Stopping with your seat?

i see what you are saying and your pics definitely show that but i believe it is wrong. i believe that people who do this rely too much on their stirrups and should be using more seat to drive the horse further into the slide. i see way too many reiners bracing against their stirrups instead of driving with their seat. ah well, i guess we can agree to disagree.

Funny who that mare in those pictures regularly marks a 73+. I have also talked to and watched Shawn stop and ridden with his brother Mike a few times. They all stop the same way. So must be something to it.

The drive you are talking about and looking for is set in the run down. This is when you want to drive the horse into the stop at at the cuing of the stop itself. You set up the stop buy running in a straight line with your shoulders back a bit and drive with your seat in the run down. They when you cue for the stop you role your hips under and push your weight into the stirrups with your feet forward.

no need to get defensive, i said we could agree to disagree

I am not getting defensive. You are saying it is wrong and since what I am saying is how the top trainers and riders in reining have been doing it for about what 40 years. Must not be wrong. What I am doing is showing you that what you are saying is not how it is done with reiners. If your feet did not go forward you would come off the front of the horse. If you ride a good hard stopping reiners long enough you would know what I am talking about. The feet go forward as you put more weight into the stirrups.

Shawn Flarida NRHA $3 Million plus rider.



Bill Horn NRHA Hall Of Fame.

just watching stacy westfalls video, you know the bareback bridless one she dedicated to her dad after he passed away, disproves everything you just said. never once did her feet swing forward. again agree to disagree.

wait, those last too picture you posted doesnt go with your theory. both of those mens legs are at their cinches where they should be. their legs arent pushed forward. it just seems that way because of the angle the horses back is at that moment.

Oh look Stacy riding. Look at where her feet are.



Even in the bridleless run you can see she has her legs forward. Just not quite as much as she dose when she rides in a saddle. I have watch Stacy show for years. As she competes in the same affiliates that I do. Very good rider. Better at freestyle they in regular classes.

Yes your feet need to be forward at the cinch. That is what I have been saying all along. Your toes should be hitting or up with the elbow of the horse. If you look at the pictures their feet are just in front of the cinch. When they are riding their feet are behind the cinch.

Shawn loping a horse. As you can see his feet are behind the cinch.


Shawn stopping the same horse. Notice his feet are just in front of the cinch. Also note that his feet are not quite as far forward in this picture as they are in some of the other pictures of him stopping. Now look at his rear. It is up off the seat. If he had his feet a bit more forward that would not be happening.


Part of the stop is rolling your hips under, taking your legs off, putting about 60% of your weight into the stirrups and moving your legs forward. It is not an either or type thing. You have to have the whole package.

Do you want your feet up by the top of the shoulder??? No you want your legs forward just in front of the cinch which if you look at these pictures you will see that is right were they are. Just slightly in front of the cinch legs off the horse and weight into the stirrups.

Here is anouther picture. As you can see his feet are more forward and you can see his rear is more in the seat.