What is the Ranch Riding Trail Class?

Ranch riding patterns include obstacles such as poles to sidepass, logs to drag, poles to trot or lope, and segments of extended trotting. The class requires horses to move at slow and fast speeds—and always to listen to their rider’s directions.

“In the ranch riding trail class, there are obstacles where you need your horse to focus and go slow, and times when you want to show that your horse can move out,” Crow says. “It’s important to plan your warmup time so that you can bring the fast horses down to the speed you want and make sure they are patient for the poles or gates. With slower horses, you’ll need to know you can pick up their speed when you want an extended trot.”

Warmup for the Energetic and Speedy Horse

Crow says that many horses labeled “too fast,” “too much,” or “high strung” may need some longeing as part of their warmup, but they will definitely need a warmup that helps activate their brain.

“It’s old school mentality that you go lope them for an hour to wear them out,” says Crow. “Instead, what you need is to get the horse’s brain working with downward transitions, turns, stops, and backs. Otherwise, their bodies are tired, but their minds are busy, and they won’t pay attention to you.”

Focus on trotting and walking transitions, Crow advises.

“Loping can escalate some horses, and makes it harder to get their brain focused on you,” he says.

If competing, Crow advises that once you have warmed up an energetic horse, make sure to go straight to the show pen for your ride. Don’t warm up and then stand around watching others. If busy and energetic horses get a long break, they may need a whole new warmup.

You may also consider starting the night before. If your horse will be stalled overnight, you may choose to longe him when you arrive. Allowing him to move out will help wear off the adrenaline from travel.

Turning for Attention

At a show, begin your warmup about an hour before your scheduled ranch riding trail class so that you have time to work your horse’s body and mind. Crow likes to work his fast horses in a box formation. He trots straight ahead, then if he feels the horse being strong or going faster than he asks, he makes a sharp turn while continuing the trot.

“Pick up your reins and redirect the horse in a square maneuver,” says Crow. “This takes away the forward motion and asks him to focus on your direction.”

Work your horse in the middle of the arena and avoid going around the entire outside. Trot ahead four to five steps, then pick your reins up and to the side to direct your horse on a new straight line, creating a box or square. Move ahead again and turn when you feel your horse wanting to go faster.

Be careful not to pull on the reins to keep your horse slow. Instead, the box formation will teach your horse that he needs to pay attention, and he will be redirected when he speeds up. When your horse is going at the speed of trot you want, place your hand down in front of the saddle’s horn and allow him to move without interference.

“As soon as I make that square turn, I’ll set my hands down and let my horse go straight again,” says Crow. “If he stays focused and I have his attention, he’s earned the right to just keep going forward and I will leave him alone. If I lose his attention, I pick up and redirect, turning on a new line of the square.”

Crow says if a horse looks around and doesn’t settle in, he’ll pick up his inside rein to tip the horse’s nose in as he also applies leg pressure to encourage a bend. He will walk small circles with his horse’s nose tipped in to one side, then the other. Then he’ll repeat the box pattern again.

When it’s time to warm up at the lope, a “go” horse may pick up speed again. Crow says if you have spent time warming up at the walk and trot, the lope should be manageable, too.

“I do the same thing at the lope that I did at the trot,” says Crow. “Do your square turns and keep your body balanced.”

At the lope, Crow says many riders turn too sharply, using inside direct pressure to pull the horse’s head inside. This can cause your weight to shift to the outside, making your horse scramble to regain his balance. To avoid this, keep him straight through his body and open your reining hand up and out to guide the horse through the turn.

Mix it Up

Instead of just riding around the arena at a walk, trot, and lope and then being done, mix up your warmup.

“Bringing your horse up in speed and then back down is really important,” says Crow. “Some horses are just wired to keep that adrenaline going once they move fast. [Going up and down in speed] keeps them going strong and doesn’t wear them out. If you allow them to move from the trot or lope back to the walk, they realize how tired they are. When you ask for speed again, you aren’t fighting the adrenaline and you seem to get their minds engaged much more quickly than just running full out.”

Warmup for the Slow Horse

If your horse is known to be slow or needs to be pushed to move out, your plan needs to help boost his energy.

“With a slow or lazy horse, our goal is to get his focus and make sure he moves out when asked,” Crow says. “I’ll walk in a straight line and use a direct rein to turn the horse and drive him around in a small circle with my outside leg pressure. I want to get his feet moving.”

Crow says asking for sharp turns can help the horse know that you’re requesting a quick response. He says to be careful and not allow the slower horse to pause after you’ve asked him to move his feet.

“I want these horses crisp and sharp,” he says. “You don’t want a lag between the moment you give the horse something to do and when he does it. You don’t want to have to nag to follow up. If you have a horse that’s too dull and lazy, you can see that the rider is having to beg this horse to step forward or to move his feet. That’s not a good picture in the show. We need to sharpen up those cues.”

If your horse is on the slow side, adjust your warmup time so that you only warm up for 10 to 15 minutes before going into your class. Make sure not to use up all his energy. Instead, warm up just enough to remind your horse that he should respond quickly to your cues.

After walking for a few minutes, it’s time to get the slow horse to work. Ten minutes before the show, Crow says he will ask a slow horse to extend at the trot and the lope.

“I’ll give the horse a verbal cue and then go to my legs for a cue,” says Crow. “I will really get that horse moving and sharpen him up.”

Keep in mind, it’s all about efficiency. You may only be able to cue a horse for speed once or twice. If you warm up too much and ask for speed over and over, you may wear out your horse and not get the speed changes you want in the ring.

If you feel like you need more practice time than your horse does, run your patterns in your mind or practice the key obstacle. Don’t wear out your horse because you feel like you need more practice.

“It’s all about knowing yourself and your horse,” says Crow. “When you know how much practice you both need, you’ll go straight to the pen in good shape.”

