Reining

The 2018 WEG was originally to have been held in Canada, but 18 months ago due to financial issues, Canada pulled out - leaving the future of the WEG hanging. The horse park in Tryon, North Carolina offered to take the event and overnight it changed countries and venues.

It’s Gold for Team Italy!

As I walk to the centre of the pen, friends and other reiners whistle and cheer. I pause to consume the sounds of the arena, breathe deep the smells of the recent drag and watering of the show pen and face the judges with a huge smile.

I recently experienced one of the most memorable moments in my life. It was an almost indescribable mixture of sheer joy, thankfulness, relief, and surprise when my horse and I finally marked a 70 in a reining run. I’d be a wealthy woman indeed if I could bottle that feeling; one lightning rod capturing five years of training in a series of reining runs gradually building to that single achievement. And no, I’m not talking about doing this on a Futurity horse or an expensively bred reiner but on a 17-year-old family pet that came into reining training as an 11-year-old. And here’s where is all started.