Reining Essentials: How to Excel in Western's Hottest Sport

Brimming with expertise and insider information for one of the most popular competitions in Western riding, this definitive reining manual takes aspiring horseback riders through the initial steps—choosing a horse and perfecting the required maneuvers—all the way to becoming a confident competitor. What originated among cowboys working ranch cattle has clearly turned into one of the hottest disciplines in the Western tradition, with the National Reining Horse Association experiencing a dramatic 40 percent increase in membership over the past 10 years. From one of the top competitors and trainers in the sport, this essential guide contains the best methods for producing well-trained horses who can stop, spin, accelerate, and accept the rider's every cue.

Sandy Collier competed in her first horse show at the age of 6 and in the early 1980s she began to make a name for herself in California Reined Cow Horse Association events with wins in several categories. In 1991 she won the herd work preliminaries in the Snaffle Bit Futurity's open division, and in 1993 she won the World Championship Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Championship. She is the only female rider to win the world's toughest cow horse event. She lives in Buellton, California. Jennifer Forsberg Meyer is an avid horsewoman and editorial director of Horse & Rider. She is the author of The American Paint Horse, Clinton Anderson's Training on the Trail, and The Performance Horse. She lives in Labrobe, California. Al Dunning is a world champion reining and cutting horse trainer and the author of Reining.