Reining

4" Round Hand Painted Needlepoint Canvas on 18 mesh.

Reining as a sport came from the Old West culture where horses were a vital part of every working livestock ranch.
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Horses needed to be sturdy, quick, responsive, and agile to be able to herd and move cattle and other livestock across the range. A Reining competition essentially shows off the skills and athletic abilities necessary in the working ranch horse, but does so within the confines of a show pen and the movements you see in competition today have become extremely precise and highly refined.
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There are a total of 13 approved official Reining patterns, and horses exhibit individually-performing, compulsory movements which include small slow circles, large fast circles, flying changes of lead, roll-backs, quick 360-degree spins, and the ever-exciting sliding stops which have become the hallmark of the Reining horse