Yes! I know even experienced trainers (and myself) who have said, why the heck did I get under marked? My horse was so good! A d the. They watch the video and it’s…oh, well it felt a lot better than it looked! 
Reining keeps your humble and at the end of the day, it’s about you and your horse. You’re showing to be the best you can be, some of my most memorable runs weren’t the ones I won, it was 3rd at Congress or Reserve in the North American Affiliate Finals in OKC. Wins are special but it’s about the ride!
Yep, reining well is about more than not being late behind or chargey on a change, or 1/4 over on a spin stop, or leaning into a circle.
It is way harder than it looks to ride a whole pattern and be correct every step of the way.
I agree with you, the lesser riding/performances become painful to watch the more you know.
So, so much in reining is about that pesky educated eye and, really, we can’t see ourselves when we are riding like the judge can.
That is why reining is not for those that try to wing it on their own or with poorly trained horses or not very knowledgeable instructors.
I think the OP has been directed to the right path to find a good trainer to learn from and how important that is to reining.
Thank you everyone - we are headed up to Ione for a lesson next weekend! Super helpful - thank you everyone! So very different yet a bit of the same in the world of H/J’s. I will say the one thing I agree - the IEA shows are a mixed bag with regards to horses. You can have some amazing horses and you can also have some pretty awful twats. If we could not afford our horses it would be a great way to get riding time and experience - with the understanding it’s a mixed bag of different rides.
Good luck and have a blast! Please let us know what you think of reining after you give it a try! Your daughter is extremely fortunate to have a parent that is able to provide great equine opportunities for her!
Hoping to get an update from the OP - I’m also in this area, and looking to try something different and fun this summer!
Hi! We ended up at the lovely Boyle ranch in Ione with Amy Walden. It seems - the closest solid reining programs are all an hour plus away from the Bay Area. The Boyle’s are fantastic and we were able to take lessons on a very nice reiner they had available. We did end up purchasing a horse with the help of Amy - as leasing isn’t really a “thing” in reining and lesson horses are far and few between. It’s worked out well for us - we board here in the bay area and trailer up to Ione 1 day a week for lessons. We have also found that trailering in for lessons is very common as is leaving your horse in training and only riding 1 or 2 days a week. I think buying a horse is so much more reasonable in the reining world. We bought lovely little horse for a fraction of the cost of a comparable horse in the HJ work. It’s also much more reasonable putting the horse in training…all in all you don’t need to be the Gates or Siebel’s to afford to do the sport.
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Thanks for the update, I’m glad to hear it’s working out! (though sad you didn’t uncover a hidden gem right here in Woodside with lesson horses galore )