A few notes of caution for riding the slower horse: Make sure you don’t pull back on the reins when you’re loping. Some horses will look for any excuse to slow down. Don’t train him that it’s OK to break gait because you inadvertently pulled on the reins. Also make sure you aren’t micromanaging your horse. He should go at the speed and in the direction you choose without having to hold him there. Make sure your reins aren’t tight and that you allow your horse to move out.

“If you tend to tighten up your reins too much in the extended lope because of your comfort level, remind yourself to look up, straighten your arm and put your hand down,” says Crow. “Make sure you aren’t the reason your horse is slowing down or learning that it’s OK to be a little lazy.”

Having a riding buddy or coach remind you to look up and reach forward when you ask your horse to move out can help you be in the best position and keep your horse moving.

Show Plan

Crow advises using the time that you have to walk the trail pattern to think about the body position and cues you’ll need to help your horse go the speed that you want.

“You get to walk the trail course first,” he says. Make sure you plan how you’ll ride, where you’ll look, and how and when you’ll cue your horse. Having a plan and knowing your horse’s habits—and your habits—will help you know what to do if your horse speeds up or needs a push.

“The goal isn’t just to complete the pattern, it’s to have a confidence-building pattern for your horse so he’ll come back better next time,” says Crow. “From the moment you start warming up until the moment you’re done with your trail class, your main goal is to keep building that horse up so you’re both successful and can keep going and enjoy the ride.”

This article about the ranch riding trail class warmup appeared in the August 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Ranch Riding Trail Warmup for Any Horse appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Adjust to the Seat

When I bought my first western saddle, it felt substantial compared to a smaller English saddle. After years of training in a western saddle, my first piece of advice is to go ahead and sit down in it.

When riding English, I always sat properly on my seat bones, heels down, shoulders back, elbows by my sides, thumbs closed on the top of my reins, all with very tall posture. I had a light seat that was deep when needed, but I never sat in the back of the saddle to achieve that.

In western training, you will use most of the saddle, including the back part. To find a deep seat, take a deep breath and, on the exhale, roll your belly button toward the sky and sit on the pockets of your pants.

When you are riding western, you need to be able to use the saddle differently to encourage the horse to use his body correctly. Consider the back end of the horse as the engine. To make that engine move powerfully, you need to drive it with your seat. The change in my seat is always the first indication to the horse that a cue is coming.

Consider Your Leg Position

As you work toward more advanced maneuvers on your horse, it’s important to train your muscle memory correctly from the beginning. When sitting in an English saddle, you’re encouraged to drop your weight into your heels to maintain proper leg position.

But if you do that in a western saddle, your legs will always be tight on your horse’s sides, which you don’t want. You need to keep your legs relaxed and not really on the horse unless you mean it as a cue.

When sitting in a western saddle, your feet should be a bit more relaxed in the stirrups as well. Think about relaxing the weight of your body downward and through your heels. Keep the weight heavy in your heels, but don’t focus on pushing them down.

Stopping May Be Different

Another important point in the differences between the two riding disciplines is that your feet are going to play a part in stopping when riding western. When going into a stop, the first thing that is going to change is your seat. Melt down into your deep seat in the back of the saddle, pushing your feet slightly forward to anchor yourself, and then pick up on the reins to finalize the stop.

Stops on a western horse can be very dramatic, with the horse really dropping his haunches. By sitting deeply in the saddle and pressing your feet slightly forward, you are less likely to pop forward out of the tack.

A New Kind of Reins

One of the biggest differences when I changed from English to western was the way in which I used the reins. It also had a big impact on my core horse-training values, giving the horse the responsibility to do a maneuver with limited help from me. When I focused on that, I became a better educator for my horse.

When I rode English, there was always some form of contact on the bit, my fingers were always closed on the reins, and I was always ready to guide the horse through an exercise, whether he needed it or not.

This contrasts with my western horses, where I pick up the reins, make contact to give a cue, and then release the pressure and have the horse carry on doing what I have asked. My expectations are for the horse to take the responsibility of performing a maneuver with limited help from my reins.

My fingers are not always closed on the reins; often, the reins are held only lightly in my fingers. There are specific ways to ride one-handed, but most of my training is done with two hands on the reins.

My goal is to perform exercises on a loose rein, and this is achieved by using less and less rein pressure as the horse advances in his training. This requires me to use my seat and leg cues first, giving the horse a chance to respond before I go to rein cues.

Key Takeaway

Whether I ride in an English saddle or western saddle, I’m always conscious of my horsemanship and my job as an educator of the horse I’m riding. I pick the tack that best suits the job at hand, and I incorporate good horsemanship practices into my training.

It doesn’t matter if the horse is wearing an English or western saddle (or bareback)—the main goal no matter the riding discipline is to focus on being a better communicator and teacher for your horse.

This article about changing riding disciplines from English to western appeared in the March 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Whether you’re new to cattle work or want to improve your cattle-driving skills, you’ll need to learn how to influence a cow’s movements. How you and your horse approach, track, and drive a cow influences where it will go next. To master driving and turning a cow in the arena, you must know where to position your horse.

“The best way to control a cow is to be closer to the cow,” says trainer Cody Crow. “A lot of people feel it’s safer away from the cow, but if you’re too far away, the cow can move where it wants to go. Make sure to step up and influence where you want the cow to go.”

Here, Crow helps you position your horse so you can drive a cow forward and then change the cow’s direction. He’ll teach you how to visualize where to be.

He also shares his teaching strategy: to take turns acting out the part of cow and rider with another riding friend. Whether you don’t have cattle to practice with or if you just want to boost your confidence, riding and “moving” another horse and rider can help you understand where to be when you’re working cattle.

The Pressure Points in Cattle Work

When he first teaches students to drive and turn cattle, Crow says he has riders follow a cow and learn where to be to get the forward drive. Working in his large arena, riders first follow and track the cow, then learn to drive it forward.

Driving: “If your goal is to drive the cow forward, you want the horse’s shoulder putting pressure on the cow’s hip—between the outside of the hip and the cow’s tailhead,” says Crow.

