As an NRHA reining judge, I often see patterns that would score much better with just a few minor changes. There are only two things a rider needs to do on each maneuver, avoid penalties and look good.
Spins
Avoid Penalties: The most common penalties Reiners get on a spin are over or under spinning. When spinning slowly, the rider should always be able to quit right on target. When going faster, the exhibitor needs to know his horse well enough to know when to shut the horse down.
Look good: Riders should be sure they begin spins in the correct location of the arena. On walk in patterns, if there is a big hole in the center from other horse’s spins, the rider can choose to spin slightly before that hole, but he will still need to stay close to the center. When exhibitors over or under spin, it is best to straighten the horse before beginning the next maneuver.
Circles/Lead Changes
Avoid Penalties: On lead changes, Reiners have about 20 feet through the center in which to complete the change. Changing leads early or late results in a one-point penalty.
I frequently see riders go so slow on the small circles that the horse loses impulsion and breaks to the trot. That's two points per occurrence.
If the horse pops a lead, it should be corrected as soon as possible. The rider should avoid trotting to correct it. If the horse will not do the flying lead change and must trot to fix the lead, time is of the essence, as each additional quarter of a circle in the wrong lead costs one penalty point.
Look good: It looks best when the horse maintains or increases impulsion throughout the large fast circles. If the rider must back off the speed for some reason, it should not be on the far side of the circle opposite the judge. A better location to reduce speed, less noticeable to the judge, is in the first quarter of a circle as the rider passes by the judge and rides away from him. The best fast circles begin easy then build speed and maintain speed, or better yet continually increase impulsion throughout the circles.
On both slow and fast circles, maintain enough impulsion to keep the horse flowing smoothly. When a horse goes too slowly in the slow, small circles, it appears choppy. The judge is waiting and looking to see if the horse will break. In this instance, increasing the speed of both the slow and the fast circles will keep the maneuver looking good.
Speed transitions from fast to slow and vice versa need to be noticeable to the judge. If riders practice at home at several different speeds, they will have something to draw on at competitions.
Circles should always be round and centered in the arena based on the location of the center cone. They should not follow the fence line, but should be at least a few feet off the fence, especially on the ends of the pen. Otherwise the circle will become an oval and it will be evident that the rider is using the fence to guide the horse, resulting in a lower score. Riders should learn the dimensions of the show pen, so they can determine how to lay the circles out in the arena. For example, if the pen is 200 feet long and 80 feet wide, the large circle should not be more than 80 feet across. That means the rider should stay about 20 feet from the ends of the arena in order to make the circles truly round. It takes a little math, but it’s pretty simple arithmetic.
Copyright © 2008 The NW Horse Source, LLC
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