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TRADE SECRETS Luke Jones employs a set of tools to help nail his markers in reined work. By Abigail Boatwright
PRIMO MORALES
W
hile the cow work and fence work are exciting parts of reined cow horse, your rein work is equally as important. But if you’re not precisely hitting your markers for circles, spins and stops, you’re leaving points on the table—and you could incur penalties. Trainer Luke Jones says missing markers is common, but with intentional practice, you can easily improve this element of your pattern.
SCOPE OUT THE PEN
If you’re riding in a new show pen, Jones suggests taking time to look around the arena before you show to pick out landmarks above the ground. Maybe it’s a sign on the wall or the announcer’s stand. “It’s much easier to tell yourself ‘I’m just going to run toward the John Justin sign,’ and that also helps keep your shoulders back and keeps you back in the saddle, which is where you should be,” Jones said. “When we look down, that gets our shoulders forward, and it’s harder for the horse to stop. So finding that spot and saying ‘I’m going to try to run up to that announcer stand,’ it helps me quite a bit.” Jones recommends watching other riders while they warm up, and check again a couple of horses before you are
38 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 | REINED COW HORSE NEWS
At the 2021 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity®, presented by Metallic Cat, Luke Jones rode to the Open rein work preliminary co-high score, tying with a 223.5 aboard Tuff Tuesday Cat.
up in the competition. That way you can get a better idea of where you’d like to point your horse in your pattern, particularly for stops. “A lot of times you’ll see different spots in the arena where the ground might be just a little bit better or a little bit worse,” Jones said. “That may change a bit, and if you’re late in a drag,
you might want to move over a little bit to some fresher ground.”
KEEP YOUR EYES UP
Riders looking down at the ground to navigate the arena can negatively affect their performances, says Jones. This is especially true for stops “When we do that, we actually start