Only after riders feel comfortable following and pushing a cow forward will he teach them to move up and turn the cow.

Turns: “If I’m going to make the cow turn, I want my horse’s shoulder even with the cow’s eyeball,” says Crow. “You’ll need to change your pace and move faster than the cow to get in position. You’re not merely pushing but moving forward to change the direction. Whether you’re circling the horse or turning, this is the position to keep the cow turning away from you.”

Once you learn where to position your horse, you’ll need to practice so you know which position to be in at the right time.

“Sometimes you’ll have a cow that wants to move off of the fence,” says Crow. “You may have to move quickly between drive and turn, then get back to the drive spot to keep the cow moving. If you linger at the eye during your turn, the cow may stop when you don’t want it to. Make sure to return to the drive line—focusing on the cow’s tailhead.”

Find a Practice Buddy

Most riders don’t have consistent access to cattle, but you can still practice your position when you ride with another horse and rider.

“It’s important for you to see where the cow’s escape routes are and how the horse’s position influences that,” says Crow. “When you’re just riding around a cow, I don’t think most riders are trying to see the cow’s perspective. Where does the cow see the open door? Learning the cow’s perspective can help you know where to be.”

Whether you’re new to cattle work or just want to practice cow work without cattle present, riding with another horse and rider can help you learn while removing some of the fear and speed. Ask a friend to ride with you and take turns being the rider and the cow. Make sure to ride horses that get along well and keep a safe distance as you practice.

Make sure to communicate. Since you’re riding with a friend, talk through your moves and share what you notice. Tell your friend where you’re going and when you’re moving in position to turn. Ask each other what you notice and where you felt you had to move or turn.

Crow suggests starting by driving your friend—who’s acting as the cow—forward along a fence line. To get in the best position, stay slightly behind the other horse, looking at his tail. That’s the point to watch as you push that horse’s hip and drive your friend forward.

Next, make your friend—the cow—turn. You’ll move from the drive position and instead focus to the cow’s eyeball. Move ahead so that your horse’s shoulder is even with the other horse’s eye. You’ll need to speed up your horse to move into position. When you move your position and focus, you’ll influence your friend to turn.

When you move your horse’s shoulder to ride parallel to the other horse’s eye, she’ll feel a shift in pressure and that the forward movement is blocked. There’s nowhere to go but to turn away from the pressure at the eye.

You can practice this drive-then-turn pressure change as you ride down your arena’s long side. This is a great way to practice going down the long side without the fear of too much speed. You’ll drive the “cow” down the fence, then turn when you’re ready.

Use caution and communicate as you ride with your friend. While moving in a trot or lope, you can learn what position to move into without fearing that the cow will move into you.

Cattle Work in Real Time

With lots of practice, you’ll learn how to read and influence cattle because of your positioning. It will feel natural and you won’t have to think so much.

“Now it’s muscle memory for me,” says Crow. “I grew up on a cattle ranch, and I had the opportunity to read cattle and learn how to influence their behavior by my positioning. The more you practice, the more it becomes second nature. You can just get to the spot where you want to be instead of having to stop and process, ‘Where should I be and where do I need to be?’ By the time you process all of that, the moment is lost, and the cow has just dragged you down the arena.”

When you’re confident knowing how to move the cow forward and how to make a turn, you have the basics down. Then there are always tweaks to help you move your horse through the turn and polish your moves. But you’ll need these fundamental driving and turning skills to get started.

Special thanks to Payton Porterfield and her horse, Steps of Perfection (bay), for helping demonstrate these exercises.

Read More: Introducing Your Horses to Cattle

This article about cattle work appeared in the April 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Cattle Work 101 appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Here, trainer Cody Crow helps you understand how horses learn that they can break gait if they choose—and why riders fall into the trap of constant pedaling. He’ll help you teach your horse to lope and keep loping until another cue is given. He also provides tips to help you sit back and drive your horse into the lope.

No Nagging

“If you constantly nag a child about cleaning their room but there’s no follow-through or consequence, they’ll soon learn they don’t have to clean their room,” says Crow. “It’s the same way for the horse. If you kiss to the horse and he doesn’t step into and stay in the lope, there must be a follow-through. If there isn’t a follow-through, you’re effectively training your horse to ignore you. He’ll take you up on the chance to ignore you if allowed. The horse may break down into the trot or just get hollow. Most horses will only work as hard as you ask them to. Make sure you’re following up.”

In the show pen, the judge wants to see a horse that is willingly guided. The horse should step into a transition with fluidity and a willing demeanor. Crow says that your horse’s willingness to lope freely will affect your performance scores for several transitions and maneuvers.

“If you see a rider who’s having to beg the horse to go forward, it’s not a very pretty picture,” Crow says. “Maybe a judge won’t minus all of the maneuvers, but he certainly isn’t going to plus the maneuvers. If a rider is having a discussion with the horse about just staying in the lope, there’s no chance she could have shown an extended lope. Then she won’t be able to show a transition to a collected lope. Also, if you’re begging your horse to stay in the lope, he can’t have the balance to show a good transition from the lope to the trot.”

Making the Change

“Horses that need to be pedaled all the time may never have been taught to move forward freely,” says Crow. “Horses can get dull and lazy when the rider allows that behavior. If a rider is timid or isn’t clear with the horse, it’s easy for him to just stop.”

Crow says he helps horses break the pedaling cycle by showing them that they can move out freely. He’ll ask the horse to lope and boost the speed to show the horse he can move out and will be expected to move at the speed requested.

First, Crow teaches the horse that there will be an audible cue before any follow through or consequence. He makes a kissing sound to ask for the lope, then uses his leg pressure to reinforce the sound. Once he’s loping, he kisses again to ask for more speed.

“The sound will be followed by my leg cues—with a little more outside leg cue to keep the horse moving forward,” he says. “When the horse learns a verbal cue before the leg cue, he learns that he needs to move on. The verbal cue was the ask, and the leg cue was the tell. If the horse still doesn’t respond, I’ll bump with my leg, but I won’t continue to bump. If I were to constantly bump, I’d desensitize the horse to my leg.”

