Rode my friends Reining Horse!

[Brookes]

Talk about totally cool! Her horse is incredible! Hate the saddle thing, but at least I had something to hang onto! I needed it, slide stop! I got to do a couple of little spins, hanging on for dear life, I was dizzy after! This mare is awesome, she does it all! Her lead changes were sooo smooth I had to look down to make sure she actually had changed! I gotta get me one these puppies! It was definately an education, Western Dressage at it’s best. If you ever get a chance to ride one of these guys grap it! I can’t wait to ride her again! Thank god for that big ole’ saddle horn, saved my sorry butt more than once! Too much fun!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!!

[Jen_West]

flying changes should be that smooth!

This is my point of reference when I criticize what I perceive as heavy-handed floppy-legged international GP competitors.

If a Coors Light swilling cowboy can ride a big wide roper at a full gallop w/out bouncing in the saddle…
If a Coors Light swilling cowboy can get SMOOTH flying changes out of a green colt without seeming to move a muscle…
If a Coors Light swilling cowboy can get downward transitions on a green colt without pulling on the horse’s head…

[Brookes]

Geez Suzy, duh! There is no comparison, totally different sport, if her reining horse did a nice dressage change I would have probably fallen off for sure, not what I was expecting. I didn’t even have to ask for this horse to change, she just did it when I did the pattern thingie. No help from me, I probably would have confused the poor little thing, and I mean little, she is 15.2 hands, not what I am used to for sure. Boy can that mare move!

As for advice pertaining to not needing the horn when I sit correctly in western saddle, I will never let go, do you hear me! I value my life! This quarter horse gives handy a whole new meaning! Little darn rocket ship! I want a seat belt thank you very much! My next mission is to ride a cutting horse, I know I’m gonna fall off for sure, oh well hard hat will be on that day!

On another note I have seen with my own eyes cowboys swilling bud, not bud lite, just plain ole bud. Perhaps it is a west coast thang!

I am going to miss the grand nationals this year, darn it, love them rope throwing, tight jeans wearing, bulldoging dudes!! Oh and their wonderful horses! I can just picture my big dumbloods chasing calfs, yeah that’s gonna happen. “What me? Chase that thing? I don’t think so, I might scuff my hoofies!”

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!!

[This message was edited by Brookes on Oct. 04, 2001 at 01:44 PM.]

[findeight]

Never done dressage but the smooth low change in the Reining Horse is the same as the Hunters. You don’t want to see the change, it just happens. My TB does a good mini sliding stop and rein back too, can’'t spin worth a d&*# though. Had to choose between the two but when I’m too old to jump, a reiner for me, or maybe a Saddlebred.

From Allergy Valley USA

[suzy]

It’s time for a reading comprehension course. You have twisted or misinterpreted most of what I’ve written as well as that of others. I NEVER ran down cowboys. I never even mentioned cowboys. Go back and read again, and you can see for yourself.

[Sonesta]

Thanks for the kind words about Feiner Still. He did GREAT at his Hanoverian inspection today! Wanna buy him? And I’m delighted that Kathy bought Pilar. She says she may do embryo transfer on her next year. Yikes!

Rebecca www.sonestafarms.com
“Find something you love & call it work.”

[Brookes]

jen! I wanna be a coors light (actually Corona) swilling cowboy if I can get the smooth transitions like this! Heck I even have a cowboy hat, (psst don’t tell anyone!) All I need is chaps and a feisty little ole quarter horse. I think I’ll name her Ima Otey Eater!!!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!!

[suzy]

Brookes, I was responding to Jen West’s comments that “ALL flying changes should be that smooth.” If she had said “ALL WESTERN flying changes should be that smooth” that would have been one thing and I wouldn’t have posted. I don’t think that your rude response was deserved or called for. Furthermore, considering that this forum is called “The Dressage Forum,” it’s natural that a person would be thinking of the various movements in the context of dressage rather than western riding. JMO though.

[Cactuskate]

Oh what the heck I’ll jump in the deep end…

For what it is worth, I just watched a video from 1989 of Guenther Sidel riding a friend of mine’s horse, Numir. At the time my friend still owned him. It was during a clinic with Robert Dover. Dover gets on the horse, who is 18 hands mind you. They are working on promptness to the leg aid and trot-halt transitions.

Now it is something to watch Dover getting this horse so under himself and engaging that he is actually doing mini-sliding stops. Not the bazillion foot version saved for “State Fair”. But the horse had his hind end sliding up under him while halting. Few steps trot…bzzzt slide halt, few steps trot…bzzzt slide halt.

Anyway, I thought it was cool when I watched it, and here the “reining horse” thread is. So maybe engagement can be engagement.

“The older I get, the better I used to be, but who the heck cares!”

[Louise]

Knock off the sniping back and forth please. I just had to delete one post, don’t make me delete any more.

[suzy]

Congratulations. You must be thrilled. Do you have any new pictures of him for your website?

