Reining is an art form where riders make their horses move in different patterns which follow the horse gaits of lope or gallop. It is performed with synchronization between the horse and the rider and the horse should not be forced to ride to the tunes. There are a few patterns which a horse should be trained in to participate in the competition. These patterns included flying lead change, circle, sliding stop, rundown, rollback, backup, pause and spins. Even though any horse breed can perform in the competition, the breed which is more prominent is American Quarter Horse belonging to the Stock horse breed.
The ‘Kentucky Reining Cup Freestyle World Championship’ is one of the grandest freestyle competitions held in Reining and every year it crowns a winner who possesses a command over spins, circles and other patterns which are capable of impressing the audience and the jury. There is also a ‘People’s Choice Award’ which allows the audience to vote for the person they think did was the best in the event.
The 2015 winner of the ‘Kentucky Reining Cup Freestyle World Championship’ was the lady who came in a purple cape and unveiled an exceptional dance routine settled on her horse named Wimpy. The lady who stole the show is Laura Sumrall. Inspired by the 2013 animated Disney movie ‘Frozen’, Wimpy danced to the tunes of the song ‘Let It Be’. The patterns Laura made Wimpy perform manifested her skills as a rider making reining a fairytale experience for the spectators. Every pattern looked effortless with no flaws to be found. In one word, the dance routine was simply perfect.
The rider-horse pair swayed to the rhythm of the song making it visible that they enjoyed what they did. The competition does not allow whips, and if you are an expert as this young lady, you do not require a whip to control your horse. It is the trust both rest in each other that creates such beautiful moments. It is a curb bit performance where Sumrall is seen giving commands with one hand only as Wimpy gallops then halts and again moves, rides back and forth displaying enormous levels of zeal.
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