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Wellington, FL - August 4, 2006 - The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) in Oklahoma City, OK has been the founding and leading reining association since 1966. The NRHA rule book contains the following phrase which is repeated throughout reining barns around the world as the mantra of what reining truly is:

"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 n dictated to completely."

To define it more concretely, they have listed on their web site ( www.nrha.com ) the following description: "Reining is a judged event designed to show the athletic ability of a ranch-type horse within the confines of a show arena. In NRHA competition, contestants are required to run one of ten approved patterns, included in the NRHA Handbook. Each pattern includes small slow circles, large fast circles, flying lead changes, roll backs over the hocks, 360 degree spins done in place, and exciting sliding stops that are the hallmark of the reining horse."

In 2000, reining became the seventh discipline included in the FEI's stable of elite horse sports and there began a steep learning curve for reining enthusiasts with international aspirations. Unlike many of the international sports, most notably jumping and dressage, the average reining aficionado was not familiar with the rules and regulations that came into play in international competition. When just two short years later reining was included in the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain, competitors slid right into the deep end and learned how to swim in international waters.

The international pull is strong for reiners with the number of members and the quantity and quality of competitions around the world increasing exponentially. But reiners differ from the usual equestrian sports in several ways. It may be commonplace for a jumping or dressage trainer to spend much of his or her time on the international circuit, but for reiners - we are used to our trainers staying at home most of the time. At the beginning of the international push, some trainers were vocally in opposition to international competition, wondering how they would keep their clients at home happy while they spent three or four weeks abroad during the critical show season. Since its inclusion in the FEI, however, attitudes have begun to change.

Reining, since its inception, has been focused on showing the three-, four-, five- and six-year-old horse. These competitions, called Futurities (three year olds), Maturities (four year olds) and Derbies (four, five and six year olds) have historically offered the highest purses in reining competitions. Maturities and Derbies take place in the spring and Futurites take place in the fall of the horse's three-year-old year. Once a reining horse reaches the age of six he usually goes to one of three places: competitions based instead on money earned by horse or rider in both professional and amateur classes, to the breed shed, or on to other disciplines. Suddenly, with the doors of international competition opened, there is another option.

During the 2002 World Equestrian Games, Team USA took the Gold after heading off a major challenge from Team Canada. In the Bronze position was Team Italy followed by Germany and Great Britain. Heading in to the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, several teams stand out as major players.