[BNA526]

I was taught the "Pulley Rein" when I started riding years ago. It was one of the very first things my first instructor taught me.
I don't use it, and haven't had to use it in years.
However, there is always an instance you might need it. Several years ago I had hopped on a friend's horse, because he was continually taking off with her. He was a very sour horse (Nothing physically wrong, we had vets at the barn several times for him).
He decided to take off with me at a dead gallop out of a corner, and was headed straight for the 4Ft. arena fence. I knew he wouldn't clear it, so I reached down with one hand/rein and grabbed mane, and ripped that other rein up & back as hard as I could. Got him to stop, wasn't pretty though.

I agree with using it, although I wouldn't use it unless it was an emergency like I had. I believe most spooks/control issues can be handled with correct aids. But, occasionally you do get that one emergency case where the horse realizes he's 1500lbs and your only 110.

[Rummymuffin]

Originally Posted by nrhareiner

When I say Hunting the Stop what that means is that the horse is hunting for my next cue. Might be the stop the lead change a rollback a turn anything. I want the horse listening to me at all times.

If you are saying that a horse can not be run and not in total control the I will disagree with that. Reining is done at speed and a well trained reiner will run full out at the end gate and stop with little to no effort from the rider. I do agree that a H/J can and dose get strong. However most of that is from lack of work and training by the rider. I shoot a lot of H/J shows and it baffles me what they will let those horses get away with.

Here is an example of a horse hunting a stop. If you type Reining into youtube you sill see a lot of horses running full out and stopping or changing speeds with little to no cuing from the rider.

YouTube - Slide Stop!

I understand what you are saying, and I understand that reiners do work at speed. However, it's for short periods of time in an enclosed arena, and fundamentally, western/reining training is completely different from how an event horse is trained.

In reining, the horse is ridden with a very light contact. If I were to take my horse out cross-country with that sort of contact and try to gallop up and down hills, we would both end up on our faces. We train event horses to balance themselves, but we always maintain contact with the horse's mouth to communicate and correct. Riding with loose reins over terrain is dangerous, if a horse were to stumble, the rider has no way of stopping a fall.

A horse can run and be in control, however I disagree that control means having no contact. A racehorse balances off of the bit in order to gallop; the jockey is in control, but he has contact. In eventing, cross-country riders are a combination of jockeys and dressage riders; there is always contact involved, the balance just shifts from forehand to the hindquarters when a jump is involved.

Also, in regards to H/J (which I'm not really talking about, that's a whole different situation) riders letting their horses do whatever they want...I understand the extreme level of training that reiners need, and that the horse always looks to the rider for cues. For an event horse, it's vital that the horse be able to think for itself. There is a level of self-preservation that needs to exist because the rider cannot control every little thing that happens on course. Absolutely the horse must be made adjustable and listen to the rider, however, a horse being strong or independent is not seen as quite such a negative as it might be for a different discipline.