If a horse has been ridden with constant leg cues, Crow suggests the rider carry a short crop.

“I teach riders to use a verbal cue first, then their legs, then a tap on the hindquarters (at the hip) will be a new cue that the horse isn’t desensitized to,” says Crow. “We aren’t talking about hitting the horse hard at all, just providing a new feeling and something the horse isn’t desensitized to. Usually it only takes one or two taps for the horse to understand that he should move off of the kiss sound and not wait for other aids.”

Loping Position

If you have to canter, push, canter, push on a horse to prevent him from breaking gait, you may have developed a habit you’ll need to break.

Crow says to make sure you’re sitting on your hips and using your legs. If you’ve become accustomed to begging the horse to go, you may have learned to lean forward to encourage him. This position actually moves your legs away from the horse. You don’t have the ability to use your leg aids as well as if you can sit back, drive and push the horse forward from your seat. Think of driving instead of leaning forward and taking the horse with you.

Riding a different horse can help you feel what you were doing and allow you to sit up and change your posture.

“Sometimes it’s helpful to get on a horse that will keep the lope so you can feel what it’s like to just ride,” advises Crow. “Many times, riders who have learned to bump every stride will lean forward so their legs aren’t in the place to drive. It’s important to learn to sit back and allow your legs to open and drive the horse with a long, relaxed leg.”

This article about breaking gait at the lope appeared in the March 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Here to help tamp down your horse’s jig, American Paint Horse Association and American Quarter Horse Association Professional Sandy Jirkovsky shares her advice.

Why Does My Horse Get Antsy?

There are several reasons why horses don’t settle while working a pattern and get antsy, and some of them are rider-related.

Rider tension: “If a horse can feel a fly on their skin, they can feel you tensing up,” says Jirkovsky. “Whether you tense up through your seat, through your legs, or even in your mind, they feel that, and the first thing they go back to is their natural instinct of flight because they feel apprehension on their back.”

Over-practicing: Repetition is helpful for riders wanting to learn their pattern, but it’s not so good for a broke horse, says Jirkovsky. Completing entire patterns during practice can backfire when you go show.

“The horse learns the pattern faster than you do, and he’s going to anticipate,” she says.

Too fresh: Just like children in school, a horse with too much energy is not going to be able to focus on what you’re asking of him, according to Jirkovsky.

How to Handle It

Get mentally prepared: Jirkovsky suggests checking your mind and body for any tension.

“Make sure that you’re relaxed, taking deep breaths, thinking about what you’re going to do, and not transferring negative energy over to your horse,” she says.

Consider working with a friend or a trainer or having someone videotape your performance to see if you’re tensing up while riding, Jirkovsky advises.

Practice pieces: Choose maneuvers or portions of your pattern to practice. To learn your pattern as a whole, Jirkovsky suggests walking it on foot or even using another horse.

“We’ll practice maneuvers in a different order and make sure we have them all down,” she says.

School a Class Correctly

Jirkovsky says you can’t ride every class like you want to win first place. Working on sticky spots with your horse, even at the expense of a placing due to using two hands or breaking pattern, can make way for more successful performances in the future if you do it right.

“Sometimes you have to go to a smaller or open show to school and correct those issues, so that when you go to a show that counts, they’ve been fixed,” she says. “You’ll see many of the top trainers school through their patterns at a show, not being rough, but just keeping the horse focused on them.”

Avoid scaring your horse while schooling, Jirkovsky stresses.

“There’s two types of schooling,” she says. “There is good schooling, which is educational for the horse, and there is schooling to punish the horse. All that does is build apprehension for the next time he goes into the pen. Your schooling has to be proper and patient refocusing and redirecting, otherwise you’re just going to add to your problem.”

Don’t punish: Even if your horse acts up on the pattern, don’t discipline him—instead, recapture his focus.

“The worst thing you can do is punish your horse when he gets upset,” Jirkovsky says. “You just have to redirect his attention.”

Prevention Anticipation in Pattern Classes

Take a walk: Many riders skip walking in favor of other gaits and maneuvers. But Jirkovsky says the slowest gait is key to encouraging a calm and focused performance.

“Walking is a great patience builder, and seems to be a lost art,” she says.

Take some time to warm up, asking your horse to softly bend, flex and respond to your cues before moving on to pattern work.

Cross-train: Working your horse in other disciplines can help his mindset toward your chosen class, Jirkovsky says.

“Take a horse that you always do reining on and go do ranch riding with him,” she says. “Take your horsemanship horse into a trail course and let him refocus a bit on the poles. Adding different classes instead of just that same class where he tends to get upset can help.”

Make the cone a happy place: Jirkovsky leaves cones out in the arena at home and does pattern maneuvers away from the cones, leaving the marker as a resting spot.

“After working our horses around the arena, if we’re going to stand and talk for a while, we’ll do it at the cone,” she says. “The horses really anticipate, and once they see a cone, they think they’re going to have to do something. But we make the cone their resting place.”

For a showmanship horse, Jirkovsky will leave a bucket of grain at each cone, which encourages the horse to have his ears forward, looking forward to being at the cone.

Start with focus: Before you start your pattern, cue your horse with your legs to encourage him to take a breath and focus. This is a move you teach your horse at home after working hard, so do the same thing when you’re about to compete to remind him.

“I’ll roll my legs on the horse’s sides as support, and he’ll lower his head and take a breath,” Jirkovsky says. “At home, I’ll reward him and rub his neck and let him relax as a reward.”

This article about how to avoid an antsy horse and anticipation in a pattern class appeared in the January/February 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Antsy Horse? Here’s How to Avoid Anticipation in Pattern Classes appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Here, trainer Aaron Ralston demonstrates how the western stop is differs with and without cattle present. Ralston says the same horse can stop well in a reining class and learn how to stop a cow.

