Have you ever wondered how a reiner can guide his or her horse through a reining pattern with such ease and finesse? The pair seemingly float around the arena, performing a series of maneuvers and changes of direction with very subtle cues. Slack appears in the rider's Reins yet the horse is accurate, collected, guiding softly and most importantly, willing.

As each of these aspects are important to a high scoring reining pattern, riders must spend a lot time with foundation exercises to ensure their horses guide properly. The term "guiding" refers to how soft and easily a horse moves between the rider's reins - hence "reining."

I like my horses to be so light on my cue, that I barely have to make any contact with them at all. No pull on the Bit, no kicking from the leg, and no muscling (from me) in the direction I want to travel. My reins should barely have to touch my horse's Neck in order for us to move to the left or right. If my Hand moves four inches to the left (from the center at the Withers), my horse should already be underneath it. My horse should also be able to read the slightest change in my body language, no matter if it's just a shift in weight, positioning of my legs or balance in my seat bones. And the result I desire from my mount should come almost as fast as if they already knew which way I was thinking of turning. The result should be instant, correct and without any resistance.

But let's be honest - bringing horses to this stage requires much time, patience and consistency on the part of the rider. Without consistency from us, we cannot expect it from our equines!

Training horses to rein as lightly as this depends on three main things; the first is a great deal of effective body language from the rider - difficult to relay completely through words on paper; the second is an understanding of horse psychology; and the last element is good ol' common sense.

However, training horses to neck rein easily is an attainable goal and if a rider already possesses the last important tool, he or she will be well on their way. The great thing is, this foundation of guiding and neck reining can be applied to any type of riding horse, not just reiners. My goal is to achieve horses as soft and as immediately compliant as a child's stick horse - as though they were an extension of my own body. They should perform what I ask, willingly. That's my definition of lightness.