| So You Want To Be a Reiner #4...... By Carrie Zambrano |
| Today we are going to revisit Richard, Jenny and the kids Elly and Sam for a moment. (See So You Want To Be A Reiner # 1)… The family has found their perfect horses and have entered their first NRHA approved show. As Jenny , Elly and Sam walk towards the Warm Up Pen they see a frenzy of stops, spins, extremely fast circles, and folks parked in the middle of the pen sitting their on their horse. “Wow this is so overwhelming for us Rookies at our first show”, Jenny says to the kids, “how on earth are we going to get in there , warm up our horses and still be alive when it comes to show?” Well I have a few pointers for Jenny and the family: Warm Up Pen Etiquette: At major NRHA approved events today there are structured warm-ups. This simply means that there is a set amount of time, usually 15 or 30 minutes for circling, and then 15 or 30 minutes for fencing. I have even heard of shows that have a separate arena for fencing and a separate arena for circling! I have never seen these but I have heard they are glorious! Smaller shows and jackpots do have structured warm-ups. So here are a few simple easy to remember tips to help you survive the warm-up pen: - Always, Always, Always, go with the flow. Just like on the road, you would not drive in the wrong lane. When in the warm up pen, circle in the same direction as the majority of the other riders. You will notice that one end is for right circles and one end is for left circles. You will however have a few mavericks who like to go against the grain, just be aware of them, stay out of their way and you will be fine. - If the majority of the people are fencing or circling try to do what they are all doing, or be sure and stay out of their way if you choose to do something different. It is a given that if you want to circle everyone will be fencing. Just have patience and in no time everyone will be back to circling. - If you steer while working on your circles, try not to steer directly in front of someone and cut them off. - When you stop while circling, again, be sure that there is no one coming up behind you who may run into you due to your abrupt stop. - Do not sit right at dead center of the arena for a prolonged period of time, this could result in your being rear ended, ran over, cursed out, or worse! - If you are going to work on your spins, go to the inside of a circle or a corner of the arena. This will give you room you need to get those show ready spins down! - When fencing, a good “HEADS UP!” yell to the folks who may be crossing your path, or, are not paying attention is always a nice courtesy. Running into someone at full speed can cause great injury or at the very least humiliation to you, your horse, and the other rider. The purpose of the warm up pen is to ready you and your horse for your time in the show pen. It is also a great place expose your young or green horse to new surroundings. It is so important to make your time in the pen productive and as safe as possible. There are many shows where we all have to share the warm-up pen with contestants in other events who may not know Reiner Warm-Up Pen Etiquette. In these situations these rules and a great dose of patience will help insure a pleasant and useful time in the pen. As you can see it is the ‘rules’ are simple and easy to follow. You will have no trouble in the warm up pen if you are aware of your surroundings. Just remember to keep your eyes open and head up! See You In the Pen! Have a Question, Story , Comment or Topic you would like to see featured? Email me at caz_az@hotmail.com Disclaimer: In this series of articles I will provide tips on how to get started in the fastest growing western sport, Reining. These tips will be from the non-professional prospective, and will have pointers and stories from various other Non-Pros in the industry. They come from years of mistakes, and rewards in the reining industry. Always consult a professional when in doubt. This website/paper and author assume no responsibility if these pointers do not work. These are merely suggestions. |
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