Success keeps reining horse trainer at the top

By Kylene Scott

REINING HORSES--Jeromy and Jacqueline Lipps, Inola, Okla., operate Lipps Horse Training, where Jeromy trains reining horses for reining futurity shows. Jeromy puts Quixotes Skeetshootr through his paces. (Journal photo by Kylene Scott.) What is reining? Reining, according to the National Reining Horse Association, is an event designed to show the athletic ability of a ranch-type horse within the confines of a show arena. In NRHA competition, contestants are required to run one of 10 approved patterns. Each pattern includes small slow circles, large fast circles, flying lead changes, rollbacks over the hocks, 360-degree spins done in place, and exciting sliding stops. The NRHA is an association that governs reining shows and events. According to www.nrha.com, the NRHA was founded in 1966 and is dedicated to the promotion of the reining horse. It serves as the standard setting body for the sport of reining worldwide. There are multiple divisions of competition offered at NRHA approved shows. NRHA offers the following approved divisions in competition: --Open; --Intermediate Open; --Limited Open; --Rookie Professional; --Non Pro; --Intermediate Non Pro; --Limited Non Pro; --Prime Time Non Pro; --Rookie; --Snaffle Bit; --Novice Horse Open; --Novice Horse Non Pro; --Youth 14 to 18; --Youth 13 and Under; --Youth 10 and Under Short Stirrup; --Unrestricted Youth; --Freestyle. In addition to the various divisions of competition, NRHA offers a number of different categories of competition that separate specific types of events, horse ages, and special programs. As riders progress in NRHA competition, they move through a series of limited events that help "level the field." NRHA maintains an extensive database of statistics to enable exhibitors to understand which events they are qualified to enter. Eligibility lists are published by NRHA to help exhibitors know which events they are no longer eligible to enter. In order to ensure integrity of the NRHA programs, participation in approved NRHA shows requires membership in the NRHA for exhibitors and owners and a valid competition license for horses. Further information can be found at www.nrha.com.

Powerful sliding stops. Effortless spins and pretty circles. All are important to a successful reining horse.

Training reining horses is something that Jeromy Lipps has been doing for a number of years. Most recently, he has been training and showing reining horses in National Reining Horse Association sanctioned futurities.

Jeromy and his wife Jacqueline have been married five years and have a five-month-old daughter, Ivy. Jacqueline is no stranger to the horse world as she competed in high school and college rodeo, running barrels. After college she had a few barrel horses but decided, once the baby came, it might be easier to go to the reining shows with Jeromy than to the barrel races alone.

"I'm hoping to start showing some next year," Jacqueline said. "I haven't been on a horse in about three years."

Based in Inola, Okla., Jeromy Lipps typically rides a dozen horses a day in preparation for competition. Most of the horses in his barn are customer horses, where he trains and shows the animals for owners.

"I only have one or two of my own right now, and just primarily ride for other customers," he said. "They are mostly reiners and some all-around horses."

Lipps started out riding in 4-H events and, as he got older, progressed to Quarter Horse shows.

"We showed lots of 4-H--every event, from halter in the morning to reining, barrels, and poles in the evening," Lipps said of his early show career.

However, it wasn't all fun and games for the Nebraska native.

"Dad and I used to buy a couple colts in the spring and sell them in the fall," he said. "The school of hard knocks taught me a lot."

Their projects turned into a career for Lipps.

"Ever since I've started riding colts, I knew it was what I wanted to do (for a living)," Lipps said. "I didn't go to college because of it."

Lipps rode with several trainers before starting out on his own, and still, when he has the chance, he will go and ride with well-known trainers in the reining world.

"Just last week, I went to Marietta, Okla., and rode with a guy there," Lipps said in early October. "I will just go and watch what they do, and see if they do something to make it easier to get something accomplished."

Lipps calls that his continuing education.

Concentration now

Lipps primarily concentrates on several two- and three-year-olds, which are shown in reining futurities. He has one entered in the NRHA Futurity in Oklahoma City in late November. Others go to various other events.

Lipps has one horse right now he is rather fond of. He is sired by Jacs Electric Spark, and out of a mare by Skeets Peppy and out of Queens Promise.

"I like this one a lot," he said. "He's been easy, and is really physical. He has a lot of try--things that I like. It makes my job easier."

The horse was shown at a futurity in Tulsa recently, winning the limited open at the Mid America Pard's Futurity.

"We will continue to show him. That's the plan, anyway," Lipps said. "Unless someone wants to buy him, and wants me to continue to show him."

Lipps normally has a number of quality horses for sale, from prospects to finished reiners. He also has a knack for helping young riders, Jacqueline said.

"Jeromy has a gifted eye for matching a horse with a rider--making very competitive teams," she said. "He has often been complimented for his unbelievable patience and ability to coach."

Some of the horse and rider teams he has put together include five youths who competed in the 13 and under NRHA competitions. Three girls won titles, claiming the champion, reserve champion and third place in the year-end standings for the Oklahoma Reining Horse Association.