“The best cow horse must be as broke as the best reining horse and as connected to a cow as the best cutting horse,” he says. “Then responsibility falls to the rider. If you use your reins and leg, it must be in time with the objective of the cow.”

The horse must be tuned into the rider for the reining stop cue and tuned into the cow for great cow horse stops.

“For the reining stop, you need to have a great stop, then change directions,” he says. “When you’re working cows, the cattle shift right and left, and you’re always reacting.”

Stopping Time

No matter what type of class you’re preparing for, Ralston recommends keeping your cues consistent. When you visualize how to move your hands to rein for the stops, keep in mind the clock image from part 1 of this series.

With the clock face over your horse’s body—and 12 o’clock at his ears—you’ll move your hands toward 6 o’clock to cue for a stop. You’ll then return your hand to the middle of the clock to allow your horse to move his neck freely without a tight rein.

The Reining Stop

For the perfect reining stop, the horse’s back should hunch into the stop while his hind hooves reach toward the front hooves. The horse’s front legs should move freely as the horse skates into the stop.

The horse’s neck naturally telescopes out and down to counterbalance his weight going down in the back. There will be a nice arc from the nose to the hind end. Ralston warns that you don’t want a lot of rein or bit contact—little to none.

To put this scene into action, Ralston says he approaches the stop with gradually building speed. As the horse runs down to the stop, his body position naturally changes, and his shoulders move back with the motion.

When you’re ready to stop, make sure not to force your shoulders back. Instead, the way the horse moves should send your shoulders back—just like a jet taking off propels passengers back into their seats. This relaxed, natural back position means that the horse is moving his shoulders freely without weight tipping forward onto his front legs.

When it’s time to ask for the stop, say “whoa,” press the balls of your feet into your stirrups, drive your heels, then lift your hand for light contact. As you sit the stop, point your belt buckle to the sky and keep your chin up.

The reining stop was developed for the arena-performance class. Reining crowds cheer the loudest when horses glide over a long distance. This stop isn’t used to work on the ranch. However, the horse’s free movement and willingness to change speeds on command are always essential.

Cow Horse Stop

For a cow horse stop, the horse’s front end doesn’t pedal to balance the hindquarters’ sliding. Instead, the horse’s front legs move more abruptly to allow him to change directions when the cow turns.

“If the cow and horse move down the fence then stop at the same time, the horse would keep moving down the fence while the cow changed directions and got away,” Ralston says. “The reining stop with sliders is not practical for working cows.”

Ralston says that for a well-trained horse, the easiest way to change from a reining stop to the stop needed for cattle work is to change the shoes. Ralston chooses back shoes for cattle work that allow the horse to move through the footing with his hind hooves but that have more friction than those that allow for a sliding stop.

To stop for a cow horse class, position your body just as when stopping in a reining class. While the horse will move differently, your position remains the same. As you move with the cow down the fence, you want your shoulder, hip, and heel to align.

The trained horse will speed to take you to the spot that will stop the cow. The momentum of the horse should naturally move your shoulders behind your hips. With your shoulders back, you’ll be balanced for the stop.

Note that in either stop, your body position should be relaxed with your shoulders back. If you lean forward on a cow turn, you can get thrown forward while the horse tries to change direction. In that case, the horse has all your weight on his front end—making his job difficult. Instead, keep your shoulders slightly back to be ready for any western stop.

This article appeared in the November/December 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Read the first installment of this series, demonstrating the difference in turns between reining and cow horse classes.

The post The Difference in Reining and Cow Horse Stops appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

To compete in reining or working cow horse competitions, your horse will need to turn quickly in response to your cues. In reining, the move is a “turnaround,” or spin—the horse moves forward around a pivot foot and continues the move until directed to stop.

For cow horse classes, your horse will also need to turn with precision. However, he’ll turn with his weight shifted back so he can move on to follow the cow in any new direction.

Trainer Aaron Ralston explains that all moves for reining or working cow horse events mirror—or were inspired by—horses on cattle ranches.

“Historically, riders wanted to show off their best-trained, most obedient horses,” he says. “While there’s little structure to working cattle in a natural environment, training your horse to do complex maneuvers shows skill and athleticism. The reining turnaround became that signature move that could be judged on a point system. Then when working cattle, your horse needs to be ready to turn sharply in any direction and to change directions often.”

A reining turn forces the horse’s weight to the inside.

“If the horse needed to stop and change directions quickly, he’d have to take a shuffle step before being able to leave in a new direction,” Ralston continues. “The ‘cow turn’ allows him to shift his weight back so that he can change directions without shuffling or regaining balance.”

Use the Clock

Horses should turn precisely—no matter which type of turn is requested. Ralston says he’s often asked about how to cue for the different turns needed in reining and cow horse events.

To explain how to cue for each turn, he teaches riders to envision a clock face over the top of the horse. Everything straight in front of you and the horse’s poll is 12 o’clock. Straight behind you toward the tail is 6 o’clock. Three and 9 o’clock are positioned at your right and left legs. Knowing these positions will help you know where to move your feet, rein and chin positions to cue for the different turns.

Reining Turns

In reining, you want forward motion into the turn. The outside foot is to cross over the inside front foot. The inside hind leg is the predominant pivot foot that bears most of the weight. The outside hind foot helps the horse balance and propels him around.

When being judged, the inside hind foot can move within a small area, but you don’t want that leg to displace into a new area. If the foot stays in the same area throughout the turn, you won’t incur a deduction.

The inside hind hoof moves underneath the center of the horse, right below the rider. That’s the pivot point. The more the horse contracts together over the pivot point, the faster he can move.

Imagine a figure skater who spins faster when pulling her arms into her center. The horse will also spin most quickly when his body is tucked and his pivot hoof reaches far under his body.

When you’re ready to start the reining turn to the right, you want your horse’s inside front hoof to step to 3 o’clock continuously to produce the balance point for the optimum turn. To achieve this, use three body cues: Move your inside foot off the horse and point it to 3 o’clock while your outside leg supports the horse without constant cueing.

