06/08/2024
Great read for all my ranch riders🤩
💥💥💥💥💥. 𝟑𝟎 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬. 💥💥💥💥💥
𝟏. 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
Do not execute a leg yield (where the horse is bent. Leg yields makes the horse lead with his ribs in the direction of the maneuver). A proper sidepass is perfectly straight. Staight sidepasses offer more engagement, slick footwork, consistency, speed, and a prettier picture. Furthermore, spin-sidepass-spin does not work with leg yields, it works with straight sidepasses (or looking slightly in the direction of travel). Making a horse reflexively wrap around your leg is not going to help spins. The horse should accept the pressure and move off it without ONLY wrapping around it. This produces a nice, slick, speedy, engaged sidepass that is just beautiful to look at. Sometimes in practice, it can be a good idea to have the horse’s head touch the shoulder in the direction of travel. This further instills a straight frame in the horse for when he goes to show.
𝟐. 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲
Loping up to the sidepass obstacle can be scary. In a perfect world, the rider would stop with perfect accuracy and sidepass without wasting a single step. That is perfect. If the horse’s footwork is not slick enough to confidently perform the ideal maneuver, the rider should stop a step or two early and walk up to the sidepass. This is unideal, but looks far better than overshooting it. By stopping early, the horse/rider team looked cautious. By stopping late, the horse/rider team looks reckless. Even though both are unideal, the former may keep a judge on the side of the rider more so than the latter.
𝟑. 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲
Ranch Riding patterns are just dances. That is all they are, preplanned choreography for a dance that’ll get compared to 10 other horse/rider teams. Dancers understand the necessity of marking and practicing each move one at a time. This offers the dancer a chance to work out the kinks on each individual move before blending is with the others in sequence. Once comfortable, the dancer will put each move together and get a seamless dance. Ranch Riding is similar. If a rider struggles to do a gait consistently, break it down into steps. Step one: walk forward. Step two: pickup pole. Step three: Backup. Step four: turn right. Step five: walk forward. Step six: move the haunches out. Step seven: sidepass to the gate. Step eight: settle. Step nine: close gait. Step ten: rebalance and depart. If a rider cannot do each step efficiently and effortlessly, how can they ever hope to put it all together? Much like a gyrating dancer, the horse will not look good. There is no shame in breaking it down, there is shame in forcing it. Listen to the horse.
𝟒. 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞-𝐮𝐩 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬
If your horse is not adept to cross poles, frame him up a tad. Many people do poles and just let the horse figure it out. There is a time and place to do this and it is not wrong, but if you can help the horse…why withhold that? Especially in the show? Lightly pickup the bridle, squeeze your legs and get that horse framed up for the poles. A couple steps out, let go and ride over the poles. This helps to get the horse’s belly picked up and his legs under him, it also encourages the horse to look down and properly trek the poles.
𝟓. 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐱
People leave points in the spin box because they take the obstacle at face value. A showman should always ask himself how he can raise the degree of difficulty. Doing a spinbox without ever stopping would be a simple way to increase the degree of difficulty and also increase eye appeal. Watching a horse walk in, spin, and walk out seamlessly would make any judge have hearts in their eyes. To do this, it usually makes sense to enter the spin box slightly off center to the outside, this places the inside pivot foot in the dead center of that spin box. By doing this, the horse should be equidistant to all the poles. This, of course, is reliant upon the horse doing a very clean spin on the inside pivot foot. For horses who move their hips around a lot, walking into the spin box perfectly centered may be a good idea. For those who have versatility horses and may end up spinning on the outside foot, it may make sense to enter a little to the inside. This would place the outside pivot foot in the middle of the spinbox. Though it is unideal to spin on the outside pivot foot, it is far worse to recklessly hit/step/kick the spinbox.
𝟔. 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐖𝐀𝐘!
Pick one direction to look during a backup, this creates consistency in body and weight distribution. The novice will often look to both sides repeatedly, shifting their WHOLE body weight, moving the horse under them. This often results in a series of 1 point penalties for a hit backup.
𝟕. 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐮𝐩
During backup L obstacles, it is a toss up whether or not the rider will look to the inside or outside. Always look to the inside. By looking to the inside, the rider is granted a better view of the obstacle (way more than the outside) and it can be done more comfortably. Furthermore, if rider aims to glue themselves closely to the inside pole, they are out of the danger zone with the outside pole. The final reason is having a clear focal point to wiggle around with their horse during the backup L. It can be challenging moving the hips, then the shoulders, then the hips again…but by having the corner in clear view one can more easily navigate it
𝟖. 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐨𝐩𝐞
Roping obstacles don't judge the person, they judge the horse. The judge is going to ask himself how helpful the horse was. A smart showman will play to this. They may walk up right on the roping dummy, loosen up their reins, show off a quiet horse, and rope the dummy. Sure, the showmanship of roping is a nice touch…but the biggest determining factor for the score is going to be how helpful the horse was during the roping obstacle.
