Back in April 2020 we had the pleasure of catching up with FEI Reining Athlete Francesca Sternberg, about her reining career to date, and how she got started within the sport, especially as she is based in the UK. The following is our interview with Francesca.
What initially drew you into the Sport?
Initially it was my sister who was interested in western riding. At that time I was still riding Eventers and showing Hunters and Jumpers. I thought the western was all a bit strange and the horses rather small. My sister had booked a place on a course in Switzerland with a World Champion Reining and Cowhorse trainer but unfortunately the week before had a skiing accident and ended up in the hospital! As a result I ended up taking her place. I thought I was going to make quite an impression as I thought I was quite a good rider, ha ha. The only impression I made was the fact that I actually knew very little about anything. The first time I was asked to run a horse through the arena and say woah I was totally amazed at what happened. From there on in curiosity got the better of the cat and I was intrigued to see how these horses were trained to be such incredible performance animals. Initially I started using some of training techniques on my English horses with amazing results and then I bought my own Quarter Horse. The rest is history.
What makes you passionate about Reining?
Reining is like a combination of Formula One car racing and ice skating. You have to have such amazing precision but you also need to be able to do it with speed if you want to win a prize. That combination is a massive adrenaline fix and a huge challenge. Another part of it is that the rider really shouldn’t be seen to be doing anything at all, so you have to be nice and quiet whilst achieving these incredibly large manoeuvres. It is all about the willingness of the horse and technique over strength, we never stop learning and the discipline just keeps on getting better and better.
Who has been your greatest inspiration and who did you train with through the years?
I’ve been incredibly lucky to ride with some of the best trainers in the industry, so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly who has been the greatest inspiration. Many of them had given me parts of what now makes me the rider I am.
Early on I was able to train with riders such as the great Bob Loomis, Dick Peiper and Cal Cooper. I think Sean Florida has to be one of the greatest, as he set the pace for the $1,000,000 riders, but the skill and technique of riders such as Jason Van Langdingham and Craig Schmersal, who display such great horsemanship and skill certainly are iconic in our sport. I have been lucky to train with those great men and still have a bucket list left of the ones I’d like to go to ride with! Now I ride with Yonathan Baruch in The USA, who is originally from Israel, and Steffano Ferri from Italy, and trains in France. Reining is truly a global sport these days.
Tell us about some of the Highlights of your career so far?
I’ve had some great highlights in my writing career including being European champion multiple times, having NRHA Futurity top ten places and being in the top three at the AQHA World Show in the Reining. Last year I was the NRHA World Champion of the Prime Time division , so sometimes it’s good to be old! Perhaps though the greatest highlights have been had whilst competing for Great Britain at the World Equestrian games. There really is nothing quite like being at that event, in amongst all the best riders in the world from all the FEI Disciplines, riding under your Country’s flag, that takes some beating.
Of all your equine partnerships, which have been the most memorable and why?
I’ve been very lucky to have been able to have and ride some truly great horses. However probably the one that stands out is a horse called “Yelena My Way”. Not only did I win a lot on this horse, he traveled to and fro with me from America to Europe and back again several times to enable me to show at the AQHA World Show amongst other events. He was an FEI horse for one WEG with my husband, Doug Allen, and culminated his FEI competition career winning a bronze medal with my daughter , Tabitha in the Juniors. He enriched all our show careers. At age 21yrs old he then went on to be the World Champion Para Reining horse and is still competing age 23 in Para Reining with a new rider. Apart from being extremely successful in my opinion he is the epitome of what the reining horse is all about. He has excellent conformation and a great character, taking all riders despite being a breeding stallion. He was first shown as a 3 year old and is still being shown 20 years later, that is a remarkable feat. He is just a wonderful horse, fantastic temperament and a great gentleman. I may have won more on other horses but he stands out and I love him to bits.
Have you any exciting young horses coming up through the ranks?
I have several really exciting young horses coming up. It is always fantastic to breed your own horses and see them turn out well, but as with all breeding programs it’s usually a fairly small percentage that do make the very top level, as it is all a great gamble. However, last year I competed one of the best 3yr olds I have ever bred and placed highly in the NRHA Futurity with him in America. This year I have got two 4year olds, who I bred in the UK, that I am champing at the bit to show. The quality of the horses just gets better and better every year as the standard of the brood mares and stallions gets stronger and stronger. It is exciting to see the quality of these young horses being produced. Genetics are pretty much everything these days and it is unusual to see horses that do not have the right pedigree on their papers succeed at top level any more.
When buying/selecting a young horse for competition, what do you look for?
First of all I look at the horse. You can’t have a good competition horse if it doesn’t have the right confirmation. Once I’ve decided that I like the look of the horse I then look at the pedigree. As I said before, these days it is unusual to find an individual that doesn’t come from a recognizable gene pool. It can happen, but breeding is a science and genetics are strong , so your best bet is to get a horse out of the very best mare you can find and by one of the successful stallions. I also look to see how any siblings have done, as this can also give you an insight into the quality of the performance of the family. The great thing is that all the Reining performance records are easily accessible on line so it is possible to do all your homework before purchasing.
The modern Reiner is about as far removed from what you might see on Cowboy films as you can get. The riders are athletes and the horses are highly trained, so unless you can accept the challenge of executing something at extremely high level, whilst making it look like you are not doing anything, you should pick another discipline! On the other hand, once you have experienced it you will never want to do anything else. It is highly addictive, take that from me!!
Francesca Sternberg.
Is Reining a difficult sport to get started in, here in Europe?
Without a doubt Reining is not as mainstream in Europe as it is In America, and in England of course we are very much focused on show jumping, Eventing and Dressage. However, in Europe there are lots of events, and many specialist Reining trainers in multiple facilities where you can go to train and compete. In England there is a more limited supply but it’s still out there.
If a young equestrian is interested in getting involved in Reining what is your advice?
The first point of contact is your national reining group , so for example in the UK that would be British Reining. Most of these associations have websites or you can contact them through the National Federation, which in the UK is BEF or NRHA. Once you’re in touch you can find out where the nearest trainer or facility is to you and go from there.
Are there any resources online that you can recommend for anyone wanting to find out more about the sport?
The NRHA has a very comprehensive website, www.NRHA.com. British Reining has a Facebook page and website and there are lots of videos to watch online at places such as YouTube. FEI also has a Reining section, so lots to look at!
Last Question; If you had one piece of advice to offer an Equestrian embarking on a career in Reining what would that be?
Ah, now there is a question! I think I would say you have to be open minded enough that you can let go of any previous conceived ideas you may have had of Western Riding. The modern Reiner is about as far removed from what you might see on Cowboy films as you can get. The riders are athletes and the horses are highly trained, so unless you can accept the challenge of executing something at extremely high level, whilst making it look like you are not doing anything, you should pick another discipline! On the other hand, once you have experienced it you will never want to do anything else. It is highly addictive, take that from me!!
Francesca, once again thank you from all the Team here at Irish Sport Horse Magazine, wishing you The Best of Luck for the Future.
This Interview was originally published in the April 2020 Issue of Irish Sport Horse Magazine. All Pictures were provided Courtesy of Francesca Sternberg.