Horse critique after 2.5 months of reining training...

I just got back from a two month vacation and my mare has been in training the whole time, plus two weeks before I left. How do you think she looks? Sorry, I wish I had a video.



Mystique - 6 years old - a set on Flickr



I know her stop has improved greatly

December: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2498/...8947602c_b.jpg
May: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3548/...698b0544_b.jpg



You can critique me as well (red shirt), but please be nice and consider the face that this is the first time I've ridden in two months, haha.

Is she in training to rein?

She's gorgeous, as always, and looks pretty good so far

She sure is. Thanks : ]

Anybody else?

Its really very hard to critique reining from a picture since so much of reining is about rhythm and consistency. I do have to say that I am not the biggest fan of riding two handed with a shank since you are putting so much pressure on her mouth. I would love to see a video so that way we are able to accurately critique all her movements. Comparing the stop it looks as if she is using herself much better and actually starting to drop her hind end and come under herself... but it's one picture which could have been bad timing or just really good timing (Its just much better to critique with a video).

She looks nice.

However to me, the looks like she is all front end...

She has a big head and a big ole neck but a very poor hind end. She is natrually balanced to be much more on the fore hand.

To look at this horse as a reining prospect; I feel that she just won't spin or slide like a traditional stock horse would... she just doesnt have the back end there to work off of and her hocks are not set low to work off of like a stock horse.

She does look wonderful in her training for a horse of her breed.

Thanks guys! I figured it wouldn't be easy to critique with pictures, but I appreciate you trying : ]

I'm only going to compete with NRHA for practice - my real goal is to win MFTHBA's versatility champion (where she'll be competing with horses of her own breed and conformation).


Pepperduck - Why would riding two-handed with a curb be bad if you're using less pressure than you would with a snaffle? I'm not trying to argue with you, I'm just curious. I've never heard this before.

It's not bad if you are really using less pressure, but in a lot of the pictures the person who is riding does have a lot of pressure on the mouth. Not tearing the bit out of the horses mouth by any means, but more pressure than one would like using a curb.

Both riders are to heavy in the hands for a reiner as well as with that bit ... let go of her face!

A spin is a fwd motion and from the pictures it looks like she is being pulled back and around (i am not 100% sure and it is hard to tell with a picture)...

The stop should be where the rider plants it's butt and whoa into the ground- you shouldn't have to pull.

Your Mare is cute but I can't say that the rider is doing much help(sit up and back to the rider in the black shirt- she is not 2 pointing over a jump). Sorry if that sounds harsh but I want to be honest with you.