Ignorant reining questions

[RugBug]

@ladyj79

I rode this horse. Yep a real working cow horse sure will put his head down to work.

There’s a difference when they put their heads down to work a cow vs. when they are cantering.

@roseymare

Low heads do not always tropers make. It is the constant slowing and backing off of speed that makes a troper. Now I admit sometimes that does go hand in hand but not typically with reining trainers. They still like to go fast sometimes!

Sure…and maybe trope wasn’t the ride word…that should probably be used for WP only.

But they were certainly four-beating, which I have a hard time seeing as anything but an error no matter the discipline. And this was one of the top horses…

anyway, I feel like it’s on the same trajectory as all showing disciplines: humans get involved and think where a little is good, a lot must be better. Slower, lower, longer slides, blah, blah, blah.

I prefer ranch work…but then I saw what they are doing there (in the show pen) and I was also sad. I’m sure they look at what I do and feel the same. It’s the human factor.

[RugBug]

@caffeinated

I got to sit on a cutting horse once. It was a disaster, LOL. We were supposed to just walk them around, which I was FINE with, when, I don’t know what I did, I moved the reins like a fraction of an inch forward or something and the horse just scooted forward like I’d booted him. Which naturally caused me to get left behind a bit. Which caused him to stop immediately. Which caused me to fall forward… we started and stopped a few times like that before I got it sorted, but not until I nearly came off a few times, LOL

I’d be on the ground in an instant. I got a lovely introduction to working cows…on a horse that really took care of me. Only turned as fast as I asked and was just perfect for a first timer. I can’t wait to try again…but still don’t want to do it on a show ring cutter.

[roseymare]

@RugBug

True all tropes are not created equal!

[RoughOut]

@RugBug

But they were certainly four-beating, which I have a hard time seeing as anything but an error no matter the discipline. And this was one of the top horses…

anyway, I feel like it’s on the same trajectory as all showing disciplines: humans get involved and think where a little is good, a lot must be better. Slower, lower, longer slides, blah, blah, blah.

I saw a slight 4 beat on some. I figure it was probably penalized but they made up for it in other parts of the pattern. Kind of like when Satchmo “had a moment” with Isabel Werth in Hong Kong but still won Silver. I guess that’s why no one ever gets 100%.

I show reining and when you go all out in your large fast circles its easy to sink em right back into “too slow” for your small slow. You want to make a big noticeable difference within the gait but it can be easy to hold too much with your seat and get a four beat.

And I agree about showing … everything to the extreme!

[NoSuchPerson]

@roseymare

It is the constant slowing and backing off of speed that makes a troper.

Disagree. “Trope” is commonly used to describe a lope that has deteriorated into a 4 beat gait. And on the day I watched reining at WEG, there were definitely some horses who were troping during their slow circles. At least one did it for most of the circle, several more dropped into it for a few strides.

From my perspective, trope isn’t about speed, it’s about loss of collection. A horse can lope/canter at a snails pace and still maintain a 3 beat gait as long as they can keep their hind end underneath them.

[roseymare]

@NoSuchPerson

From my perspective, trope isn’t about speed, it’s about loss of collection. A horse can lope/canter at a snails pace and still maintain a 3 beat gait as long as they can keep their hind end underneath them.

Horses don’t typically trope fast though.
That is what I was saying. The constant backing off and slowing down. Backing off in my sentence refers to just picking at thier face and not asking them to collect.

And trope in my vernacular means a horrid case of four beating with no collection at all. Horses learn it really easily unfortunately.