𝟗. 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐖𝐫𝐚𝐩
When I do drag obstacles, one of the most tricky parts is establishing the right amount of slack. This determines how close the drag is to my horse’s back feet. Sometimes, It seems perfect but in reality, I should have given 10 inches of additional room. I only figure that out once I drag and my horse nearly gets flat-tired. To fix this mistake on the go, I prefer slick horn wrap such as mule hide or elk. This allows me to slip some rope and subtly compensate for my mistake. Rubber horn wrap is too grabby for this benefit, hence my preference. The other use for slick horns is to slide some rope if the drag starts getting a little fast. This may take some momentum out of the drag and help prevent the picture from looking hectic.
𝟏𝟎. 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐚𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞
So many people do bridges and let it just stall out their horses. A proper Ranch Horse should notice the bridge and walk over it. Looking down, sniffing, and halting significant motion is not realistic…it would be quite annoying in a real ranch situation. Likewise, barreling through recklessly would also be quite annoying (and dangerous). A subtle look down and assessment followed by consistent footwork over the bridge is ideal. The horse therefore shows off their use as a tool (keeping the rider and themself safe) and their use as a mode of transportation (consistent pace in their steps). Bouncing your legs off the horse rhythmically, similar to swaying your hands whilst walking in a subtle way to sustain cadence in the horse’s walk. It acts similarly to posting in English riding whereby the rider supports the horse’s current speed.
𝟏𝟏. 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐥 = 𝐀𝐫𝐜 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞
In figure 8s, serpentines, circles, or other rounded maneuvers, the horse’s body should mimic the arc. A larger circle can have a straighter horse. A smaller circle should have a more arced horse. Showing a horse that looks where they are going and retains his proper balance is a nice way to pick up credit. This is especially true if the rider is subtle with their hands and sells the judge on the idea that the horse arcs naturally. That is a pretty sight.
𝟏𝟐. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝟏 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲!
Satisfy the full dally requirement for the drag.
𝟏𝟑. 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞
Drags are an obstacle where the rider’s showmanship can play a good deal into their score. This is because a rider who can effortlessly multitask AND ride their horse has one heck of a horse. The rider is so confident in their horse’s ability, they don’t even need to allocate attention to him. That's how good he is. What many people end up doing is setting up the dally, getting tangled, and manually fixing all the coils. It's ugly and impractical, moreover, the horse is never once highlighted on his ability! When the rider is getting ready to dally, they should tighten the reins, hold coils in that hand, put the tail end of their rope on the other side of the neck, and bring that hand forward. While sidepassing away from the drag to establish the right drag distance, the other hand should measure the rope and dally with light tension. That is realistic, and highlights the horse’s ability. Separation of Church and State is an expression I use to illustrate how each hand works in its own separate area. By keeping the rope/rein hand (church) away from the dally hand (state), everything just seems to work more seamlessly.
𝟏𝟒. 𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝
A soft head is not the calling card of a ranch horse, however, it is ideal that with each use of the bit, the horse gives. They should demonstrate appropriate bridling (NOT overbridling) and always appear maneuverable in any condition. This is realistic to ranch situations working cattle, a soft head and neck is a must to properly get around. Without a soft head/neck…it's going to be a long day.
𝟏𝟓. 𝐔𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝
Keep a consistent head. Though AQHA Ranch Riding and VRH Ranch Riding favor slightly different framed horses, consistency is ultimately the most important. If your horse is a bridle horse with a higher head, that's fine. If they are more cowpuncher, even headed, that is also fine. What is not fine is a shifty, inconsistent head. It can be a huge eyesore to an otherwise nice maneuver. Work at bringing the head to a comfortable medium where the horse can keep it consistently.
𝟏𝟔. 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝟏𝟐𝟎% 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲
There is a controversial school of thought to over collect horses in training and let their heads go in the showpen. The idea here is that when the horse shows, their head will now be at vertical due to the overcollection in practice. It's an illustration of the idea that trainers practice/train at 120% because the horse only gives 80% in the showpen. Though overcollection is a controversial topic, the idea still holds. Practice extensions and push that horse and as far as they can go, get that spin as fast and pretty as possible, make their side pass as effortless as can be…but when you show, understand they’ll be at 80%. Work for something harder.
𝟏𝟕. 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫...𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬
Ranch Horse, as a discipline, calls the judges to judge the horse, not the rider. This is only true on paper. Judges are human and are not immune to liking a good picture. Be the cherry on top and round out a nice picture for the judge to score. Equitation also has a bearing on how the horse moves, one example being posting or perching for the extended trot. A school of thought is that perching allows even more extension from the horse in the extended trot. The opposite school of thought is that posting supports and almost controls the speed of the extended trot, helping to prevent breaks of gait. One idea is not more right than the other, but the point remains that equitation can have a large bearing on the horse’s performance.
𝟏𝟖. 𝐁𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐥𝐞
Going hand in hand with #17, be subtle. One example could be lead changes. Even though on paper, the judge evaluates the horse. It will always look cooler if the rider effortlessly cues the lead change, almost undetectable by the eye. Another example would be transitions. Rating using rein or body cues is good, but relying only on vocal cues is amazing. Being able to control the horse with such subtlety can help one’s case for additional credit in their maneuvers. In a real Ranch situation, it’d be far more pleasurable to ride the horse with subtle cues, especially in a wide array of Ranching jobs.
