Reining Horse Training Tips
When it comes to reining horse competitions, training is very important. There are certain breeds specifically selected because of their ability to success with reining, but training is still very important. One of the main maneuvers a reining horse needs to learn is the sliding stop. When you are doing reining horse training there are some things you need to know in order to be successful.
What Is Reining?
Reining is a form of western riding competition. This type of competition requires the rider to guide a horse through a pattern of circles, spins and stops. The work is performed at a lope or a slow and relaxed version of the canter. Reining is considered an art form by many and is often consider a Western form of dressage riding.
Reining horse training requires a horse that is responsive and in tune with the rider. The aids the rider provides the horse shouldn’t be easily seen by judges and spectators. It is important that movements are as fluid and natural as possible. Since judges consider the horse’s ability to perform a set pattern of movements willingly and without apparent resistance it is important to have a well trained horse that is comfortable with its rider. This means that reining horse training relies on the ability of the rider to develop a relationship with the horse.
The origins of reining horse are found back with the earliest Spanish settlers in what is now Mexico and parts of the Southwestern United States. During these times, ranchers needed to manage cattle from horseback so the riding form of reining started. Today, reining is an art form performed at many horse shows both in the United States and throughout the world as well.
Training Factors
When it comes to stopping a horse can be affected by the rider’s posture and how the reins are worked. These are factors that you can control through reining horse training in order to change the overall appearance and the success of the sliding stop maneuver for a reining horse. Other factors that you can control include how the rider cues the horse to stop and the way the horse is shod.
However, you can’t control the ground the horse is stopping on, the horse’s natural stopping ability and the rate of speed that the horse is going before stopping. For these factors all you can do is educate yourself about the conditions and how they work together so you can practice proper reining horse training to increase your chances of success.
Even if your horse has a natural ability for sliding stops, reining horse training can help reduce the risk of injuring the horse. For this you need to make sure you are always practicing on good ground. If you are practicing on bad ground then your sliding stops will be more difficult and increase the risk of injury to the horse. In order to improve your ground you can consider adding rice hulls or shavings to the dirt. This will loosen the dirt and make it lighter so it is better for sliding.
The speed that a horse is going will also help to improve their ability to slide. The faster the horse is going the farther it will be able to slide. You also need to make sure you ask the horse to slide at the time that it is accelerating. This would be the time when the shoulders are more elevated so the back legs will reach farther underneath them, the perfect situation for a sliding stop. All of these factors come together to help you perfect reining horse training.