership. Trail riding affords an excellent opportunity for relaxation, wholesome exercise and companionship with friends while riding scenic nature trails. A variety of pleasure classes in shows challenge the skill of both horse and rider in competition for ribbons and prizes. Like most other horses, a pleasure horse spends most of its time under saddle at a walk. Therefore, it should have a prompt, fast, flat-footed walk of 4 or 5 miles an hour.