If a reining horse is wearing sliding plates to help him slide better when doing a pattern, how does he have enough traction to grip the ground properly when he's doing those fast circles or other maneuvers? What about slick grass in the pasture?
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ohthunderbelle doesnt dance she boogies
ANSWERS: 2
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He doesn't. That's why it's insane to use them. If you can't get an honest, good straight stop (with some slide) from your horse, then you don't know how to train or your horse isn't that good. Don't use sliders just to excite the crowd. Think of the horse, instead. When the horse then has to do it's circling, it has to pick up it's hind feet much higher and quicker to make up for feeling like he's losing his traction and balance. I used to think reining was just to epitome of western riding and then I started to see the hardships it causes on the horse, how they just aren't meant to do that, all with their head down, often below their withers. It's sad. Western pleasure has killed the spirit of western riding:-(
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Putting sliders on a reiner is not insane, a horse learns how to travel in sliders through time. While training a reiner we will usually put sliders on with in the first couple of months of training, some time sooner or later depending on the athletic ability of the colt your riding. Through out the horses training they learn how to travel and balance. we start slow and gradually pick up speed as they can take it. You have to remember that these horses athletes that have extreem athletic ability and by not putting sliders on and stopping them to much you can really hurt them. Think of it as an olimpic sprinter,figure skater or even long jumping, everyone of these athletes wear the proper shoes to do the job.I dont know what level you show at but as a trainer I show in the open and any open horse can slide without plates, but you are putting tremendous strain on thier hocks,stifles pasterns and in time you will hurt them.
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