I noticed my show headstall's big silver tips flopped around when the trainer was showing Sweetie. For the slow events this was never an issue, but in reining I didn't like the look of it at all. Then one day at the barn I noticed a show headstall that someone had banded the tip to the cheek piece I tried it and Voila, problem solved. I used a white band for the photo below so the band would stand out. One problem using the bands I have found is that in extreme heat, such as sitting in a horse trailer, the band will melt. Perhaps I used melty bands, who knows?

This is a great tip that my girlfriend taught me. I cannot believe that in the 25 years I've had horses I did not know this one. Pull the extra latigo leather up from the back side of the keeper. Then, bring the end right back through, in front of what you just pulled up, pull it down tight so there's just a little loop there and the latigo absolutely will not slip out. I promise! The image on the left shows the old way and the image on the right shows the new no-slip method.

Ok, so this year I kept my horse at home. in all my years I have always been in training. So I carefully packed for the first show, ensuring I had everything I needed. My trainer is very generous and I have always used his boots for showing. I bought a pristine white pair of splint boots and new skid boots. Well, I immediately noticed after the first day that these boots weren't pristine anymore. I carefully brushed them out for the next day. Well, lo and behold it rained. So that day my boots were ruined. they were muddy beyond repair for the last day of showing. I ended up borrowing some for that last day and vowed to ensure I would never have that happen again. So here is what I recommend. Always, always have a pair of black splints to use for rainy days. Keep 1 pair of clean white splints for each day. Always show with black bells so you can get away with 2 or so pairs of bells. Skid boots I keep a few around, a pair of tall whites, a pair of short ones and a pair of the leather velcro ones (I dont like the buckle kind).

Details on what brands and types of boots I prefer.

My very first time I showed in a reining class the worse thing happened. Yup my beautiful 20x felt hat flew off. Here is what I have found works the absolute best to ensure my hat stays on for good. Duct tape rolled up on the band in the front and back. Bobbie pins at the ears on both sides and a good spray of hair spray around the brim and my hair. I've never lost a hat since:)

You've already warmed up hours before, who knows when it will be your turn. So what I do to prepare is load up my saddle with my boots I will wear. I put the splints on the bottom of the stirrups. The bells fit nicely along the sides of the stirrups and the skid boots as always, go on the back D's.

Yup, it doesn't need all the frilly stuff the halter or showmanship horses need, but a few items are essential. A spare pair of clean show splints just in case, a body brush, main and tail brush, a rag, a bottle of water, and if you are really primping you can toss in a jar of face shine.

This is just a quick one, be sure to take your bells(bell boots) off for that win photo

First off, if you are a serious reiner, your saddle simply will not stay light for long. the sweat mixed with dirt will take care of that.

But, in the case where you want to maintain it while it is still light, here is what I have found works best.

Vacuum
Vacuum or blast with an aircompressor, using a small brush. Get ALL the dirt out that you can. Trust me with reining you get lots of dirt in the tooling. I also finish up with using a toothpick (ok a few) to pick out dirt from the deep tooling. In the case of my dark oil saddle, the edging is stamped wth a deep line that fills with grunge. I am a bit of a clean freak so remove it with toothpicks. If you find a toothpick too weak, go get a short bit of heavy guage wire. It should work well too.
Condition
The leather with a dressing designed for light saddles, this is very important. if it is not for light leather, do not use it. I will dig up the brand I prefer, it is a spray and comes in an orange bottle. Name to come soon.
Brush
any suede surfaces. you can lightly sand or use a metal brush to help revive the suede. Do so carefully.

What about good old fashioned saddle soap? I would use it carefully on the fenders and perhaps the latigo, where sweat can pile up. These are the techniques that work best for me.

Here is one of the benefits of reining. You can pretty much get away with anything as long as it has collar and cuffs, hat and boots. You can wear entry level gear and a clean oxford shirt. Or get fancy and wear a glitzy vest and a silver saddle and chaps. It seems that for the bigger purse classes people tend to dress up, as will be expected. After all you need to figure out some way to make the judge notice you and put you above the rest of the field.

I have a few light weight plaid western shirts for hot weather. A couple of nice vests for dressing up. Heavy plaid shirts work for cold weather, or a mock turtleneck and a thicker fitted vest for cold shows.

I try to wear chaps in any class that I am not schooling in. I find if I don't buck up and go all the way, I will get sloppy and ho hum about it. I need to stay focused and for me Chaps is the key.

See my reining gear blog for more details on what I wear.

Click on the thumbnail to see the full size image. To print from your browser, make it full screen and hit the print button. Or, the full size image can be pasted into Word for printing. It is a checklist that my friend Jeanine created since she is new to showing in reining. After 15 years of showing I tend to wing it and it was nice of her to send this to me to post on the site. I printed this out and put it in my binder with my RV checklists.

For boots with a black liner inside, such as the Professional's choice SMBs, a fat silver sharpie is perfect. Yes they do make silver sharpies now if you can believe it. Your name or your horses name will shine when you label your boots with these handy pens. The best price online that I found was this e-tailer:

Sharpie® Permanent Oil-Based Paint Marker, Medium Point, Silver Sharpie® Permanent Oil-Based Paint Marker, Medium Point, Silver