By Jennifer Paulson, Managing Editor
We love reining, and not just for its fast-paced maneuvers and sliding stops. Each maneuver in the sport, however much more dramatic it appears in the reining pen, is a fundamental part of horsemanship. Circles, lead changes, turns, stops, backing?you can’t do much riding without those elements.
Hopefully you’ve followed along with our “Futurity Prep, With Andrea Fappani” series online this year (or you can catch up here). And you’ve probably seen that we’ve featured the sport many times in the magazine, simply because many of the principles of reining align with general good horsemanship. On Thursday, we’ll head to Oklahoma City for the National Reining Horse Association Futurity?the marquee event for 3-year-old reining horses.
Sure, we’ll cover who wins what and how Fappani fares with his three horses, but we’ll also give you an inside look at what’s going on at the show, what people are talking about, and what’s hot at the trade show (it is the shopping time of year, after all). We’re also working on a feature for an upcoming issue that follows a rookie trainer and rookie non-pro (by NRHA competition standards) on their maiden futurity run so we can share with you what they learned about themselves, their horses, and the ups and downs of competing along the way.
Be sure to keep up with us on Instagram (HorseandRiderMag), Twitter, and Facebook for everything futurity-related. I haven’t been to the big event for almost 10 years, so you’re sure to get enthusiastic reporting and a fresh perspective on the entire scene!
