Crossfiring—when your horse is on the wrong lead behind—will get you a penalty in many events. But when working a cow, it can jeopardize your working cow horse safety.
Mounted shooting rein management skills are required so you can cue correctly and get the proper response from your horse. Targets come fast, even at the beginner level, and gun handling requires quick thinking. This makes mastering rein management at home a key to competitive success. I’ll cover my best tips here.
If you show in the trail class, you’re probably quite familiar with the rope gate obstacle. It’s easy for show management to transport and set up, and it’s forgiving when it comes to working the obstacle. But now we’re seeing the metal trail gate return to the show pen, which adds another item to prepare to face in a class.
A world champion shares her core horse-training secrets. An H&R exclusive adapted from Sandy Collier’s book, Reining Essentials: How to Excel in Western’s Hottest Sport—and have a better-broke horse.