The 2006 World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Aachen, -Germany, brought the Fede-ration Equestre Internationale (FEI) discipline of reining to the -attention of the world. The -dazzling displays gave the Internation-al equestrian fraternity a new respect for this highly competitive discipline.

The first two questions riders interested in reining ask, are: What type of horse do I need and how do I train my horse to do spins and sliding stops? Any breed has individual -animals suitable for reining. The primary characteristics for a reining horse are a quiet, willing disposition; strong feet and hindquarters; correct legs; and good overall conformation.

The most desirable height is between 14,2 and 15,2 hh. The Quarter Horse, Paint, Pinto and SA Boerperd breeds consistently produce talented reining horses with Arabians and -Appaloosas often showing the temperament and athletic ability necessary for competition.

Teaching the basics
Before you begin trying to teach the horse to stop and slide, spin, or stop and roll back, it needs to have all the basic skills for pleasure riding. Professional trainers start the young horse with a limited amount of groundwork, but with a lot of "saddle time" to teach it to go forward willingly and quietly.

Most of the work is done in a bosal hackamore or snaffle with loose reins and the horse is ridden on outrides in varied terrain to allow it to develop "self-carriage". The object is to create a quiet horse that moves forward readily with no attempt to "force" the young animal to collect itself.

Many hours under saddle generally teach the young horse to carry itself with a rounded back, its back legs slightly under it, and a low head. After about 30 days, the young animal’s formal training begins.

Formal training
The basics for reining are the same as for -dressage. The horse must learn to take its leads readily, to lope a circle without dropping its shoulder in, to do a simple "flying" change of lead on the straight line between two circles, stop, back rapidly for 10 m, and stand quietly. As the horse gains strength and balance, the speed of the circles increases to a gallop.

When the young animal will transition from a lope to a gallop and back without -losing cadence, remains balanced throughout the circles, and is able to perform these exercises both directions quietly, without any resistance, it is time to start the sliding stop.

The sliding stop
Most trainers use a solid obstacle at the end of the arena to teach the young horse to stop in a practice called "fencing". Starting at the jog, the rider holds the horse straight and forces it into the obstacle. Just as the horse sits back on its own, the rider signals the stop.

The signal is created when the rider leans back from the hips, taking his legs away from the animal’s sides and putting his feet forward so that the heels are just above the elbow.

When the horse is consistently stopping from the jog with its rear end down, the process is repeated at the lope and finally at the full gallop, until the horse understands that it must sit down on its haunches and stop "hard" when the rider sits back and releases his legs. When the horse and rider can repeat the process on a straight line without using the fence, it is time to practice the slide.

Proper footing
In the showring you have limited time to catch the judges' eye. It you want to stand out from the crowd and make a good impression, you and your horse need to be a neat looking pair. The judge will always favour the better turned out horse and rider. Luckily you don't need the most expensive tack and outfits to achieve this goal.

When choosing your western show equipment, everything should coordinate. The bridle should match the saddle, the horse's colour should coordinate with the saddle blanket and your outfit should match the saddle blanket.

Western tack can be very plain or covered in silver. You will never be placed down if you do not have silver mountings on your bridles or saddles, as long as your tack is neat, clean and in good repair. You should at least have a separate show saddle blanket. Brush and vacuum it between competitions, and put it away to keep it neat. And always check the rules of the association to make sure that your equipment is legal.

Dress it up
Western attire consists of pants, a shirt, cowboy boots, belt and a hat. The chaps, spurs and gloves are optional. The outfits can be very different depending on your personality, fashions, colour choice and discipline.

The rules state that the shirt should be long- sleeved with a collar (including polar necks or regular shirt collars) and the pants can either be jeans, chinos or show slacks. That doesn't mean the old worn denims you wear every day, but rather neat, plain denims.

The hat can be either a regular cowboy hat (made from felt or straw), safety stetson or a riding helmet. You will not be judged down for competing in a helmet if you choose to and youths are required to wear a helmet in certain associations. Your boots should be plain, simple and either be the colour of your slacks or chaps.

The showring is not the place to show off your trophy belt buckle, as it distracts from the outfit. The belt buckle should be plain, small and discreet, bigger is not always better. Chaps are optional but when they are worn should be shotgun chaps, in a plain discreet colour coordinating with the rest of your outfit. Spurs are also optional and can either be blunt, roweled spurs or ball spurs (also called humane spurs).

In reining, the outfits are very plain, whereas the outfits in the showing classes are bold and stand out. In reining the male and female competitors both wear a plain, long- sleeve shirt and pants.

In the showing classes your outfit is chosen to catch the judge's eye. Sequins and glitter are often added to the female competitors' shirts to make them stand out more. Brightly coloured waist coats can also be added to female outfits. Male competitors wear brightly coloured shirts. This doesn't mean the outfit should be completely overboard – it should still be flattering and tasteful.

Turn out your partner
When turning out your horse, it should start at home, weeks and even months before the competition. Take care of your horse and keep it in good physical condition. Regular mane and tail care should be part of your maintenance routine.

If you decide to clip your horse, this should be done at least ten days before the show. Wash your horse two days before the show. If your horse is grey, he should be washed the day before the show and a fleece blanket put on to prevent the hair from standing up.

Your horse's mane should be neat and clean. It is fashionable in the USA to show western pleasure, trail, horsemanship, western riding and halter classes with the mane banded. However, it is not mandatory. If you decide to braid, it should be done the evening before the show, the mane should be pulled to a 8 cm and small flat "ponytails" should be done. Put a slinky on to keep them flat.

The extra hair on the legs should be clipped off and if the horse has white markings, these should also be clipped. The horse's hair under his jaw should be trimmed. When showing Quarter Horses, they should have a bridle path the length of the ear clipped, though this is no longer fashionable for reining horses.

The ears should be clipped out, this is not mandatory for reining, but it assists in keeping the ears clean. If you are not good at clipping get a professional to assist you.

At the show
Always arrive at the show with plenty of time to clean your horse thoroughly. Use a good quality tail guard when travelling to the show to prevent damage to the tail. Be careful not to spray show sheen where the saddle goes, as it will cause the saddle to shift.

Attach your number to your saddle blanket. Before your class your tack should be wiped clean of any dust, the tail should be brushed out again and sprayed with a show sheen to prevent tangling. Baby oil should be applied to your horse's nose and eye banks.

The hooves should be blackened, generally shoe polish is used though there are varnishes that can be used but should be removed immediately after the competition.