Reining

Reining is a Western riding sport that evolved from the skills horses needed to have on working cattle ranches and is now performed in a show ring setting. Those skills have been refined and are judged on precision, quickness, controlled speed and how smoothly each maneuver is performed. Horses competing in this sport need to be quick, responsive, agile and athletic; all which describe the Morgan horse.

Patterns consist of a combination of up to 12 different maneuvers such as circles at varying speeds, spins and sliding stops and all the work is done at the lope or gallop. Scoring starts at 70 points and each maneuver either gains or loses points to calculate the total score. Maneuvers with an increased level of difficulty are rewarded with higher scores if they are performed correctly. 

Morgans excel in reining because they are fast, gritty and agile.

The Morgan Reining section shall be conducted in general accordance with the RN Reining Chapter of the USEF rulebook except as modified by the Morgan rules. Where Morgan and Reining rules are selent, current NRHA Handbook rules shall prevail.

USEF rulebook

National Reining Horse Association (NRHA)