Although a Brit with 30 years in the UK jumping world I have been involved in reining in the USA for around 12 years now. It is perfectly acceptable to continue your pattern after picking up a zero.

In the USA, reiners go for the ride, not for the score as I have seen happen in the UK. I was shoked at how carefully the Brits ride a pattern when I went to my first reining in the UK. Everyone was so worried about taking a zero that there was no flair in the patterns being run. In fact many green reiners in the US will take a couple of seasons before they actually pick up a score. Are they supposed to stop as soon as they make a mistake? Of course not. And many times you don't even know if you have picked up a DQ.

At large shows here in the US it is often difficult to get a paid warm-up as there are so many competitors so many riders and trainers will pay the entry fee for a minor class such as Green or Rookie and go in with the intention of taking 2 reins towards the end of the pattern and taking a zero, just for schooling.

Last year my filly travelled probably 8,000 miles or more going to shows and showed only once. This year she will go to the shows and not be fazed by the environment because she is so well schooled in the show environment.

You should not expect a horse to go to a show and perform perfectly if they haven't had the chance to experience the noise, activity and general hub-bub of the show environment - there is no home preparation that can substitute for that.

And as for the horse learning to take the zero to get out of working - I hate to point this out but the horse doesn't know about the scoring - the horse will respond to your aids and will stop working when you tell it to. Unless the horse is throwing in a kick-out or something similar and you immediately stop it, it will have no idea that the wrong lead or the overspin is what caused the end of the work session. That is why we never practice a pattern. That way the horse doesn't learn a pattern and doesn't know that a run is terminated early or not.

As an ex-pat, I am dismayed that reining in the UK is taking on the traditional British formality. Reining in the USA is fun and there is no thought by competitor or judge that anyone's time has been wasted just because a rider schools his or her horse in the show pen. I have even been to shows where they ask before you go in the pen if you are schooling or running for a score!

Chill out Brits - relax and enjoy your reining ;D

Just my opinion!

You know what.

I think you have hit it on the head.

We just dont know how to enjoy ourselves over here any more.

Schooling at shows and indeed just letting go and enjoying the run should be encouraged.

Hi Summer, its a nice idea going just for the ride and I'm all in favour of enjoying yourself - after all that's why most of us do what we do but I think it's difficult to compare the US and the UK like for like.

Western Riding being so much smaller in the UK means the number of shows with reining classes is limited to start with and at a higher level even more so - there isn't the luxury of travelling to a choice of many shows to school a horse. So what should we do? Maybe in addition to being more relaxed about schooling during classes could we not add on extra classes primarily for schooling to encourage more riders to participate and for those who want to get the practice needed in a show environment?

I'm sure the majority of reining classes in the US are treated as fun by most riders but I can't believe there aren't many US riders who take reining very seriously at the appropriate classes in top shows. In the UK however these 'top' shows and what should be 'fun' shows are often one and the same.

[quote author=markrm link=topic=550.msg900#msg900 date=1171326353]
I'm sure the majority of reining classes in the US are treated as fun by most riders but I can't believe there aren't many US riders who take reining very seriously at the appropriate classes in top shows. In the UK however these 'top' shows and what should be 'fun' shows are often one and the same.


Trust me, everyone that shows (or at least 95% of them) here in the US takes every show seriously but that doesn't mean that you have to be so stuck on what is and isn't protocol that you can't enjoy the ride. I have met several Hall of Famers and regularly meet up with the likes of Shawn Flarida, Rocky Dare, Mike McEntire, Bryant Pace and even Bill Horn at the various shows. Everyone is a friend and everyone is out to help everyone else. When they get into the show pen they are all business. But they let themselves go; they will run the wheels off the horse if the occasion demands it; and they will take 2 hands to finish the run if necessary. At the Bill Horn Shootout in Ocala, Florida last month, the prize was $30,000 - one horse, one run, one score. As each of the competitiors was introduced in the pre-competition ceremonies, Brian Bell came into the arena turning cartwheels - would that happen in the UK?

No-one here worries about whether they should or should not finish their run. I have seen trainers finish a run and I have seen them pull up and leave. It depends on the circumstance. But consider this, if I have paid the same entry fee that you have, and you have a run that will score but with penalties and -scores, and I have a run where I ride a perfect pattern but overspin resulting in a zero, why would you even consider that you can finish your run but I should not finish my run?

Above all, when all is said and done you have to enjoy this wonderful sport that we are all part of. I was part of the UK show jumping scene many years ago and I still remember the formality and stress associated with that environment. I love Reining for many reasons but one of those reasons is the happy, carefree, supportive nature of the sport here in its homeland of the USA.

If the Brits impose their sense of decorum on the sport, it will damage it beyond recognition.

In my opinion :o

Well thats told me! ;D - I'm off to the coffee lounge..... Must remember to enjoy myself...must remember to enjoy myself..... must remember to enjoy myself.
OH NO I can feel another attack of decorum coming on.....

LOL

You make sure you enjoy yourself if it kills you!