Beautiful spins and powerful stops mingled with original costumes and musical
themes - the $15,000 RAM Invitational Freestyle Reining is one of the National
Western Stock Show's hottest tickets.
One of the Western horseman's most popular events, reining is a virtual rising
star in the horse industry. It is the newest event on the slate of activities to
be added to Olympic competition, and winning a single championship at a national
competition can make a horse and trainer the buzz of the entire industry.
Reining developed from the moves a cow horse is asked to perform during regular
ranch duties. Competitive patterns include spins, stops, rollbacks, speed
variations, and directional changes
However, unlike most reining classes, which require competitors perform a
specified standard pattern, freestyle reining uses costumes, music, themes,
props and special effects lighting to add to their presentation.
The National Western Horse Show invites the nation's top reiners, making the
$15,000 RAM Invitational Freestyle Reining unique to any horse show in the
world. Even if this is your first horse show, you're sure to love reining's
elegance and athleticism.