Lastly, move your chin to 3 o’clock. When you move your chin, other body cues (including your shoulders and hips) naturally follow. Riding one-handed, move your hand above the saddle horn and toward 3 o’clock.

“I like to sit very neutrally with my shoulder, hip and heel alignment in place,” Ralston says. “The cues with the three body parts will tell the horse the destination I expect.”

Ralston says he makes sure to cue the horse once and expect perpetual motion. He doesn’t want to constantly kick the horse, but to teach the horse to keep going until he cues for something different.

If the horse needs encouragement, he will use his outside leg until the horse returns to the speed he wants. He says that if he always pushes with his outside leg, he finds that horses hunt for a change in leg pressure so that they can be done.

“If I’m always pushing with my outside leg, then he’s thinking, ‘When does that outside leg come off, when do I get to quit?’” Ralston says. “That creates a horse that takes smaller steps and is waiting to be done.”

When it’s time to stop the turn, take both legs off the horse and shift your weight to your legs. Return your reining hand to the middle of the horse’s neck and say “whoa.”

Working Cow Horse Turns

“A horse needs to be able to turn in any manner necessary that affects a cow’s flight zone in relation to the destination you want the cow to go,” Ralston says. “Typically, you won’t be making a cow go somewhere. Instead, you shut the door on all the options and open the door to the direction you’d like her to go. It’s pressure and release. The cow releases herself from the pressure the horse puts on and goes where she feels free.”

Ralston says if a cow goes somewhere, she’s going to look there before she takes a step. If you want a cow to go straight ahead but she looks to the right, you need to be able to get to the right side of the cow’s vision to block that move.

If a cow is looking at you and wanting to move toward you, you won’t want to do a reining turn. That type of turn with a forward swing would get into the cow’s flight zone and chase her around you. Instead, you’ll turn the hands of the clock past 3 o’clock, shifting your horse’s weight back.

To initiate the cow turn, move your foot, chin, and hands to 5 o’clock. When the horse’s front hoof turns to that increased turn directive, he has to shift his weight backward. The inside hind foot becomes the pivot foot. With the horse’s weight shifted back, you’ll be ready to go wherever you need to work the cow. The horse will be ready to drive off or turn.

“You could compare this movement in the horse to an athlete,” Ralston says. “Think of a basketball player or volleyball player with a wide stance, ready to move in any direction at any moment, depending on where the ball goes. In this position, you’re always ready.”

Will you ever use a reining turn while working a cow? Ralston says he uses the initial cue of the turn (without the constant spinning) when he wants to send a cow away from him in a defensive move. Once the cow is moving away, he’ll most likely cue the cow turn in the next move.

This article about turns in reining and working cow horse events appeared in the October 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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In an atmosphere that can only be described as electric, the top horsemen and equine athletes in the sports of cutting, reining and reined cow horse took to the diamond of Globe Life Field for the first-ever The American Performance Horseman on March 10, 2023. Before a crowd of 18,000, the horse and rider teams pursued a prize pool of $1 million.

A creation of Teton Ridge, The American Performance Horseman was held during The American Western Weekend—a multi-event western showcase known for its title event, The American Rodeo. With support from the American Quarter Horse Association, American Paint Horse Association, National Cutting Horse Association, National Reining Horse Association, and the National Reined Cow Horse Association, The American Performance Horseman was the first event of its kind to shine the spotlight on each of these three western performance disciplines in the same night at the same venue.

The top five horsemen from the NCHA, NRHA and NRCHA battled head to head, offering fans the chance to see the most elite of these unique disciplines compete. The team format sent one horse and rider pair into the ring per discipline, with five horses and horsemen facing off per event for a total of fifteen performances. 

The teams were as follows:

Burnt Orange Team

1. Austin Shepherd – Cutting
2. Matt Mills – Reining
3. Lee Deacon – Reined Cow Horse

Racing Green Team

1. Lindy Thorn – Cutting
2. Casey Deary – Reining
3. Chris Dawson – Reined Cow Horse

Royal Blue Team

1. Adan Banuelos – Cutting
2. Fernando Salgado – Reining
3. Sarah Dawson – Reined Cow Horse

Imperial Purple Team

1. Wesley Galyean – Cutting
2. Andrea Fappani – Reining
3. Corey Cushing – Reined Cow Horse

Regal Red Team

1. Lloyd Cox – Cutting
2. Shawn Flarida – Reining
3. Justin Wright – Reined Cow Horse

Cutting was the first on deck and after the herd of cattle had been settled, the cutting team members were up to bat as ‘80s rock medleys set the tone. The crowd delighted in the athleticism of the cutting horses, erupting with cheers as the cutters dug deep in the dirt while working their selected cattle.

The Royal Blue Team’s Adan Banuelos, aboard Teton Ridge’s mare All Spice, lit up the scoreboard with a 229. This clenched a win in the cutting, and following the event, Banuelos admitted to the crowd that the only love letter he has ever written in life was for the talented red roan mare. He had won the 2020 National Cutting Horse Futurity Open with All Spice, but soon had to say goodbye to her when Teton Ridge made the decision to retire her. However, he had the chance to be reunited with her for this groundbreaking event and the two did not disappoint.

“Whenever I won the Futurity, I didn’t know what was next,” said Banuelos. “And Teton Ridge came out with something that created a bunch of energy and nerves, and it was fresh ground per se. I can’t tell you how blessed and lucky we are. This was an arena full of talent.”

Once the cutting was over, Sheryl Crow took to the stage as the arena crew worked to prepare the ring for reining. The crowd delighted in the Grammy Award-winning artist’s performance before turning their attention to the prowess of the reining athletes.

Whistling and howling as the reiners performed their exciting maneuvers of sliding stops, rapid spins, speedy circles and powerful rollbacks, the audience was enthralled by all five reining performances. 

