As long as breeders are judges, judges are trainers, and trainers are exhibitors, you are going to have politics in horse shows. However, after competing in different organizations throughout the years, I have found that the reining is probably less political than the others. Bottom line is that you are paying for one(or more) person's opinion of your horse and his ability to perform the pattern...if you don't want it, don't enter.

J. Webb

I think the judging system greatly reduces politics in Reining. As compared to more subjective events like Pleasure, Halter and the Hunters, I find the judging at NRHA events to be refreshingly straightfoward and even handed. As Reining is not a purely objective sport like barrel racing or show jumping, so the judge's opinion does make a difference (and that is what we are paying for).

As compared to Halter and Pleasure, I think Reining is far less political. It would be interesting to compare Reining to other judged, non-equine sports. I think most would agree that we are doing better with our judging system than sports like Boxing and Figure Skating.

Craig Sutter

It seems to me there is less politics in reining than in other associations. I hope, for the good of the industry it stays that way. I don't even watch halter any more. At the AQHA Congress and World Show Halter classes you can pretty much pick the winner by just looking at the human end of the lead.

Nick Walters

Horse shows in general do not seem as political as some other animal sports. For example, I have had the opportunity to show Dalmatians at dog shows for the last 8 years. Dog shows are political!!! So from my perspective horse shows are not nearly as political. However, I feel that there are certainly some politics involved in horse shows. Although, reining to me, even has less politics than other areas of horse shows. I do feel, however, that a very successful rider has the edge on an even run. In some ways I feel that a judge has to key in to the fact that a well accomplished rider is about to make a run. This previous knowledge of the riders success gets the better scores out early. Whereas, an "unknown" has to play catch up from the very beginning. Success gains respect, to me, this is not such a bad thing. Somewhere down the line everybody has to pay the price to get the edge. So, in the long long run the table is even for everyone.

Todd Marler

I think the political bias' are worse in Halter than any other competition. Western Pleasure is pretty polluted too. Reining may have a small problem now and then but the fact that reining involves just one rider at a time and is very much a performance event probably helps.

LVance

I think the judging system in NRHA has helped the political aspect in NRHA competitions a lot.....I think it is a lot better than the AQHA classes that aren't scored individually.

I also think that if you are competing you are aware of the judges and judging systems and if you chose to show you should accept the outcome with a good attitude. Judging is a difficult job at best with the possibility of a lot of inconvenience connected to travel, length of show, different levels of show management for not a lot of dollars. Judging a show also means being gone from your regular business so I think a lot more could be done in making a judges life pleasant at Reinings.

Kay Simons
Grand Junction, Colorado

NO WAY, does reining have the politics that halter and western pleasure do. I think this is one of the main reasons for the increasing numbers of people entering the sport of reining. Unlike a pleasure or halter class where the judge basically can award whatever horse they deem, maneuvers are very specific in the rule book as to the proper scoring. I'd go so far to say most exhibitor's have a round about figure (forgiving any penalties) as to what they are going to score before they even run a pattern. Exhibitors AND audience at a reining, in general, know as much about scoring as the judge does and what their horse is capable of, this makes it truly obvious to anyone watching or riding. I won't deny I have seen some get "gifts" and others get "rooked," it's a given, it happens, that's horse showing. However, one does have to consider certain things might look better, worse, or even missed in the judges chair. I do believe that playing favorites by judges at shows, overall in the reining industry, is very very minimal. I can say that with confidence because I ride apps. Many staunch QH persons have a hard time with our apps being as competitive as a QH and we do get teased a lot. I will admit in the 9 yrs I have been showing reining horses I have only run across one judge that did not score us what we deserved because of our spots.

Respectfully,
Kathy McCovey
Reined Horse Ranch
Reno NV

All in all, the reining judging is the fairest of the individual events, in my opinion. At times there is too much difference in the scoring among judges when there is more than one judge, as the maneuvers each have their own set of numerical pluses and minuses and should be judged accordingly. Unfortunately, or fortunately for the riders, the mind is not a computer and it sees things emotionally, which does not mean that that is wrong. What looks really good to one person, does not mean it looked the same to another, but on an average it should equal out. With the scoring system that the NRHA has set up, every rider should have the same chance and if his or her reining horse performs the maneuver according to the rule book, the scoring will be fair and unprejudiced.

Sincerely,
Valerie Eaves

I do think that politics are considerably less prevalent in reining. I feel that this is helped by the reining scoring system. When everyone starts on the "same page", political games are harder to play. However, whether we like it or not, I think it is fairly obvious that politics do exist in reining, to at least some degree.

C. M. H.
Colorado

Reining is a newer sport to the masses and will be governed in more strict operation and guidelines than it has been in the past. Politics are indeed a fact that has to be addressed by the judges committee, rules committee, etc.

This is the sport's opportunity to grow and in doing so allow for fairer and impartial competition amongst all those involved.

While we can compare other equestrian sports issues with Reining, it still remains our responsibility to weed out the politics as much as possible and present Reining to the greater world at large as an international sport.

I don't believe we can hide from the issues by relying on someone else to do everything for us and that means taking a personal stand not to get involved in political machinations and to remember that this is a "sport."

Paula Johnson
Ramona, CA

I think that "politics" do play a part in our competition and our industry. Certainly not as much as some other disciplines, but they are there none-the-less. More so now that reining is growthy and big business. All things being equal - the horse, the ride, the showmanship, the conditions, the judge(s) - a big name rider competing against a no name, the big gun will come out on top. It is human nature. We, the human race, tend to lean towards the familiar.

Lisa Cover
Colorado

I sometimes feel politics play a part in Reining as well as other events. There have been numerous runs that have not scored as high as they should have or as low as they should have. I feel this is due to politics. It kinda goes back to your question on will a woman ever win the Futurity. Politics prevail in all aspects of the horse industry whether that be Western Pleasure, Halter, Reining or other events. They say that the score cards help in Reining but again there have been runs that have not scored the way they should have and I feel that is due to who was riding. Life in general is who you know, and who knows you. So yes...politics are there.

ANONYMOUS by request

We have recruited many, many people into the reining horse business. One of the selling points was that there were "no politics". Over the years, much to our chagrin, we have seen it get too political. It seemed every time you opened the magazine you saw the same name every time. This past year it seems to not be as much. We don't do other clubs as much any more, we usually use them for practice, AQHA is definitely very political and NRHA is not nearly so.

OK Slide Ranch
Oklahoma

I think there is some politics. Particularily when a known judge happens to be showing. Especially when we maybe have an AQHA judge, whose speciality is not reining, but he knows the guy showing is a judge who probabaly does specialize in reining.

Not that I would say, that if you are a judge you should not be able to show - it is more of an awareness thing - where the judges need to try not to let this affect their judging.

I suspect there is probably more politics in the other events.

M. Alderson