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| Hmmm should I ride dressage today? |
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| No, maybe I'll do reining now. |
But I do love reining. Maybe because it is somewhat like dressage and some of their goals and basic training are similar, if not the same.
An area barn just down the road from Hamp's hosted a reining demo this morning. I love all things horses and it was free.
It was interesting, but I was somewhat perplexed by the dude giving the demo. First of all, he does not train his own horses. He sends them away to a pro. There is nothing wrong with that - but, anyone can give a demo on super trained horses. *shrug* I had hoped to see him work through some training issues, not just show me that his horse can slide and spin.
He did have a few interesting things to say. I did not know it is illegal to touch your horse during a reining competition. However, unlike dressage, you can use your voice.
Dressage and reining horses both start out working their horses with their head and neck long and low and their back up - like an arc from nose to tail.
Reiners want to stay that way. In dressage, we eventually add more weight to the haunches until the poll and front end lifts up (with the ultimate goal being collection and the "3 P's")
Check out these two with similar outlines.
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| *DROOL* Me want. |
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| Lower level dressage horse. |
Both disciplines like their horses calm, submissive and obedient to the leg aids. In reining, the horses are behind the bit but in an effective way.
Reiners sure like to toss their horses' hips around. We do use travers (haunches-in) in dressage, but most of our exercises focus more on controlling the shoulders and asking the horse to put more weight on his haunches.
When you start to get more advanced, that is when you start to really see the split between the two.
For example, flying lead changes.
Reiners achieve lead changes by, once again, pushing the hip over. An ideal flying change in reining is quiet, smooth and almost invisible.
For example, say you are on the right lead and want to change to the left at X.
As you approach X, you would press your right leg near the girth cinch and move the haunches to the left. Like dressage, the horse should be quick enough off the leg that you don't actually end up tossing the hind end around and end up fishtailing.
Here are some nice changes:
In dressage - the flying change must also be clean, smooth and prompt. BUT you also have to be straight and the more jump the better. The end goal is the one-tempi changes:
My instructor once said to me, "Flying changes are like sex. It is very personal." ... What she means is that the training and the aids for flying changes are unique to each horse and rider as far as timing, pressure and speed. ... Thus the sex comparison. :)
I'll admit it. Sliding stops are cool. And you can really tell those who have worked their horses over the back, vs. those who do not:
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| Beautiful! Horse is stretching his neck and rounding his back. |
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| Um, no. Hollow back, open mouth. |
If I had more money and could tolerate a western saddle, I'd get a reining horse. I especially love how some of them have these gorgeous long manes. I would get a reining horse with lots of hair so he/she could fling his/her mane around during spins.
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| so much hair! |
But since I am broke and can't afford another horse, I'll be sticking to dressage. :)
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Edited to add
This blog title was a shout out to this greatness from 1989. :)
I have a dressage friend who is starting out in reining. She LOVES it and is on the lookout for a reining horse but in the meantime is taking lessons and riding other people's horses at comps for them.
ReplyDeleteGREAT post. I'd love to ride a trained reiner some time just to learn a thing or eight. Very cool.
ReplyDeleteCheck out western dressage - the best of both worlds!
ReplyDeleteNice comparison of the sliding stops!
ReplyDeleteI bet Hampton wouldn't mind trying some reining. You'd just have to grow his mane out... for a couple of years.