Reining horse trainer, Jill Kasper, gave me the opportunity to ride a couple of the horses she has in training at Creekside Quarter Horses in Hampshire, IL. "You can tell someone what it’s like but they really have to experience it for themselves to appreciate it," Kasper explained. And she has found a need to offer a lot more first rides lately.

Growing by leaps and bounds...(er, uh slides and spins) In the last two to three years, an increasing number of people have been expressing an interest in reining horses and competitions. According to the American Horse Shows Association, reining is rapidly maturing to become one of the predominant divisions of horse sports in the United States, as well as worldwide. A dramatic boost for the sport came last year when the USET (United States Equestrian Team) Board of Trustees voted to adopt reining as its sixth discipline.

"Since reining was added as a sixth discipline by USET more than a year ago, AQHA officials have embarked on the journey for the Olympics," said Bill Brewer, AQHA Executive Vice President, in a recent AQHA news release. He went on to say, "USET, along with AQHA and the National Reining Horse Association are working toward the same goal: to see reining adopted into Olympic Competition."

Nationwide, the excitement is growing as "The Road to Gladstone" is well underway. The USET will host the first $100,000 Added Cosequin/USET Reining Championship, Presented by Bayer, as part of the Bayer/USET Festival of Champions at the USET’s Olympic Training Center in Gladstone, NJ on June 24-27. Seven shows have been designated to host Cosequin/USET Reining Championship Selection Trials. The top six finishers plus ties at each selection trial will qualify for the semi-finals at the NRHA Derby in Oklahoma City on May 19-22. After the Derby, the top 20 finishers plus ties will qualify to compete at Gladstone.

Although the corridor from Oklahoma to Dallas, TX seems to be the heart of reining activities, the Midwest was honored with the opportunity to host one of the seven selection trials: the 12th Annual Gordyville Breeders Cup in Gifford, Illinois March 19-21.

With USET’s endorsement also comes bigger corporate sponsors for reining events, meaning more money in the purses. You can bet that a lot of effort is going into training for a shot at some of this money and the caliber of competition is improving.

USET rules even benefit horses directly. Six years old is the minimum age for a horse in a USET-approved event. That means a horse must be brought along slowly and carefully in order for them to be at peak condition for a chance at Olympic competition. It used to be that all the big money was in the 2- and 3-year-old futurities, and you can only guess how tough a sport like reining can be on young legs and minds. But now there’s more money being offered in the 4-and 5-year-old divisions and horses are being trained with a little less early pressure, and more focus on a long-term career. This really helps keep up the value of the "older" horse.

Other national associations are also addressing the growing popularity of reining. A recent survey conducted by the Horse Industry Alliance discovered that an estimated 80% of active participants in the horse industry in the U. S. are in some way involved with the Western disciplines. To best recognize and serve this increasing population, the AHSA (American Horse Shows Association) has announced its newest award, the AHSA Reining Seat Equitation Medal, to recognize junior and amateur riders.

The basic run-down... For those who may not have had the pleasure of ever watching a reining competition or exhibition, NRHA (National Reining Horse Association) defines reining as: "a judged event designed to show the athletic ability of a ranch type horse in the confines of a show arena. In NRHA competition, contestants are required to run one of ten approved patterns. Each pattern includes small slow circles, large fast circles, flying lead changes, roll backs over the hocks, 360 degree spins done in place, and the exciting sliding stops that are the hallmark of the reining horse."

Sometimes called the highest level of the Western equestrian art, reining can also be described as the equivalent of the dressage test, with the added element of speed. According to the AQHA rule book, "To rein a horse is not only to guide him, but also to control his every movement. The best reined horse should be willfully guided or controlled with little or no apparent resistance and dictated to completely. Any movement on his own must be considered a lack of control. All deviations from the exact written pattern must be considered a lack of or temporary loss of control, and therefore faulted according to severity of deviation. Credit will be given for smoothness, finesse, attitude, quickness and authority in performing the various maneuvers while using controlled speed."

Scoring is on the basis of 0-Infinity, with 70 denoting an average performance. Kasper, who is also an NHRA approved judge explains further. Each pattern has 7 or 8 components. The exhibitor basically "walks in" with a score of 70. The judge scores each component of the pattern awarding up to 1- 1/2 points for an outstanding maneuver; deducting up to 1-1/2 points for below standard performance; a zero is average. Penalty points can also be deducted, and certain violations can result in no score.

