| For those planning to attend the FEI World Equestrian | | | | attitude, understanding, and well-being during |
| Games in Lexington, Kentucky this year, the | | | | competition. |
| excitement is high and the competition awe striking. | | | | Another amazing feat during the reining event is called |
| There is only one Western American event | | | | the sliding stop, and the horse is meant to perform this |
| implemented in this vast competition, and that is the | | | | maneuver from a lope or gallop. The lope is equivalent |
| reining portion. Reining is the western version of | | | | to the canter, the relaxed, slow middle gait of the |
| dressage, an exercise involving total communication, | | | | horse. The gallop is the fastest of the natural gaits, and |
| focus, talent, and trust. There are a series of exact | | | | the sliding stop finds the horse nearly touching his |
| movements which need to performed during this | | | | flanks to the ground with his forelegs extended. This |
| patterned test, and all of them require willingness, good | | | | causes him to plant heavily in order to stop from a |
| attitude, proper execution, and a near perfect marriage | | | | dead run, and is an amazing sight to behold when done |
| between horse and rider. The overall goal of this | | | | correctly. |
| training is to produce a more supple and responsive | | | | Horses and riders must also perform descending |
| horse and rider team. | | | | circles, moving from fast and large to small and slow |
| The most difficult maneuver of the reining event is the | | | | respectively inward. During this pattern, flying lead |
| spin, where the horse is meant to carry at least 4 full | | | | changes are imperative to the overall scoring and |
| pivot turns as quickly as physically possibly around the | | | | judgment of each performance. There are many |
| radius of one stationary rear leg. The horse is meant | | | | faults which can occur here, as these lead changes |
| to perform this spinning maneuver in both directions, | | | | are difficult and easy to under communicate. The |
| usually with a willing and still rest between the actions. | | | | National Reining Horse Association is the proud |
| In all disciplines of the reining sport competition, the | | | | governing regulator for this portion of the competition |
| horse is to remain calm and in good spirits, never | | | | since its inception to the World Equestrian Games in |
| apprehensive, ill-mannered, hesitant, or agitated. As with | | | | 2000, and all judging and pattern submissions are |
| dressage, all body language, including head, ear, and tail | | | | charged by this association. |
| carriage, is assessed as it pertains to the horse's | | | | |