Reining terms
The words on a score sheet and around the show pen, in plain language.
- Back number
- The exhibitor number, also written EXH#, that identifies a rider at a show. Despite the name it's usually pinned to both sides of the saddle pad so a judge can read it from either side, though some shows still pin it to the rider's back. On the posted results it ties each run to a horse and rider. In From70 you scan the sheet and tap your run from the list it pulls off the page.
- Draw
- The order of go. The draw number is the position in the class, listed in the DRAW box on the sheet. Draws can skip numbers or get corrected by hand.
- Scribe
- The person sitting with the judge who writes down the marks the judge calls. Scribes write scores as fractions, not decimals, and often pencil a running total under each row while adding up.
- Sliders
- The flat, wide back shoes that let a horse slide in a stop. They are what turn a stop into the long sliding stop reining is known for.
- Rollback
- A 180-degree turn over the hocks right out of a stop, then leaving the other direction with no hesitation. Sheets mark left and right rollbacks separately (LRB, RRB).
- Rundown
- The run the length of the arena that sets up a stop or a rollback. Speed and control down the rundown is part of the stop's score.
- Spins
- A series of 360-degree turns in place with the inside hind foot planted. Patterns call for four spins each way, sometimes four and a quarter to face a wall.
- Lead change
- Switching leads at the center of the arena while loping the circles, without breaking gait. A late or missed change costs points on the circle maneuver.
- Penalty score zero
- A run that scores zero for going off pattern: wrong order, an added maneuver, or riding two-handed where one hand is required. It still counts and can place. Different from a no score, which is a disqualification and does not place.
- Plus a half
- A maneuver marked plus 1/2, worth half a point on the final score. Reining is decided in half points, so a few of these across a run is the difference between a check and the trailer.
- Green reiner
- A class for riders newer to showing reining, one of the levels you will see in the class line on a sheet along with rookie, novice horse, and non pro.
- Jackpot
- A show where entry fees are paid back out to the winners, often run by a local club. These runs rarely make it into any official database, which is exactly the kind of run From70 keeps for you.
See it on your own sheet: scan your first sheet.