"One youth, Megan Gardner, was invited to compete in this year's prestigious Slide Zone Freestyle," Jacqueline said. "Last year he coached the year-end Rookie Champion for the association, as well."

Training philosophy

The first 60 days in training are spent getting the horse broke--working on "steering" and stops. From there, Lipps will try and put a little more finesse and fine-tune important moves. And if the horses do not progress, he will send them home.

"Those that are tough, go home," he said. "Some are just stubborn and obstinate. You want them to go right and they go left. They are just tough."

Those that go on to careers in the show ring begin serious training mid-year as a three-year-old.

"I'll start taking them in April and May and let them see the sights. They won't show until July or August," he said.

Lipps works on several maneuvers with the horses each day.

"I have a game plan every day for each horse," he said. "On the three-year-olds, I work on all the maneuvers. I don't spend much time, though; I don't want to kill my horse."

Circles are also perfected, focusing on speed control and finesse.

"A lot of people slack the most in lead changes and rollbacks," he said. "The spins and stops are fun, but I like to focus on the smaller things, too. It's all attention to detail. I want to fine-tune every aspect of every maneuver."

Lipps said circles are judged on several things.

--The horse is willingly guided.

--Appearance in a circle.

--Small slow circles; how willing or resistant the horse is.

There are so many other factors to the stop, than just the stop itself, he said. There is:

--Approach.

--Rollback.

--Departure.

"Some horses have more of a stop than others. You can only manufacture so much, and put style to it. Some horses can't physically stop with their head down and stay free in the front end," Lipps said. "Then there are some that want to stop, and it's pretty easy to put the pieces together."

Shoeing has a lot to do with sliding stops, he said.

"A good farrier will help your program, while a bad farrier will hurt it," Lipps said. "A good one will keep them sound, but a bad one will get them sore fast."

Lipps wants his horses to be as balanced and correct as possible when it comes to shoes, and is thankful to have found a good farrier in Brendon Frost.

"What they are asked to do adds stress on the joints. The feet are the foundation," he said.

The horses are shod with a flat steel plate on the back feet, ranging from 1 inch to 1 1/4 inches wide. The steel plate aids in the slide. The front feet have regular horseshoes or they can go barefoot. Lipps prefers the latter.

"(No shoes) on the front creates less problems," he said. "Some will step on themselves and tear them off, anyway."

Lipps feeds alfalfa and a complete pelleted feed and he believes, by keeping the feed program simple, it has eliminated joint problems and soreness issues.

"We have been fortunate, as we haven't had a lot of injuries," Lipps said. "I contribute that to a good farrier and a good feed program."

Although the spins are spectacular to watch, Lipps thinks the horses have to have the "want to" to spin.

"It's easier to teach one to turn than it is to stop," he said.

In the show pen

Lipps tries to go to some weekend shows to get the younger horses used to the sights and sounds of the show ring, before actually entering them.

"At the beginning of this year, I sat down and made a schedule for us. There were about 20 shows on that list," he said. "We've been to quite a few this year."

Having a new daughter and high fuel prices has cut back on Lipps' traveling, but he thinks the entries are up at the reining shows.

"It's been better than years past," he said.

Lipps said his biggest satisfaction, as far as training goes, is being able to accomplish his goals and see the fruits of his hard work in the show pen.

"It's nice to take the raw product to a finished horse," he said. "It takes two years to get one pretty much finished."

Lipps said customers keep their horses with him simply because they are happy with the horse's training.

"It's just like anything else," he said. "When a horse shows progress, the customers want to keep going, and we want them to be happy."

Lipps wants the horses to progress in the show ring, and the owners want to see changes and improvements in their animals, he said.

"Some come by weekly--some come once a year," he said. "Every customer is different."

Lipps said the biggest thing that draws him to showing reining horses is the competition.

"If I go to a horse show and get beat, I can come back home and fix the problem, and maybe go back and improve," he said. "I just have a competitive edge and try to win."

Lipps said he must adapt easily since he rides a dozen or so horses a day.

"You can try and make them all cookie cutter, but they're not," he said. "I've got a three-year-old this year that is a good horse at home, but when he goes to the horse show, he goes out there and tries to be a show horse. Some go the opposite way when you take them to a show."

In order to be successful show horses, Lipps wants his horses to be quiet, able to adapt to new surroundings and easily manipulated.

"I'd much rather have to push one everywhere, than try to pull on him all the time," Lipps said.

As for his training techniques, it has been a trial and error process.

"Some things work and other things don't," he said. "It's nice to go ride with people that might have the same (training) problems as you. Maybe they had the same issue and got through it."

And getting through it is exactly what the Lippses are doing. For more information about the family, visit www.lippshorsetraining.com.

Kylene Scott can be reached by phone at 620-227-1804 or by e-mail at kscott@hpj.com.