What is Reining?
The sport itself has been likened to a Western form of dressage – both disciplines requiring a competitor to ride a set pattern with smoothness and correctness, demonstrating the unity of horse and rider.
Whilst Dressage was developed from activities performed by the war horses in the Middle Ages, reining comes from the athletic movements that made the early American settlers ranch horses such invaluable assets. The ability to move quickly, change direction and willingly guide on a loose rein, are the trademarks of the modern Reining horse and from which the discipline takes its name.
The phenomenal growth of this sport world-wide has led to it becoming the first western discipline to gain full F.E.I. recognition with the result that reining is now part of the World Equestrian Games and European Equestrian Games programmes.
Britain was represented in Reining at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez in 2002, the European Championships in Italy in 2004 and 2005 and in Aachen for the World Equestrian Games in 2006. The British Team has enjoyed much success on the World Stage with an Individual Medal and placing in the top 4 World Team rankings to date. The next FEI Team competition will take place in Germany in 2009 with Reining once again going to the World Equestrian Games in 2010 in Lexington, Kentucky.
So what are the manoeuvres?
Stops: from a lope (canter) to a stop position by bringing the hind legs under the horse, lock into position and slide on the hind feet. The front feet should maintain ground contact, forward motion, and cadence.
Spins: are a series of 360 deg. turns executed around the pivot (inside) hind leg. The hindquarters should maintain their position whilst the front legs and outside rear leg provide cadenced propulsion.
Rollbacks: are 180 deg. Reversal of forward motion – the horse stopping correctly from a canter and in one fluid motion executing a 180 deg. turn and departing at a canter.
Circles: large fast and small slow. The horse maintaining form and willingness to be guided. There must be a clearly defined difference in size and speed, and the circles on one side should be mirrored by those on the other side as to size and speed.