A variety of non-pro levels have been designed to create fair competition for riders, based on their experience and ability. Levels include: Green as Grass (entry level reiners, can use two hands); Rookie (not to have won in excess of $100); Limited Non-Pro; Intermediate Non-Pro; and Non-Pro (the highest level of amateur eligibility). NRHA also offers separate divisions for Youth and 45 & Older.

In order to maximize your enjoyment, and get the best start possible, locate a qualified reining horse trainer. Look into taking a few lessons on an experienced horse. This will give you an idea of what the sport is all about, and whether you are suited to it. Most likely, it will confirm your interest and fully "hook" you.

Trainer Jill Kasper, who’s been working with reining horses and their riders since 1983, advises anyone getting into the sport to buy a trained horse. "A reining horse needs to be specialized. It’s better to buy a trained horse to teach the rider." Get your checkbooks ready? an entry level reining horse will run you in the neighborhood of $7500 to $10,000; $12,000 will give you a nice assortment to chose from.

I asked if it would be more affordable to buy a young prospect and have it trained, or use a horse you already own that shows some aptitude for reining. Kasper explained that when starting a young horse, it takes about 18 months to train a horse to be ready for competition. That’s a long time to wait to begin showing. When you add up training fees and boarding costs, it’s quite likely that you would have spent close to the purchase price of a trained horse. She rarely takes older horses in for training who would be making reining their second career. Most of the time the horse won’t be properly suited for the job.She explains, "The hardest thing is to convince a new reiner to put the old horse aside."

Beginning reiners who have the most fun and success are those who start out with an experienced horse that could help train them. They are able to compete right from the beginning. Ed McGlade, President of Midwest Reining Horse Association admits that the purchase price is a little high, but the fact that this is a payback sport?often featuring added money classes?helps offset things as you progress.

Will it keep you interested? Just ask Sue Lewis, owner of Creekside Quarter Horses. She used to show in the Quarter Horse circuit, riding western pleasure and exhibiting in showmanship. She was concerned at first that reining would get boring after a while. After all, you’re only in the ring for a couple of minutes at a time, and you’re really just going in lots of circles, right? Once she got into the sport, she discovered that, "It looks so easy, but the more you know (about the maneuvers), the harder you try." It’s all about making the perfect circle or performing a perfect spin.

She also appreciates the "accountable" system of judging. "I could ride in pleasure classes all summer and never really know why the judge did or didn’t use me." Reining horse judges are required to post their scores. It’s a very uniform system with real numbers to go by. Seeing your score broken down into specific segments can be a very effective learning tool. At the end of the day, according to Lewis, "You can take your scores and go home and look at a videotape of your ride and really learn a lot."

It seems that positive encouragement is also easy to come by in this discipline. Referring to her fellow members of the Midwest Reining Horse Association, Lewis said, "The people are all so nice. We all cheer each other on, even if you had a bad ride." Kasper echoes the sentiment saying that "Even the trainers are all friends. If I have a certain problem, I can call one of them up and they’ll offer advice and help." An attitude like that can only help the sport grow, and insure that it stays popular in the years to come.

I asked about the correlation between reining and dressage. A popular demonstration these days at horse fairs and expositions is to pair a dressage horse and rider with a reiner and have them perform in mirror

images of each other and then each does a little "solo" of their specialty. Kasper says she has a lot of respect for dressage horses and trainers, and having ridden a few she said, "They all basically have the same buttons. We just add speed." In fact she finds that she can sell reining horses as lower level dressage horses, and they can make the transition quite easily. (Lower level because most of the Quarter Horses are limited by their size.)

She enjoys giving riders a chance to try out a reining horse, and equally enjoys seeing their reaction. "Most of the time they just say it’s really cool." This type of goodwill is helpful to the industry, and may bring Jill her next client!

For more information on training, contact Kasper Quarter Horses 847/468-9489.

The club draws members from Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois, many of which travel to Woodstock, Illinois to gather for monthly meetings. Competitors range from youth to senior divisions. MWRHA approves eight shows per year to count toward year-end awards, including one show that they put on. The Midwest Classic is planned for May 29 & 30 at Indian Hills Equestrian Center in Gilberts, IL. This is an excellent opportunity to come out and see two full days of NHRA Approved Reining classes.

Representatives from the club will also be available all weekend at the MWRHA booth to answer questions. Visitors can even sign up for a drawing for a complimentary lesson with a professional trainer.