I understand the scoring system, but what makes a good sliding stop? Rollback? Spin? What are the judges looking for in each movement?
At one time, I thought I knew what a good sliding stop. rollback and spin were, but apparently things have changed. At one time, reins held up at the horse’s earholes was a dq, and on the top third of the neck was marked down. The free hand looking like it is holding a bottle of beer wasn’t allowed either, but had to be in a natural position. Spins used to be in one place, not around a huge area, stops were smooth, with the horse’s butt lower than his head and backing before a rollback was lost points. I never thought I would see the day where reining horses went with their noses to the ground and wallowed through spins and rollbacks and apparently this is today’s new standard which leads me to believe judges look for peanut rollers that wallow through movements, and the closer the nose to the ground, the higher the points. Don’t mind me, I am just disgusted with what I saw - shut the damned thing down after Latimer finished bouncing around like a fart in a mitt.
If you want to see what reining was, google for Matlock Rose (I think I saw some clips), Blondy’s Dude, Diamonds Sparkle…no peanut rollers there.
Are there any on-line discussions agonising over the direction of the sport? Sounds like there is far more to complain about than in dressage…
Wasn’t Matlock Rose a cutter & not a reiner?
I’ve not followed reining for a long time. But it seems that the trends follow the wp horrors - noses dragging, wallowing gaits, and horses that don’t even look athletic with all the beef they are packing and those over straight legs.
He did both but was better known for cutting. Most of those old cutting horse trainers did both.
Okay, you make me feel better. I had watched the WEG reining and didn’t like what I saw (I used to do QHs back in the 80s, so do have a little western riding in my background), but thought it was just me being all hunter/jumper/dressage brainwashed or something. And your comment about the hand out like it was holding a bottle of beer – how true! There was one horse in particular – can’t remember what one – where I told my partner that I just didn’t “get it” – running with its nose on the ground then into the slide – was it to make it appear more dramatic? But, I have no idea anymore what is good or bad in that ring.
[QUOTE=suze;5135886]
Wasn’t Matlock Rose a cutter & not a reiner?[/QUOTE]
Yes…I rode off and on with Matlock Rose when he was married to Carol. When they were married, they stood serveral “all round” stallions. Back in those days, getting an AQHA championship on a stallion was a big deal. You did whatever the stallion did best to get the “heavy” performance points. The Roses had several trainers on site that were reining and roping trainers. Matlock may have shown a few, but he didn’t spend much time training them. He could throw a pretty good rope, though, back in those days. Sheesh, I’m ageing myself! 
I don’t feel like beating a dead horse tonight, so I won’t respond to all the inaccuracies in sk_pacer’s post. Like many disciplines, reining has “evolved” from the 60s and 70s. But reiners in the midwest have pretty much always performed like what you see before you now. We sent horses to Bobbie Loomis and Doug Milholland (who was in Nebraska at the time) for training. Our horses all went like the reiners you see today and this was back in the early 80s.
It sounds like sk_pacer is referring to “bridle” horse you saw on the West coast back in the old days. They were always referred to as “stock horses.” They have been history for quite some time. (I think I have a spade bit and a pair of romel reins around here somewhere!)
It takes a MUCH more athletic horse to be competitive in the reiners today. A lot of the present day reining patterns are a result of this more athletic horse.
I had to explain all this to the DH at a little local horse show today. What we used to call Texas vs Californio styles. The arabs stuck with the spade bit and the QH got overrun or overruled by the AQHA (from Texas). I actually like that the horses slide with very little rein action and the head down. I recall the CHR, an old CA magazine used to have bunches of June Fallaw pix with the horses’ heads thrown up and mouths agape 40 some odd years ago. ick.
So, enough about the olden days, what about the OP?
[QUOTE=kateh;5135238]
I understand the scoring system, but what makes a good sliding stop? Rollback? Spin? What are the judges looking for in each movement?[/QUOTE]
Suggest you get on the NRHA site and take a look at the rule book. Describing all this would take a small novel. People think reining is simple…it’s actualy more complicated and harder than it looks. And, that’s exactly the point! 
What Go Fish says…all I’ll add is I think the head down to stop is more about getting the back up, lower in hock so longer the stop. The “peanut rollers” are to show difference in fast-slow circles (and it’s not extend the gait/normal gait, it is fast and slow), but if you notice the ones that + in their circles do not peanut roll.
My sister is a pro and trains reiners, just won a class at Congress, and I am always blown away how nicely broke her 3, 4 year olds are. She had me ride a seasoned show horse once, and I thought for sure I was going to be spun off! When I “stopped” I thought we went like 60’, but my track showed about 10’…even asking for lead changes was different. MUCH harder than it looks! It was very cool though, sitting on a 3 year old stud colt and all I’d do is start to shift my seat to anticipate asking him stop and I could feel his hind end get under him and his back lift.
I think all in all, we all strive to have the same end result: a well-broke, obedient horse that understands his job and wants to work with his rider. Yes, there are several people who ruin the perception of any sport by doing unethical things, or resorting to short cut training devices/methods that may hurt the horse. But there ARE good ones who try to do what is in the best interest of the horse.
