AQH's and Western Riding.

[CaleruxShearer]

This may well be a numpty question but heyho.
I have just seen an advert on the country channel for the AQHA and in it they had a clip of a horse in competition doing the 'flat out gallop and slide to a dead stop' thing ( Sorry guys I'm sure there is a proper name for it but i don;t know it!) Anyway I was thinking after a while dosen't this really damage thier tendons/ligaments? Also why don't they wear boots/bandages?

Sorry for the muppet rambling

 

[elizabethshaw]

Good question - generally competitors will use boots all round, and bell boots on the fronts with boots on the back to protect from friction on the slides. It is very hard on the horses especially as they start young, which is why the horses need to well bred, and well trained.

 

[reinerusa]

What you have described is a sliding stop. It is one of the maneuvers in a reining pattern. The horses are trained to slide from a gallop and have sliding plates (shoes) on their hind hooves. The plates have a larger surface area so it is easier to slide.

Reining horses (AQHA and Paints) are usually bred for the discipline. Their conformation and breeding led themselves to reining. Such as a TB is bred to gallop and race.

As in all performance disciplines, there can be injuries to tendons and ligaments. However, with proper conditioning, training and management, injuries can be kept to a minimum. Horses are usually fitted with skid boots on the back fetlocks for reining patterns. These protect the horses from scrapes and the arena dirt while sliding.

It is fun to ride a well trained reining horse. It is amazing how well they can use their body to do the maneuvers. When sliding, it feels like the elevator is dropping out from under you if you are not ready for the stop! How do I know all this? My husband trains reining horses in the USA. I got on the forum just for fun to see what topics are being discussed.

 

[Oldred]

Good question. I'd love to know how many horses are injured or caused pain by the 'sliding stops' and the very, very fast spinning. I've never seen any figures for damaged horses but sense tells you for every professional on the 'well trained, specially bred' horses there must be thousands of numpties having a go doing it very badly. I watched a bit on the new Rural Channel and thought it was hideous. Not to say that other disciplines don't cause damage but the spinning and the sliding seem particularly bonkers to me. I suppose the sliding to a stop is used when roping calves but where does the spinning come in?

 

[Mid]

I've heard that sliding stops can be quite damaging, especially as they break AQHAs in much younger then most. I think that's probably only if they're not conditioned properly, though? Or if they over-do it on a not fully developed horse.

I've seen vids on reining and it looks AMAZING. Like dressage but fast Would love to ride a well trained reining horse...

 

[perfect11s]

One well known competitor/trainer over here had a quarter horse who was a champion in reining and other disaplins was also used as a lesson horse and lived until she was about 28 I think did her last comp at 25!!at the wes championships at morton morel, im sure some dont make it but im sure no worse than jumping horses which definately isnt natual and ,yes its great to see reining and working cow horseI hope they will show some of the other great western clases on rural tv too.. its great people can learn about the big wide world out there and fantastic western riding and training .. and yes it is fantastic to ride a good reiner just awsome as the americans say

 

[perfect11s]

[ QUOTE ]
Good question. I'd love to know how many horses are injured or caused pain by the 'sliding stops' and the very, very fast spinning. I've never seen any figures for damaged horses but sense tells you for every professional on the 'well trained, specially bred' horses there must be thousands of numpties having a go doing it very badly. I watched a bit on the new Rural Channel and thought it was hideous. Not to say that other disciplines don't cause damage but the spinning and the sliding seem particularly bonkers to me. I suppose the sliding to a stop is used when roping calves but where does the spinning come in?

[/ QUOTE ]
reining is a little bit like dresage but whereas dressage was originally to show the training of your horse for its use in war reining was to show how good your horse could be to round up and sort cattle it has become just like dressage. a stylised version of a practical thing you would only need do a half spin to change direction if catching up with a calf for instance but things move on and now its more for fun than anything practical its huge in germany and europe and a quite a few shows here too its an FEI disapline hopefully will be an olympic sport too soon