In 2000, reining horses made a total of $4 million in the US. This figure rose to approximately $12.5 million in 2010, reflecting a 150% increase. Unlike cutting horses, their reining counterparts are raised for competition and rarely used for actual ranch work. Trained from the age of six months, these horses have high tolerance for physical exercise. Reining horses for sale usually feature a pedigree of stock horse breeds, especially the American Quarter Horse. Reining competitions are a test of the horse's ability to do spins, circles and stops. There is a fixed set of movements, based on which the rider and horse are scored.
Movements That Reining Horses for Sale Should Know
There are certain movements that reining horses for sale should all be trained in. The horse is trained in such a way that these movements are almost instinctive for them.
Circles: The horse must be able to perform large and quick circles at a near gallop speed, and smaller circles at a lope. The circles should be perfectly round, and the rider should be able to control the speed.
Flying lead change: During the suspension phase of the gait, the horse must be able to change its leading front and hind legs mid stride, while in a lope.
Rundown: While maintaining a distance of 20 feet from the fence, any horse trained for reining must be able to gallop down the long side of the competition arena.
Sliding stop: This is a particularly tricky move, since it requires precision for the horse to finish the movement in a straight line. For this move, the horse has to gallop down the arena and suddenly come to a halt, by allowing his hind feet to slide down, while his forefeet are in the 'walking' movement.
Back or backup: The horse backs up rapidly for about 10 feet. The backing up must be in a straight line and the horse must stop when asked to, while showing hesitation before going into the next move.
Rollback: A rollback is a continuous movement, where the horse has to turn 180 degrees after a sliding stop, and immediately move forward in a lope.
Spins or turnarounds: As the name suggests, the horse needs to do a 360-degree spin, while keeping his hind legs stationary. This move is judged on correctness, cadence and smoothness.
Well-trained reining horses for sale should be able to perform all of these movements. To ensure that you buy only well-trained horses, select from a respected ranch.