Reining is a western riding competition for horses where the riders guide the horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins, and stops. All work is done at the lope (a slow, relaxed version of the horse gait more commonly known worldwide as the canter) and gallop; the fastest of the horse gaits. Reining is often described as a Western form of dressage riding, as it requires the horse to be responsive and in tune with its rider, whose aids should not be easily seen, and judges the horse on its ability to perform a set pattern of movements. The horse should be willingly guided or controlled with little or no apparent resistance and dictated to completely. A horse that pins his ears, conveying a threat to his rider, refuses to go forward, runs sideways, bounces his rear, wrings his tail in irritation or displays an overall poor attitude is not being guided willingly, and is judged accordingly.

Throughout the history of the Americas, dating back to the earliest Spanish settlers in what today is Mexico and the Southwestern United States, including Texas and California, ranchers needed to manage cattle from horseback. Cattle were moved, branded, doctored, sorted, and herded, often on open range without the benefit of fences, barns or other means of holding the animals. A good cowboy needed a quick and nimble horse, one that could change directions quickly, stop "on a dime," and sprint after an errant cow. The horse needed to be controlled mostly by legs and weight, ridden with only one hand and a light touch on the reins, so that the cowboy's attention could also be on tasks that could include handling a lariat (to rope cattle), opening a gate, or simply waving a hand, hat or rope to move along a reluctant herd animal. Informal demonstrations of these ideal characteristics amongst ranch cowboys and vaqueros evolved into the sport of reining, as well as the related events of cutting and working cow horse as well as several other horse show classes.

George Joseph Cash (May 25, 1937 - July 13, 1967), better known as Joe Cash, was a World Championship water skier and renowned instructor. He was post-humously inducted into the WaterSkiing Hall of Fame in 1987, along with Mike Suyderhoud.

Joe Cash was born on May 25, 1937 to James and Clara Cash in Shelbyville, TN. His family moved to Sarasota, FL in 1946, which happened to be a popular spot for waterskiing. He did not begin waterskiing until his parents bought him his first pair of skis for his 17th birthday, but within three years, he was competing in national and world championships. He was clearly a "natural." Cash got his first job when he joined the ski show at Sunshine Springs and Gardens near Sarasota. He moved on to become a star performer in the Cypress Gardens show, while simultaneously piling up tournament trophies.

Cash was known in his time as the only skier in the history of the sport to set records in all three disciplines - slalom, jump, and trick - though at the time, only records in the jump were officially recognized. Cash tied the record for the jump with a 126-footer at the 1957 Nationals in San Diego. He set the record at 129 feet in 1958 at Delray Beach, FL, and raised the mark weeks later to 136 feet at the Callaway Gardens Nationals. In 1959, he again raised the mark by 10 feet to 142 in Fort Myers, FL.

Stacy Westfall is a professional horse trainer who specializes in reining. She was the first woman to compete in and win the "Road to the Horse" competition. In 2006 she won the American Quarter Horse Congress Freestyle Reining competition on the black mare Whizards Baby Doll, riding both bridleless and bareback. The video of this ride went viral on the internet and brought Westfall to the attention of the non-horse world.

Westfall grew up in South China, Maine, learned to ride from her mother and got her first pony, named Midnight Misty, at the age of six. Her first full-sized horse was a mare named "Bay", given to her by her father as a reward for good grades in school. She used Bay for barrel racing. Her parents, Biff and Sherri Gliddon, were not horse professionals, though Sherri had a lifelong interest in horses, and until Westfall went to college, Sherri was her only instructor. Westfall went to college at the University of Findlay in Ohio, where she majored in equestrian studies. Her instructors included Steve Brown and Clark Bradley. She went on to work for well-known reining trainers Mike Flarida and Dan Huss. At the root of her technique is the principle to "think-like-a-horse”.