With Matthew Hudson - When a horse is collected – which means that he is engaged from behind and elevated up front and light in the mouth – it is much easier for him to perform any required task, especially the demanding manoeuvres of a reining pattern. If we can make it easier for the horse, then, in turn, he will be more willing mentally to try. If you try to get your horse to spin or do a sliding stop when he is strung out, hollow-backed with most of his weight on the forehand, high-headed, and heavy in your hands, it won’t be easy for you or the horse, and it definitely won’t be pretty.

“Tried and true bloodlines are your best starting point for selecting a prospect, but then you have to go with the horse as an individual because you can have great bloodlines but the horse isn’t always going to live up to the standard of those bloodlines,” says Canadian reining trainer, coach, and competitor Cheryl Mitchell. “Once in a while, you’ll get one without the bloodlines that ends up being a superstar, but that’s less common.”