Page 34 • DECEMBER 2011 • PACIFIC COAST JOURNAL Ride & Slide with Bill


Judging and Penalties We spend a lot of time focusing on


our horses and getting them to perform the reining maneuvers to the best of their ability. Improving our performance to get the extra point here and half point there takes a lot of work. To make the most of all this work, minimizing things that reduce your score are equally if not more important. Raising your score by 2 points takes a couple of really good maneuvers but losing 2 points can take but a fraction of a second. Understanding how reining is judged, what you are given points for and what you lose points for, is just as important as going and riding. If you were a great football player but consistently caused penalties, your playing ability may be out weighed by the negatives of penal- ties. We are heading into winter where riding time can be harder to find so maybe on a cold rainy day when you are laying on the couch looking for a good book, the NRHA Handbook may be a good option. Points are like pennies. A penny saved is a penny earned. This month I thought we could talk a


little about how a reining run is judged and scored. I’m not a NRHA judge nor an expert. This is a collection of things learned over the years and a summary of things out of the NRHA Handbook. It is not complete but hopefully enough to get you started.


Scoring Reining has a very detailed scoring


system, breaking each pattern down into set maneuvers which are judged individ- ually. How they are judged and what the judge is wanting to see in the perform- ance is also stipulated. It is not just a matter of “that looked good, I will give it a 73”. Everybody starts the pattern with a


score of 70. The pattern is broken up into individual maneuvers and each maneuver is scored between +1.5 points (excellent) and -1.5 points (very poor) depending on the quality of the maneu- ver with 0 being a correct, average per- formance. Predetermined penalties can also be subtracted from the score for mistakes that happen within the per- formance of a maneuver. At the end of the run all the individual maneuver


scores are added to (or subtracted from) 70 and any penalties subtracted to arrive at the final score. In understand- ing this it is important to understand the maneuver break up within the pattern. These are clearly described in the hand- book. For example, on patterns where rundown are around the end of the arena, the maneuver starts at the com- pletion of the previous maneuver, say a rollback, and involves cantering back down the arena, around the end of the arena, running down the arena, stop- ping, rolling back and the exit from the rollback. In judging a maneuver the judge con-


siders these three things in order; on pat- tern, correctness and then degree of dif- ficulty. If someone is on pattern, the cor- rectness they perform the maneuver is considered before the degree of difficul- ty. Performing at high speed doesn’t help you if you are not performing the maneuver correctly. Faster isn’t neces- sarily better. The following is a few points to keep


in mind when showing or watching rein- ing runs. You are judged from when you enter


the arena to when you hesitate at the completion of the last maneuver. For patterns that start in the center of the arena, how you get from the gate to the center is scored as part of your first maneuver. If your pattern is not balanced in


your use of the arena it may be deemed lack of willful guide and judged accord- ingly. For example, if your left circles are larger than the corresponding right circles or your two large left circles are of different size. Its ok to walk forward into a lead


departure. Loping directly from a stand- still is more difficult and runs a higher risk of a penalty for no more points in doing so. Just don’t trot. Ride the maneuver you are doing


right now. Forget the one you just did. It is done. Focus on the current one and be ready for the next one. On run in patterns if you come to a


complete stop before the first maker you are deemed off pattern and get a score of 0.


Trotting to get to the middle of the


arena for patterns that start there is ok but trotting elsewhere in the pattern is expensive on points. In a lead departure or out of a rollback will cost ½ point for the first two strides and 2 points beyond that. Over half the length of the arena or


Bill Norwood grew up showing all around horses in his native Australia. Competing in classes ranging from halter to reining and everything in between, he won 10 National Championships. He came to America in the late 90's to ride reining horses. Success has followed with NRHA Limited Open Futurity Championship, NRHA Open Futurity finalist, NRHA Intermediate Open Derby Res. Championship, NRBC Intermediate Open Finalist and numerous other titles. His NRHA earning exceed $72,000. He operates Norwood Performance Horses in Murrieta California with his wife Kelli and children Austin and Ella. For more information go to www.norwoodperformancehorses.com


half a circle will result in a score of 0. If you break gait you will incur a 2


point penalty. If you don’t shut off your spins exact


you will lose ½ point for each 1/8 of a spin you are off. If you over spin past the quarter you get a score of 0. If you under spin by more than a quarter under, but then complete the spins it is deemed freeze up and a 2 point penalty. Now in relation to determining if you are exact on your shutoff, you are allowed a shoul- ders width. If a judge sitting directly in front can see a hind leg between the front legs you are within a shoulders width. If the back legs are seen outside the front legs, you have over or under spun and incurred a penalty. Look up. Not just does it allow you


to see where you are going and better connect the pattern together but also pro- vides a more confident picture to the judge. It often looks better than it feels. If I


am schooling I will fix things. If I’m showing, I will leave my hand down as much as I can. Sometimes the judge doesn’t know it isn’t exactly as you would like unless you pick your hand up and tell him. Backing up more than two strides,


four steps, other than where called for in the pattern, will result in a score of 0. If you walk to the middle, your horse takes three steps back, pauses, takes two more then enters your spins, you are off pat- tern and score 0. Having a horse that wants to suck back is good but you need to be able to control it. There is nothing in the rulebook


about head carriage of a reining horse. Horse carrying their heads low is a mod- ern look but horses are not judged on it. Reining is about your horse being will- fully guided. If you’re using split reins you can


only handle your reins with you other hand to untangle them when you are stopped in the pattern. Basically, before and after spins.


This isn’t a complete list. Iwanted to


put enough here to hopefully spark some interest and motivate you to grab your NRHA handbook and familiarize your-


self with the patterns, how they are bro- ken down into maneuvers and how each is judged and scored.


Judging If you hang around reining shows


enough you will hear discussions about runs and scores. People will talk about how a horse stopped and turned good but the score didn’t reflect such. This is where it is important to understand that the whole maneuver is judged and not just the stop, in relation to a stop maneu- ver for example. Penalties can occur in any part of the maneuver and not just in the stop. Always keep in mind too that it looks


different sitting in the judges chair sit- ting in the arena. I have been a judge in the past. Its easy to sit in the grand stand and give our opinion for a few runs. Its another thing to sit in the arena and do it for every run.We pay them for their opinion and it is their opinion they give us. They put in long days of watch- ing horse after horse. If you think it is easy, get you judges card, put yourself in the chair and then tell me about it. As you can see from the above


details, judging a reining run is complex and requires the judge to be focused the whole time. If you are schooling and planning on doing a lot of schooling on your horse during the run, save the judge the work and the scribe the penmanship by doing something to get a zero at the begging of the run. They may have been there for twelve or fourteen hours already or maybe for twelve more. They will appreciate the respect. Marking all your schooling through the run and then zeroing at the end of the run or getting a low score makes them work hard for nothing. If you ever get the opportunity to go


to a judges school or seminar it is well worth it.Watching runs and hearing dis- cussion on them is invaluable. If you get the chance to chat with a NRHA judge, don’t be afraid to ask questions and learn. Knowing how and what is judged will help you perform better patterns and hopefully higher scores. Until next month, ride, slide, read and have fun.


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