Ignorant Things People Say - Reining Edition

Just wondering what everyone has heard. I have a few stories of my own ~

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I looked at this older reining mare that I was going to do some stuff with, since all my reiners at the time were very young and I also had a kid I was letting use my horses for OHSET (Equestrian Team) and we needed something reliable.

The ad said this:

"Lena is an older mare who I bought at age four. She was a reiner in her younger days but hasn't done it in awhile. Produced two very nice colts for us. Very in your pocket type horse. A little on the hot side and I'm mainly a barrel racer so that doesn't work for me."

Wth, seriously.

So I looked at this mare. The first words when they were getting out of her stall was. "She's too hot to be a barrel horse." Me: Okkkaaayy, too hot for barrels but not too hot for reining....?


Okay, whatever. They showed me her turnaround and it wa slike watching a reverse spin....Haunches flying everywhere with front end very still o.o After that,t here was tons of dust flying and the gal was all like "See how beautiful her turnarounds are?"


O.O Yeeaahhhh.....Those were puuurrrddyyyy.......xD

My biggest thing is when I tell people I used to rein but stopped when we had to retire my mare that they then ask all these outrageous questions like:

Can you teach mine to slide, theyre naturals! Uhm, no I will not teach your DWB or pony to slide on this terrible footing without sliders on. One woman got offend when I asked her what made her horse a natural at sliding and she said she'd seen him do it once while spooked in an arena.

My favorite was a woman who wanted me to "tune up" her Arab mare that had only just barely started "reining" with a trainer who really didn't rein. Horse didn't have controlled gaits, much more then the basics of a spin and had never seen sliders but the horse was a great reiner in her eyes, she's got the temperment! Whatever that means....

Keep in mind I NEVER claim to have any training ability. People just assume if you ride in a certain style you can ask most horses to do it too.
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I rode my first reining horse yesterday and had a blast making a fool out of myself! I could see where someone would think the horse was hot because they are so hott off of the legs. They are just WAITING to be told to do something. I found it rather amazing how quick this mare was.

However, I don't personaly consider that HOT.

Rumonek, I think you said it perfect!

Thank you :)
I would call them "peppy"
Happy to move right on out when asked, or to just walk along.

I have heard people say reining is for the "Show Offs" who suck at Western Pleasure.

Yep. They figured out us reining folk. We just do it because we want to one up the WP folks :roll:.

I don't know about that!
I've ridden just about every seat there is growing up and MAN was riding that reining mare a different experience for me. You certainly can't be a "failure" at another discipline and nail reining. I have been a strictly english rider pretty much my whole life and I worked out muscles I didn't know I had the other day. Hehe.

I did try out WP and fell asleep up there. You really have to be on your toes to ride a reiner.

LOL, what amazes me is that not every horse can make it as a reiner, but you find a good reiner and they have the basis to be good at pretty much anything else.

Years and years ago when my Dad was still showing in the AQHA, he got approached at a show by some folks who were running barrels. They asked if Dad had any horses that he could enter in the barrels just so that they could make it a 2 point class (apparently the more horses are in the class, the higher the point system goes). He agreed and entered one of his mares in the class. The barrel racers nearly laughed themselves silly when they found out that he had entered a mare that he was showing in the reining and team roping named Showboys Greydoll. She had never seen a barrel in her life and they got kinda upset when he took 3rd out of 100 horses on her .

That wasn't exactly a reining story but I guess some people fail to realize that reining horses can do just about anything (or at least fake it really well).

I think those people thought if a rider couldn't make it in the WP world, they would just go into reining. I really don't think one disipline is better than the other, but I do agree reiners tend to have a braod spectrum of talents.

LOL You guys are hilarious xD

Back on the "Hot" spectrum.....My trainer has preached something into my head since I was little, Her exact words are: "Reiners need to be able to spin like hell.....then stop and stand there. Run circles 'til their dizzy.....then stop and stand there. Run full out down the arena....then stop and stand there."

Reiners need to be willing, not hot. They should say "Yes ma'am" or "Yes, sir" and do as asked willingly, on a loose rein with very subtle cues. I think, personally, that it's a good example of how a cowboy and his horse are supposed to be. In total willing partnership: Not whip, spur, kick, rear, and look so cool doing it like in the ol' western shootouts when in reality they couldn't move a cow two feet let alone all the way back to the ranch xD