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
Footing is the most critical issue in creating the slide. The arena base should be almost rock hard, smooth and covered by 5 cm of high-quality sand. Spectacular slides can only come on proper footing and are the result of patient, consistent practice so that the horse becomes comfortable sitting on its haunches and "running down" with its front legs for longer and longer distances.

American trainer, Sue More Mesa, explains the intricate process of teaching the horse to spin and roll back, the final manoeuvres -required for a finished reining horse:

"Teaching both the spin and the roll-back require two skills: The rider needs the horse moving off of the leg and following the bit. Simple? Not really. The horse must be moving freely and quickly away from the heel or spur, without resistance, anger or fear, and the horse needs to follow the bit without hanging on it, bracing against it or falling behind it."

A snaffle bit is used to start the spin. The rider lifts the rein on the side that he wants to turn toward and brings it out and back -towards the cantle of the saddle in an exaggerated -motion. The rider's leg on that side needs to come out away from the horse to "open the door" for the horse's shoulder.

The rider's opposite leg is forward at the girth – even up on the horse's shoulder – bumping it with the heel to make the -shoulder move over into the leading rein. When the horse follows the rein freely, it is rewarded by being allowed to walk in a straight line before the rider asks for the turn again.

The open rein
At first all the horse is asked to do is to follow its nose around in a circle. The rein not leading the horse is open, away from the horse, not touching the neck. When the horse is freely following the leading rein, the tension is -released, only being applied to help maintain the "turnaround" while pressure of the heel is used on or just in front the girth to keep the horse from moving away from it. The dia-meter of the circle is gradually reduced, until the horse is turning in place.

Remember to start slow. Speed and precision will come with time, experience, and the horse's balance – the initial objective is to get the horse turning in place on its haunches. If the horse braces or is pulling against the bit, snap the rein quickly and hard, releasing the pressure instantly, to gain the respect of the horse for the bit.

It is the natural inclination of humans to use our hands first and the rest of the body second. In riding the hands are a necessary part, but it is only a part. The spin and the roll-back must come from the leg and seat.

As the horse becomes freer and freer in its turnaround while remaining in place, the use of the rein becomes less and less after the -initial set up for the exercise. The fast spin comes from the spur at the girth or shoulder. The rider needs to make sure to look in the -direction of the spin to align the seat bones correctly and open the door for the horse.

Eventually the spin will be done by signalling with very slight pressure on the reins, straight back to stop the forward motion of the horse, with the rider's legs guiding the horse in the direction it should go. The neck of the horse should have only a slight bend in the direction it is going. A finished horse will work totally off the rider's seat and legs with the reins slack.

Doing the roll-back
The roll-back is a half-spin done from a stop from the lope or gallop. Do not start the roll-back until the horse stops willingly and quickly with its hind legs under it and it is doing the spins without any resistance.

To see if the horse is ready to start the roll-back, lope in a circle until the horse is settled and wants to stop. As the rider comes to the section of the circle away from the fence, cue the horse for the halt by tapping the reins, leaning back, moving the legs -forward to -signal the halt.

The horse should stop immediately upon the cues, with its haunches lowered. If it doesn't, it isn't ready to attempt the roll-back. The horse should also be able to pick up the lope in the correct lead from the halt or at least from the walk or it is not ready for the roll-back.

When the horse is able to accomplish the above, it is ready to attempt the roll-back. The rider may begin by either -loping along a wall, coming to a stop, spinning into the wall then loping out. Or the rider may try loping straight into the wall or fence of the arena, stopping at the last possible instant, spinning around and loping off.

If the horse hangs on the bit or braces in the bridle, it needs to be snapped off and more leg applied. If the horse is not -moving quickly and freely off the heel or spur, that resistance must be addressed before -attempting either the spin or the roll back.

Time and patience are the two biggest components of training the reining horse. To do -otherwise is to risk injury and create a -resistant animal.