Horse Rundown Analysis

The elaborate procedures in reining need to be broken down for non riders and riders alike comprehensions. The circles in the patterns need to be symmetrical and well rounded. The large fast circles should take up most of the arena ,and the slower small circles need to be around half of the size of the larger circles. There should be a definitive change in the speeds of the different circles that is noticeable to the judges. The horse needs to have a flat topline, this means the horse's head and neck to be in a straight line with his back and hips ,so that when he runs he appears balanced and his movements look smooth with his head lowered not generally raised above his shoulder. The next maneuver a rundown takes place when a horse goes in …show more content…
The canter at the beginning of the rundown progresses into a fully extended gallop and finally the rider will sit down in his seat. Sitting down in his seat is for the horse to feel his weight distribution change and so that the rider can remain seated. When the horse stops in the slide it is abrupt ,so the rider sits hard in the saddle so he can remain balanced. The horse sits on his haunches and digs into the ground using his front feet to draw himself forward. While sliding, the horse should appear to have a collected calm demeanor and his head lowered with a loose rein. The slide is the hallmark of the sport of reining. At the end of the rundown after the slide the horse should be prepared to do a rollback or possibly back up. Upon completion of the slide the horse needs to be alert ,but not anticipating the next move. Anticipating the riders next move is a downfall to many elite horses. The horse may start backing or go into a rollback when it is required by the pattern to stand, this would result in the team being off …show more content…
These turns are always made toward the outside wall of the arena. The back feet of the horse should remain planted in the original spot they started during this turn. Rollbacks are followed by immediately cantering off to go to the next thing. If the pattern says to back up ,instead of doing a rollback, the horse should immediately respond to the riders cue. The horse needs a low head set ,which means to have his head down and nose tucked in enough to have a horizontal line with his face, and to gather under himself. Backing up needs to be quick and straight as can be. If the pattern requires neither of these then it may call for a hesitation ,where you should wait for a few seconds, then a spin. The spin is an impressive maneuver. In training, horses begin by walking in a circle until they spin. In the ring this however is not an option, the horse needs to begin from a standstill. The riders use his leg on the outside of where he wants to spin and pushes right behind the horse's shoulder. The constant pressure of behind the shoulder is what causes the horse to spin. When you remove your leg the horse stops spinning into a dead stop. The rider should remove his leg in the way he wants to spin to give the horse somewhere to go. This maneuver should be done on a loose rein as to not