If I could have a second horse, you would have already gotten a phone call from me!

[BBowen]

Reining is so much fun. I grew up riding reiners and barrels. Once you get use to the movements, you sit right in the middle of the saddle and won’t need the horn.

Glad you had a great time. I wish I could afford two horses. I would definitely buy a reining horse and keep my Dutch Warmblood for the English disciplines. Maybe I will win the lottery.

[Brookes]

Geez Suzy, I was trying to be funny. Guess I missed the mark here, thought we were having fun, guess I was wrong! After the beer swilling thoughts I didn’t believe this thread to be so terribly serious. As to being rude I guess your response was perfectly cordial.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!!

[Jen_West]

I am so freaking sorry that drunk cowboys and stoned barrel racers perform better- ie, smoother, subtler, more “cueless”- flying changes than most “dressagers”. Don’t run the cowboys down because they perform well drunk. NeverTime, I was in eastern Oregon, ie, Hermiston, Pendleton, The Desert, and those Coors Light swilling men that I knew weren’t RODEO cowboys, they weren’t RANCHERS, and they for damn sure weren’t sober and they weren’t pissing and moaning about riding “deep.” They rode their horses long, as low or high as the horse wished to go, and the horses goddammed changed leads when asked without flipping their asses all over creation and flipping their tails over their backs.

IF you have a video of a GPer doing an “effortless” flying change, let me know. If you have seen a non-switchy flying change or two on OLN let me know. The idea, god forbid we look at the classical requirements, is that the flying change be EFFORTLESS, the AIDS be undetectable, and that change be SMOOTH. Here in Oregon we have a Dad Potter award in which this smooth straight flying change must be performed to win the award. I have YET to see on OLN World Cup Dressage a flying change that would be considered acceptable in Oregon’s Dad Potter awards program.
It is possible that the Dad Potter award is only given to those who achieve an unrealistic ideal, but if many many 4-Hers through the years can win this, how is it that international competitors are incapable of performing the minimum requirements for a 4-H award? One flip into the flank with a spur, and the competitor is ELIMINATED from the FOUR-H award, oh, but not from winning an international medal. Pfbt.

[Sonesta]

“How cool! They are comparing good reining and good dressage. This will be interesting.” What a letdown to find the petty sniping.

Let’s get back on track: I was raised in Texas. Yep. Cowboy country. And it’s Coors, here. Anyway, I rode reiners long before I’d even heard of dressage and warmbloods. I saw right away that reining is western dressage – and the horse has to carry HIMSELF with no help from the rider.

I love dressage, but still tend to use reining techniques in training. I want REAL self carriage and cringe when I see a person literally holding a horse together in a test.

By the way, the coolest demo I’ve ever seen was Lendon Gray and a top reiner (forgot his name) at the 1996 Olympics during a lull in the eventing phase, doing a pas de deux. Lendon would do a canter piroette at one end of the ring while the reiner did spins at the other. Lendon would march directly down the center line toward the reiner as he backed up the straight line all the way to C. Etc. It was just beautiful.

Rebecca www.sonestafarms.com
“Find something you love & call it work.”

[Sonesta]

when I get the film deveolped, but the video did not turn out AT ALL. The indoor was too dark and the sunlight too bright outside, making for terrible video conditions. Rats! and he looked so cute in his braids!

Rebecca www.sonestafarms.com
“Find something you love & call it work.”

[LisaW-B]

DQs should start swilling Coors Light!

[suzy]

Brookes, reread your post. I just can’t find the “humor” and there are no emoticons to indicate that your response was intended to be humorous. My response was not cordial; it was factual.

[Jen_West]

I would still BE in eastern Oregon, right next to the Irrigon, Oregon (Umatilla) anthrax/nerve gas depot. It was the freaking Coors LIGHT that sent me screaming for the western side of the state, not the Anthrax, not the NERVE GAS, not the Barrel racers (who are only one step below the dressagers I’ve met out here as far as “abuse” nasty bits, and all around ignorance go), and not even Hanford, nope, it was the CHRONIC Coors Light (every dam 7-11, Safeway- ope- no Fred Meyer’s, no Albertsons, no Cub Foods, no???- just SAFEWAY, 7-11 and COORS LIGHT!@!!!).

[Brookes]

Geez you guys! I’m never riding that silly horse again if this is what is going to happen! Actually I am riding her again tomorrow! I promise “not” to report on it no matter how much fun I have! I won’t do any changes, yeah like I had control over those! My friend that owns her is a big time western judge, I told her about the flying change issues, she laughed! She thinks that western changes versus dressage changes are apples and oranges! She said something that I liked. . .“western changes are a function of the change of lead, dressage changes are a statement of the change of lead.”

Jen West, I’m sending you that six o’ bud now!!

Sorry I started the flying change war Louise!! I’m switzerland! I’m staying neutral! Even if I agree with Suzy.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!!