Ultimately, it was Casey Deary aboard Down Right Amazing, a stallion double-registered with the AQHA and APHA, that most impressed the judges. With a score of 231.5, Deary and the bald-faced sorrel stallion took the reining title for the Racing Green Team.

“The reason that I do what I do is because I love that horse,” said Deary after his big win. “Everything that we do daily is about preparing that horse to handle any situation that we put him in—down to the daily care that he gets. Those horses are treated better than I am.”

The last event of the night displayed the fence work of the reined cow horse, a nail-biting performance in which horse and rider prove their ability to control a cow at a fast pace. Having already completed the rein work stage of the reined cow horse discipline earlier in the day, the teams saved this exciting portion of the event for the crowd—and they certainly did not disappoint. From the edges of their seats, spectators watched as horse and rider teams boxed their cow before running it down the side of the arena and then circling it each way—all performed at a quick pace. 

The final rider of the night was also the only female rider in the competition, Sarah Dawson aboard Shine Smarter. Dawson saved the best for last, guiding the sorrel mare through an eye-catching run. Together, Dawson and Shine Smarter marked a 226.5 for their fence work, with their 226-point rein work score from earlier in the day giving them a composite score of 452.5. With Sarah Dawson’s win in the reined cow horse discipline, her score pushed “Team Blue” to victory. 

One by one, each individual discipline winner entered the arena to accept their awards, including a $100,000 check and a Rolex watch. Then, Team Blue—consisting of Adan Banuelos, Fernando Salgado and Sarah Dawson—gathered before the crowd to celebrate their victory as a team and accept their awards: Lesley Rand Bennett hand-crafted rings and individual $25,000 checks. Every rider was outwardly emotional about their achievements and expressed gratitude toward their equine athletes.

Following the awards ceremony, it was clear the energy of the night and the significance of their accomplishments still had not sunk in.

“Honestly, I haven’t even wrapped my mind around the money yet,” said Dawson. “I just can’t get over the feeling that I have that this mare has accomplished what she accomplished tonight.”

At the conclusion of the night, it was evident something special had been born. Each horseman seemed to feel the momentum that the atmosphere the first-ever The American Performance Horseman had produced and was eager to see where it could take these western performance disciplines.

“We’ve always kind of talked amongst ourselves, knowing that our sports are so cool but that the biggest problem that we’ve had is that they haven’t been spectator sports,” said Dawson. “We kind of get the same people seeing them again and again, and I think Teton Ridge has just come in and proved that we can turn this into a spectator sport. I’m just excited to see what it’s gonna turn into from here, because I think they’ve just opened a door that we didn’t know we could open.”

This article about the first-ever The American Performance Horseman is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Split reins are by far the most versatile type of reins used in western riding, but they can be a bit challenging to master. The two separate reins can get tangled, dropped, or become uneven while riders struggle to properly manipulate them. Improper use can also disqualify you from your western show class.

Here, reining and ranch versatility trainer Bud Lyons shares an overview of how to use this equipment and gives tips on how to improve your dexterity.

The Benefits of Split Reins

Split reins are the standard in reining, with the occasional pair of romal reins (a set of reins connected to a single tail), Lyon says. You’ll see a mix of romal and split reins in ranch versatility events and reined cow horse, but split reins are the rein of choice for cutting and most western all-around events, such as horsemanship. When using a snaffle bit in western events, only split reins can be used.

“A lot of times, the type of equipment you use in reining and ranch versatility events is predicated by your background, as well as the region you come from and the type of horse you have,” Lyons says. “I think split reins have become the go-to in performance events because of their practicality.”

Most often, split reins are made from a strip of harness leather. They can be various lengths and widths and can be weighted on the ends. These options make this piece of tack highly customizable to suit your preferences. Lyon suggests trying out different sets of split reins to discover which ones fit you and your horse best.

Riding Two-Handed

In the show pen, you’re most likely to show one-handed, unless you’re riding a horse in a snaffle. Two hands on your reins with a shanked bit will often disqualify you in a class.

With a snaffle, and when practicing on a green horse as home, riders often use two hands.

“On a younger horse, we’re going to use a direct rein, pulling on one side to guide the nose and teach the horse to follow his nose for steering and guiding,” Lyon explains. “Later on in the training process, you also apply the neck rein on the opposite side of the neck to connect the two cues, which will enhance your ability to guide that horse, eventually, with one hand.”

To hold the reins two-handed, unless you’re an experienced rider, most often you’ll lay each rein across your horse’s neck, with one rein on top of the other. Reach down and grab the reins on either side of the horse’s neck with at least 12 to 24 inches of rein between them, palms down, then bring your hands up above the mane, thumbs facing up, palms facing each other. Your right rein will flow up through your right hand, across your palm and out to the left hand, then down on the left side of the horse—and vice versa (see photo above).

More experienced riders will sometimes keep both rein ends on one side, switching quickly from one-handed to two by picking up one rein with their other hand and holding both reins in the original hand (see photo below). Your hand position is the same as before, but the reins are not crossed over the neck.

“I have done that before, but it’s a bit of a drawback if you’re not comfortable using split reins; it’s easier to accidentally drop one of the reins, and in that scenario, one rein is more likely to fall to the ground than if they are crossed over the neck,” Lyon says. “That becomes not only a safety issue, but it can disqualify you in competition.”

Riding One-Handed

Guiding one-handed is the ultimate goal for riding a western horse, especially in competition, Lyon says. This involves only the neck rein cue to ask the horse to move away from its pressure—no more direct rein cues, as used while riding two-handed.

To hold the reins one-handed, you’ll typically use your non-dominant hand—so your left hand if you’re right-handed—with both tails of the reins on that side of the horse’s neck. With the reins pressed together, place your thumb on one side of the reins, your index finger in between the reins, and your middle, ring and pinky fingers curled around the other side of the reins, palm side down.

