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Training

James Collier is a lifelong horseman, with over 30 years of training and show experience in various western disciplines. His former paint stallion produced a reiner that had some success in the 90’s, which sparked his interest in the sport. Then his mother decided she wanted to give it a try in 2002 and bought a reiner. “All of the sudden, I had a finished reining horse in my barn that I needed to keep tuned to show, so I decided I’d better find out what this was all about.” He has been hooked on the sport ever since.

So much so that when he started training as a full time occupation at CF Farms later that year, his focus switched almost exclusively to reining. “I have learned a lot from many successful reining trainers who have been willing to share their knowledge. There’s nothing like a reining horse to keep you humble. Just when you think you’ve got it down, they prove to you that you’ll never stop learning.”

Training FAQ's

• What is involved in training a reining horse?
  

Reining horses are generally started in their 2-year-old year in a simple snaffle bit and taught to be a quiet, responsive, all-around riding horse with good body control. They must master the basics of reining foundation, which are quietly loping circles and straight lines, stopping, and standing in a relaxed manner. They must step around in a turn, and smoothly and willingly back up. A young horse should never be rushed in its training, or negative results will surface down the road. Training should be continued throughout the three-year-old year in order to perfect foundation skills and gain speed and finesse to prepare for competition. Even the most seasoned and well-trained reiners will require on-going conditioning and tune-ups after “finishing” in order to successfully compete.

• My horse did not do well at {another discipline-cutting, barrels, etc} so I’m thinking about trying him at reining?
  

If your horse was competently trained and did not do well at another discipline, he likely won’t be any better at reining. Not every horse is a suitable reining prospect. Solid foundation training is required early on to prepare a horse to quietly and correctly accept the demanding training program that is essential in order for them to compete. Other factors such as breeding, conformation, physical ability, intelligence, temperament and willingness to learn are equally important. An experienced trainer can usually evaluate a horse’s suitability for reining quickly. Listen. Be realistic and don’t expect more out of your horse than he is able to deliver.

James Collier

Trainer & Barn Manager

The majority of his experience in the reining show pen is performing paid warm-ups prior to the show to tune-up up a clients’ horse and fix any potential problems so they will have the best possible run. “I’ve found that I just don’t have the time to show myself. Training and coaching are my strengths, and my clients deserve my undivided attention to get them and their horse show ready. One of these days I may take on an assistant, find just the right horse and get serious about showing, but until then I’m content doing what I’m doing, and it keeps me more than busy".

James’ patience and natural talent with horses has translated well to the reining pen. He has trained and successfully coached both horse and rider for competition in National Reining Horse Association (NRHA), Stock Horse of Texas (SHOT), and American Quarter Horse (AQHA) shows. He has conducted numerous reining clinics with an abundance of positive feedback from participants.

• I’m not interested in competing in reining. I just want to have a better horse. Can you help?
  

Absolutely. The basics of reining training are achieving suppleness, body control and responsiveness. All essential skills for a pleasant, safe ride. We have helped many people who compete in various other disciplines, from roping to dressage, who want to focus on a specific weaknessin their horse.

• Do you break horses to ride?
  

No. We have our hands full starting our own horses under saddle. Our program for outside horses is geared toward beginning a solid foundation training program after the horse is broke to ride, or maintaining a horse for competition that has already been trained. Halter training, basic manners, and the introduction of the saddle are very important steps in training. We have trusted associates that we can refer you to for the first phase of training a youngster.

Let us answer YOUR questions:

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A limited number of stalls are now available for BOARDING finished Reiners

Tune-up packages available