𝟏𝟗. 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭 < 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭
Ranch Horse is not fast; it's consistent. The horse’s feet move similar to a metronome, keeping cadence and seeking not to break rhythm. The lack of hesitations, constant stops, and blatant pauses gives Ranch Horse a look of speed. All this “speed” is merely consistent movement. Keep the train moving and you’ll be in the running for more credit. It raises the degree of difficulty and eye appeal and presents a far nicer picture.
𝟐𝟎. 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠!
Looking at your horse could be one of two things: 1. Distrust 2. Lack of showmanship. Neither is good. Show the judge that your horse is good enough that you could watch clouds, and he’d stay on task. That highlights the horse’s ability and can persuade the judge to award more credit.
𝟐𝟏. 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥
Ranch Horse is generally AQHA, and a proper quarterhorse generally has a level (or close to level) head. Its nothing crazy above or below the topline. Keeping in line with the tradition, Ranch Horse calls horses to be at or a few inches above or below the topline (within reason). Be aware if your horse is going below the topline, even if only by a couple inches. Ranch Horse has fought an uphill battle divorcing itself from show norms of low, over-bridled heads and seeks to truly preserve functionality in the horses. If a judge catches a whiff of Reining frame in a Ranch Horse it will likely reflect negatively in the scores. This is not due to any bias, it is simply to preserve Ranch Horse as a discipline and prevent it from falling into the trap other show disciplines have fallen into.
𝟐𝟐. 𝐍𝐨 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐲 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐲
Ranch Horse may go faster than the other classes at the horse show but it is by no means a speed contest. Fast, rushy horses are not going to preserve themselves long enough for a full day of Ranch work. So, why have them perform like that in the showpen? Efficiency and accurate footwork create speed and earn far more credit than rushing ever will. Rushing is a quick ticket to hit pole penalties, low scores, and break-of-gait penalties.
𝟐𝟑. 𝐇𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘
The obstacle is a stop and side pass. As previously established, the ideal ex*****on of this obstacle is a lope up to, stop, and immediate sidepass. The perfect ex*****on wastes no steps or readjusts, it just happens seamlessly. If the horse is a particularly hard stopper, it may be wise to give him a second to get his hocks out from under him. Rushing into the sidepass would throw him off balance and likely result in a rooted nose, poor footwork, and a hit pole penalty. Give the horse a quick second to stand even before cueing the sidepass. This is an appropriate hesitation. Do not hesitate longer than needed for rebalance. Other than lope to stop, there is likely no other time a horse would need this hesitation to rebalance himself.
𝟐𝟒. 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐑𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫
A simple way to add a little extra finesse in a trail course requiring roping would be to setup the rope early. As soon as possible, departing the prior obstacle, the rider should start setting up their coil. This could be done during a walk or trot to the obstacle, highlighting the horse’s ability to perform despite the rider’s multitasking. Once in position to rope, the horse can stop, the rider will swing once and rope. Whether or not the shot is made, the rider and horse look very slick and preserve every bit of cadence until the obstacle. There is no long stop and pause before the roping is done. In a real ranch situation, the rider may need to set up their rope on the run…so it's not unrealistic.
𝟐𝟓. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐦𝐚𝐧
Ranch Horse judges the horse, not the rider. The roping obstacle is a prime example of this; whether or not the rider makes a clean shot is irrelevant. The judge wants to see a reliable horse in a good position, quiet temperament, and easy moving. A perfect horse puts his rider in the best possible position to rope and stays out of his way. The horse is there to help, like a good wingman!
𝟐𝟔. 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐈𝐧
It is not bad to work in a martingale, draw reins, twisted wire, gag, or slip bit ... .but all things must be done in moderation. The bulk of practice for a horse should be done in the equipment the horse is expected to show in. An easy way to avoid the pitfall of “bigger bit syndrome” is by using any “gimmick” or training tool for three or less rides before returning to the normal bridle. Practicing too much in different bridles will take away familiarity and comfort in the horse’s show bridle, and could serve to hide holes in training that will only show up bigger on show day.
𝟐𝟕. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐃𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞
If there is an opportunity to school the horse, take it. Reiners are very accustomed to this idea and they have some of the most obedient horses in the western riding sphere. Do not avoid schooling because the problem is too small or because the blue ribbon is too tempting. You can't win them all. Attempting to win every small-scale show is going to slowly chip away at the horse’s training until they’re held together by duct tape at the end of the season. Schooling is incredibly important; maybe you won't walk out of the show with a blue ribbon…but the horse will walk out with a lesson.
𝟐𝟖. 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞
An EXCA champion out of Canada told me this, though its application is EXCA-based, the idea is a good one during backups. It is common to see novice riders back one step at a time, very slowly. This is a good thing and has its place in training, but it can be risky. A small sidestep from a standstill can result in the horse stepping out of the backup altogether, which is a hefty penalty. If that little sidestep occurred during a consistently moving backup, it may result in a nick of the pole…but it would be far more subdued. A lot of hit pole penalties would be avoided if people just kept their horses moving. Use caution when employing this school of thought and know your horse.
𝟐𝟗. 𝐒𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠
