Reining
As an NRHA Professional, a large part of my business has always focused on coaching Non-pros and Youth riders. Over the years, I’ve help many reiners with varying degrees of experience. Regardless of their background, I’ve found that there are several common problems that can be easily address. One of the biggest concerns that needs to be watched centers around body position on a horse.
If you’ve ever listened to trainers coach their clients at a show, you’ve probably heard, “Relax!, Sit back!, Relax your back!” What does this mean as surely a person can’t be that physically relaxed when running a horse to a slide or spinning one as fast as it can. What I really mean to say, when I’m shouting this at a student is, keep your body centered and soft. I do not mean to go limp but rather engage your core muscles and allow your hips to move freely with the horse. You also want to make sure that your shoulders remain even with or lower back or behind your hips. In other words, make sure you stay sitting back. This will make it easier for you to stay in sync with your animal while allowing him or her to perform their best.
Just remember that a horse is always going to mirror what your body is doing on its back. So, if your body is stiff and forward, you’re going to cause your horse to be more rigid and more forward feeling. It might also cause your steed to be cranky. When your lower back and hips are fluid and move with your horse’s stride, not only will you feel more comfortable, but your four-legged partner will also be more relaxed and willing to execute his maneuvers. Think of it this way – how could a horse be happy and confident when the rider’s going against its motion?
Another tip is to stay centered while in the saddle. A lot of riders have the bad habit of leaning to one side or the other to help their horse guide. Trust me, you’re not doing your horse any favors by doing that. Remember, a properly trained reining horse is supposed to move away from pressure. Thus, if you want to spin left and you try leaning to the left to help the cue, what you are really doing is putting more body weight in the direction you’re asking your horse to turn. This will cause him to move to the outside away from the pressure caused by your weight and your turn will suffer. The same holds true in circles. Leaning into circles could have all sorts of negative outcomes. Say you’re circling left and dip your left shoulder into the circle. Most likely your horse will mirror your body and drop its left should into the circle as well. Suddenly, your circle is not so round and is probably not on the track that you wish it was. If a rider puts a lot of their body weight into the circle, by stepping harder in their inside stirrup or shifting their weight to the inside part of the seat of their saddle for example, the horse might shift to the outside as it is moving away from the inside pressure.
If something doesn’t feel quite right while you’re riding, do a quick inventory of your position on your horse. Is your lower back soft and pliable – not stiff? Are your shoulders pulled back? Are you sitting in the center of your saddle with your weight evenly distributed on your horse? Simple things, but they can make all the difference in a decent ride or a great ride.
See ya in the show ring –
Tom
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