About Reining Australia
Reining Australia is recognized as a official governing body for the sport of Reining in Australia. We are a non-profit association dedicated to developing the sport of reining and the reining horse industry.
All Reining Australia sanctioned shows are conducted in accordance with the RA Rule Book show rules and horse welfare standards.
Membership Benefits
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Reining Australia members can participate in all RA approved regional, state and national shows. For RA Members to compete in NRHA approved shows, they must also have NRHA Membership.
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Reining Australia shows have a selection of classes designed to provide a level of competition for everyone – from beginning green riders to elite professionals.
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All Reining Australia shows utilize accredited judges who have completed comprehensive training and passed rigorous testing before receiving their judge's privileges. This means that the consistency and fairness of scoring is the same at every show, in every level of competition.
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Reining Australia keep accurate track of horse and rider earnings. This information is available by contacting the RA Office. NRHA keep a record of NRHA earnings.
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Reining Australia provides unique and comprehensive networking opportunities for members to connect with other members, top owners and some of the best horseman in Australia.
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Reining Australia operates a website and Facebook page for its members which provides current information about all aspects of the sport.
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Reining Australia is organized into regional areas. Riders compete in regional and state shows to qualify for the Australian National Reining Championships.
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Reining Australia operates a fun yet competitive Youth program.
In Reining Australia competitions, reining horses are judged individually as they complete one of many specified patterns. Each pattern includes small slow circles, large fast circles, flying lead changes, roll backs over the hocks, 360 degree spins and the exciting sliding stops that are the hallmark of the reining horse. One or more judges will score each horse beginning at 70.
The scoring system then adds or subtracts from .5 to 1.5 on each maneuver. Penalties points may also be subtracted from the score for incorrect performance. A scribe keeps track of each judge's maneuver scores and penalties on a score sheet. Scores are calculated and announced after each run.
The reining horse must be willingly guided. Deductions should be applied for gagging, excessive head raising, stopping or backing sideways, refusals, anticipation, stumbling or falling and disobedience. Credit should be
given for smoothness, finesse, willing attitude and accuracy. Controlled speed during the pattern raises the
level of difficulty so should be rewarded with higher scores provided the maneuvers are still performed correctly. Reining horses may perform with individual style according to their conformation. The sport of Reining is open
to all breeds and is exciting and pleasing to watch. Reining was a demonstration horse sport at the 2000 Olympics
as an introduction to the world, showcasing the athleticism and precision of this equine discipline.
A. General - "To rein a horse is not only to guide him, but also to control his every movement...".The best reined horse should be willingly guided or controlled with little or no apparent resistance and dictated to completely. Any movement on his own must be considered a lack of control. All deviations from the exact written pattern must be considered a lack of/or temporary loss of control and and therefore a fault that must be marked down according to severity of deviation. After deducting all faults set here within, against execution of the pattern and the horse's overall performance, credit should be given for smoothness, finesse, attitude, quickness and authority of performing various maneuver's, while using controlled speed which raises the difficulty level and makes him more exciting and pleasing to watch to an audience.
