Take a behind the scenes look at how the May Reiner came together under very unfamiliar circumstances.
By Jennifer Paulson, Reiner Editorial Consultant
We’ve all learned a lot during this pandemic process, but one thing that stands out as 100% essential: adaptability. You’ll notice some of that in your May Reiner, which should hit your mailbox soon (if it hasn’t already).
When competition came to a screeching halt in March, that also put a halt to about a quarter of the content we usually prepare for the magazine. While you’ll notice that the more traditional event coverage will be moving here, to The Rundown, we still find fun, entertaining, heartwarming stories to tell from events in your Reiner. The quick adaptation for May (and June) was to remove the Competitor section and instead focus on the other sections of the magazine.
We also had to adapt to decreased advertiser support. Uncertainty—especially the economic kind—makes advertisers uncomfortable. Adaptation No. 2 comes in the form of a reduced book size. We hope that as we start to get our feet back underneath ourselves and resume competition that advertisers will return to using the Reiner as a promotional tool for stallions, events, sales, and products. After all, you can’t find a more perfect way to reach the reining community than in your association’s official publication.
A third adaptation for the May issue came from this blog. We were able to pool resources to put together a special, unplanned feature about how reiners put the competitive hiatus to use. The members we talked to weren’t sitting around, worrying about the future. They were putting in the work that would matter once competition resumes. Read more about it here.
One thing you can always work on at home is your competitive mental state. Both “Reiner Psych” and “Reiner Insights” address mental-prep topics to help your competitive mindset. Jane Pike covers “comparisonitis,” that nasty tendency to see yourself as less than your competition. NRHA Four Million Dollar Rider Andrea Fappani talks about putting together a solid show strategy before you go show.
While you’re at home, you can also get your facility and your horses ready to fight off summer pests. The May issue has information about tools to use around your barn to fight flies as well as an extensive explanation about why flies and their pesky counterparts can pose major risks for your horses.
We love telling stories about reiners and reining horses, and Christian Rammerstorfer’s journey with Maddox, a 2003 sorrel stallion by Magnum Chic Dream and out of Pistols Leo Sandy, is a great read to get you ready to go show.
Just like you, we’re ready for competition to resume. One thing you can do to be ready to hit the show pen is to renew your membership. It’s as easy as logging into ReinerSuite™ and following the prompts. Then you’ll be all set to send in your entries when you can return to the arena.
As always, we appreciate your thoughts and feedback. Send yours to reiner@nrha.com.