Canter Aids for a Reiner - What Am I Screwing Up?

[ytr45]

Hi Guys,

We recently got a nice reining horse (has shown in the open pro division, so he knows his stuff).

The trainer said that basically he would never take the wrong lead…its against his religion . And when we tried him at the owners stables he was perfect everytime (in an indoor).

Now he’s at our place, and an english rider, the aids i use for a canter depart from a trot are:

1)sit up
2)outside leg behind the girth
3) inside leg at the girth (although its really the outside leg).

I’m confused, becuz in our ring, the horse has been taking the wrong lead every time.

What is the disconnect between me and the horse? I’m embarrassed to be screwing up on him, since he’s a pro. I’m waiting for my instructor to come and help me out, but thought I’d ask her.

thanks!

[UrbanHennery]

No inside leg. Typically the cue for lope on a reiner is outside leg just behind the girth with the inside leg off. He may or may not be looking for a small cluck as well (depends on the trainer).

[KBC]

Maybe try departing from the walk? Are you riding one handed or two, now in a western saddle or English?

[Bluey]

Yep, sit deep and square and cluck, he should do canter departs in whatever direction you are pointing.

Remember the 2" square on finished reiners, that is all your hand should move, with drapey reins.
Signal with the slightest rein movement for direction, use very light outside leg only and cluck.

A friend was using my old ranch horse, that is a reiner, for a pony horse and said she could not get him to canter at all.
I said, cluck to him, she did and that is all it took.
She still laughs about that one.

[SportArab]

A lot of western horses are trained to canter at the kissing sound. And just the outside leg cueing behind the girth.

[Donkaloosa]

Forget the inside leg and just use the outside leg. May or may not have to cluck.

[bugsynskeeter]

Outside leg only and kiss. Don’t trot. Reiners don’t trot unless they are working on turn-arounds. The last thing I wanted was my reiner to think that it was “ok” to trot into a lope departure. That’s a 2 point penalty.

[findeight]

Ditto, Western does not use the “scissor legs”, just one and a slightly dropped hip deeper in the seat. Usually all using an inside leg ahead of the girth is going to do on a Western horse that’s well trained at that job is confuse them. And never trot into the canter.

Verbal cues can be a deduction and anything other then a soft hiss or oooooo is frowned upon. It’s about how little motion or vocal help the rider has to use over on the Western side. Much more subtle then hunt seat or even Dressage. Makes sense for a discipline with roots in very long days in the saddle.

[ytr45]

ok, sorry guys, actually i only put the “inside leg at the girth” comment becuz English riders might be reading my post and get all upset if I left it out

I think the issue might be going from trot to canter, from what you folks are saying. Maybe he’s not used to it - at all - and needs some help with the balancing?

Is it possible that a reining horse has never been schooled in trot-canter xsitions? I’d much rather know that is the challenge, verses me screwing it up.

I love reining and our little reining horse, just want to understand him better.

[amtrucco]

Reiners are taught to NOT trot into a canter. At no point in a reining pattern will a horse ever trot into a canter departure - and to do so is a 2 point penalty from each judge (thats a BIG penalty). It’s not something they are taught because it’s a cue they should never use.

Ask him to lope off from a stop or a walk. Sit deeper than you are used to and further back, you can pick up your hand an inch or two and angle it slightly to your outside shoulder. Add your outside leg and kiss (cluck = trot, kiss = lope) then once he lopes off release your hand.

Reiners will use inside leg to help bend and support them around the circle, but not to lope off. You can get balance there, but I wouldn’t school a trot to lope transition heavily. Honestly he likely knows how to do it, but the aids and seat are different so he’s likely confused.

Hope that helps.

[craz4crtrs]

Also, I have found our reining trained gelding really sucks back at the trot, he was trained not to trot out. I also ride dressage, so I encourage him to stretch and trot out, but never into a lope. He picks up the lope beautifully with outside leg back and lift inside hip. Teaching a horse to trot out comfortably is hard, so I try to take him out in the pasture to do long trot stretching into the bit. Its slow, but he’s getting it.

My little ranch mare has about 4 trot gears and a big lope, whole different horse to ride. She has been learning trot means go, and walk to lope only which makes her much more balanced at the lope…er big canter. The jog is great on both of them.

So less is more picking up the lope.

[findeight]

Remember that a PROPER trot to canter transition on a hunt seat horse is out of a sitting trot. Even if asked for when posting, you sit deep for a trot step or two then go right to canter. You keep posting, they keep trotting and tipping forward. Collect, sit and lift then step forward to canter.

For now, just walk but only for two or three steps. Reiner, or most other Western division, transitions are much sharper, it will take some adjustment for both of you. Patience and don’t get frustrated with misunderstanding. This will take you some time. Relax. Let the horse relax.