Depending on which class you’re in, you may rotate your hand until your thumb is pointing up and bend your elbow to match the standard riding position for that class. In reining and ranch riding, you’ll hold your reins with your palm down when your horse is on a loose rein.

To adjust your reins and tighten them, pinch with your thumb and index finger for one side, or middle finger and index finger for the other one, to walk down the reins toward the bit and take up the slack. To loosen the reins, you’ll loosen your grip and walk back on the reins with your fingers until they’re the length you want.

Practice Makes Perfect

If you’re unfamiliar with using split reins, there can be a bit of a learning curve.

“It’s certainly something that takes repetition in order to feel comfortable, until it gets to the point where it’s just muscle memory,” Lyon says.

He suggests hanging a bridle up on a chair in front of you and sitting with the reins in your hand, practicing tightening, loosening, and adjusting each rein as well as both together. You can do this at the barn or take your bridle home and practice while sitting on the couch. This removes the extra challenges of guiding a horse and allows you to build your muscle memory.

“I use the analogy of learning to use chopsticks,” Lyon says. “It can feel very awkward, uncomfortable, and unusual in the beginning. But the more you practice, the more comfortable, efficient, and effective you get.”

This article about how to use split reins appeared in the March 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Marked by fluid lead changes around a cone-marked course, western riding is a challenging class for all-around competitors. But with skill, preparation and careful navigation, you can guide your horse to a penalty-free score. Here, trainer Bruce Vickery shares his advice to confidently tackle the western riding class.

The Goal

Vickery says focus should be on fluidity of flying lead changes, followed by precision in the pattern.

“Scoring is based on quality of movement, the quality of the change, smooth transitions, timing, the placement of your transitions and the placement of your lead changes,” says Vickery. “You want to do everything you can to stay out of the penalty zone.”

Penalties occur mainly when you fail to change leads within the designated change box written on the pattern. Whether it’s changing leads too early or too late, each stride outside the invisible box incurs point penalties.

The Pattern Unpacked

Western riding patterns are posted at the show and are also printed in association rule books. For example, the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) has nine regular patterns. Each AQHA pattern starts out with a walk-in. Vickery suggests establishing a nice, cadenced walk without checking your horse’s stride as you approach your first cone.

“Once you’re at the cone and the judge nods to you to start the pattern, you’ll want to walk with your hand down and let your horse walk in a cadenced fashion,” he says. “The next transition for each of the patterns is going to be the jog. It’s really important to plan where you begin your jog.”

You’ll be jogging over a single pole on the ground as one of your maneuvers. Vickery says to make sure you approach the log straight on, with cadence.

“You want to practice so that the rhythm and speed remain the same before, over and after the pole,” says Vickery. “You don’t want to start out slow, jog over the pole, and then be moving faster.”

Depending on the pattern, you’ll ask your horse for a lope, and you’ll either start coming around to go down the line of cones, or you’ll go across the center of the arena for those lead changes.

If you’re going down the line first, Vickery says you’ll want to avoid making the corner on to the line too wide, which can throw off your sequence of lead changes down the line.

“You almost want to square the corner off so you can be straight heading down the line,” he says. “You’ll begin counting strides toward your first lead change after the first cone.”

Also read – How to Tack Up for Western Riding

After each change, Vickery suggests not dwelling on the lead change until it’s time for your next one—this reduces your involuntary anticipation of the change, which can trigger your horse’s anticipation.

After changing leads several times, some patterns will have you loping across the arena and changing in the center before turning to the left or right around the cones at the opposite side of the arena.

All patterns will include a lope-over log—the same log you jogged over earlier in the pattern. You’ll either cross it as you are going back and forth across the arena, or at the end of that series of changes. Either way, Vickery suggests counting your strides to the pole to make sure you hit it after your horse has touched down his last front leg and gathered himself up to reach out with his back legs.

“Remember, you want to maintain the same rhythm up to the pole and afterward without changing,” he says.

Your pattern will include a stop and backup. Your horse should stop on his hind end with his head level, not thrown into the air. You will then ask him to back with cadence.

“Your backup doesn’t have to be fast, but it needs to show your horse is willing to do it,” Vickery says.

At the conclusion of the pattern, you will exit the arena.

Challenges

Because the western riding pattern and course contains so many elements—all three gaits, jog and lope-over poles, and between seven and eight lead changes—Vickery says timing can be a challenge.

“Many riders struggle with figuring out where they need to execute the [lead] changes,” he says. “More times than not, I think people anticipate those changes, and that transmits to the horse, causing him to want to change.”

To combat anticipation, Vickery reminds you to stay patient, quiet and wait until you’re in position to start thinking about your change. Going down the line, where you’re serpentining between cones that are 30 to 50 feet apart, Vickery advises counting your strides. But first, it’s a good idea to find out how far apart they are on the day of the show. You can ask show management or a trainer at the show.

“As you approach the point between two cones, start counting [strides]: ‘1, 2, 3, change,’” Vickery says. “If you’ve got a long line, like 50 feet in between each cone, it’s probably going to be a little bit more—maybe ‘1, 2, 3, 4, change.’”

On the path across the arena, you’ll change leads in the middle between the cones. To see the approximate spot in which you should make your lead change, you’ll need to gauge the middle of the arena. For many of the patterns, you’ll see the pole lined up in the middle, which aligns with where you need to change. If not, pick a marker on the arena wall to line up with. Vickery suggests preparing for your change only a couple of strides before that point to avoid anticipation, rather than thinking about it from the time you turn to go across the arena.

Before entering your first western riding class, Vickery advises practicing the entire pattern a few times at home.

“For a novice, it’s a good idea to practice the whole pattern a little bit, just so that you get your feet wet, you get a feel for the spacing and where you need to go,” he says. “But after you’ve done it a few times, you want to do bits and pieces, otherwise your horse will be thinking exactly where to go all the time.”

Focusing on one part of the pattern at a time will help increase your skill level without your horse anticipating the pattern.

This article about acing your western riding pattern appeared in the November/December 2021 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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