Horses, But No Reining

I had no idea what horse reining was until I went to photograph the High Roller Reining Classic at the South Point Equestrian Center September 12-18, 2010. The National Reining Horse Association defines it as a judged event designed to show the athletic ability of a ranch type horse within the confines of a show arena, running patterns which include small slow circles, large fast circles, flying lead changes, roll backs over the hocks, 360 degree spins done in place, and sliding stops. It all sounds very exciting. I didn’t end up photographing any of the actual competition though. I was struck by the horses, their beauty, and the trainers and riders relationships to the animals inside the stalls and the indoor practice arena. So, for those curious to see actual reining competition photos, you won’t see them here...just pictures of horses standing around.