The Gray Area of the Spin

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198 – March/April, 2022

By Megan Sacia Ulrich

The spin. It’s a make-it or break-it maneuver that’s used in all-around pattern classes including Showmanship, Horsemanship, and Equitation, as well as classes like Reining, Trail, and Ranch Riding.

The spin or pivot, exhibits a horse’s responsiveness and precision, a connectedness between horse and rider, and is an opportunity for exhibitors to heighten their degree of difficulty and ramp up their maneuver score. But the spin is also a source of debate. While breed association rulebooks give some guidance on what makes the maneuver “correct,” it’s not the same in each discipline. Therefore, what makes a spin into a credit-earning maneuver is open to interpretation.

Traditionally, in Showmanship, the preferred way to spin is with the right hind foot (the foot farthest away from the handler) being the pivot foot. Therefore, the horse steps up and around to turn. However, some horses plant the left hind, so they must back around the pivot foot. Those horses may still make it onto the judges’ cards, leading some to question whether one way is more correct and credit earning than the other.

When spins occur in riding classes, things move into a gray area. Given the fast nature of most pattern class spins, there are many top-earning horses that complete a type of spin where the pivot foot doesn’t stay planted the entire time. Some trainers and judges say that’s okay due to the high degree of difficulty added from the speed, but is there any agreement? Top trainers Robin Frid, Sara Simons, and Shannon Curl Holbin all weigh in on this topic.

Showmanship

Click here to read the complete article
198 – March/April, 2022