The History of Reining
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The history of reining, and of all equestrian sports, starts, of course, with the domestication of the horse. When or how this exactly happened is disputed. Some evidence points to 4000BCE, while other evidence says that 2000BCE is a more likely point of domestication. Opinions also differ on the nature of domestication. Was it for meat? Transportation? Agricultural work? It is agreed that the taming took place in various areas of Eurasia. Mitochondrial DNA has been analyzed and found to be very diverse in horses, indicating that domestic horses stem from one of many, many original lines. This confirms that many different groups were domesticating horses around the same time. No doubt they recognized them for the benefits they would provide in agriculture, warfare and travel.
Reining developed much later in Mexico and Southwest America- not as a sport, but as a way of life. Vaqueros, traditionally Spanish and Native American ranchers, spent days upon days on the open range tending huge herds of cattle. In a world devoid of fences, barns or other forms of containment, the "cowboys" had to devise a way of controlling their herds. The horse was a necessity for it's speed and safety; after all it got the men off the ground and out of a raging bull's path. A good ranch horse was versatile and adjustable: he needed to hold and move cows, separate them from the herd or chase down runaways. He could speed into a gallop at the slightest touch of a spur and come to a dead halt at a flip of the reins. He would spin in any direction to keep with the cattle. He needed to respond to the smallest cues immediately. Vaqueros needed a hand free for their rope, so they rode their horses with only one hand on a loose rein.
Understandably, cowboys were proud of their hardworking cow horses. They started to participate in informal, impromptu competitions to show off their horses. It was a way to practice and demonstrate the horse's athleticism and obedience. In 1940, when the American Quarter Horse Association(AQHA) formed, horses had become a thing of the past for ranching. Fences had taken care of the need for so many reining horses. The sport wasn't lost, however. People had taken interest in the horses for recreation and reining was one of the many equestrian sports or "disciplines" explored. In 1950, The AQHA added reining to it's list of official equestrian sports. |
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Recognizing the new interest in the sport the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) formed in 1966 and reining bloomed. The NRHA developed a Futurity for reining horses, raised competition purses and designed a specified judging system of competitions. The sport, with popularity centered in America, was no longer about cows and the practical skills needed for a day on the range- it had morphed into a competition to produce a stylish, fluid and "pretty" run. It still included the same elements however; spins, sliding stops, large and small circles, canters and full out gallops. By 1986 The NRHA had created the reining hall of fame and the sport was fully recognized by equestrians, as seen in the rise of breeders aiming to produce world-class reining mounts.
Today, reining is defined as a judged Western riding event in which the rider guides his horse through a series of difficult and precise maneuvers requiring communication and ability in a specified pattern. It has continued to grow in popularity and the NRHA boasts upwards of 19,000 members. Reining has also made leaps and bounds to spread not only through America, but the entire world. In 1998 it was recognized as the first western discipline of the United States Equestrian Team (USET). In 2000 it was accepted into the Federation Equestre International (FEI) as an international sport and became the first ever western discipline (those that use horned Western saddles) to be included in the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in 2002. These have been memorable steps for reining and the western horse in a world that often regards English riding disciplines as more important, more legitimate and more difficult than its western counterparts.
For more information about reining history visit the following sites:
NRHA
Horse Digests
USEF
FEI
For more information about reining history visit the following sites:
NRHA
Horse Digests
USEF
FEI