When in a western horse show what is the proper way to hold the reins?

Answer 1

The left & right reins are attached to the bottom of the surcingle. There is often a ring or tag there for attachment. Until your horse is accustomed to the running reins , they should be run on the outside of the legs, threaded through the bit & back to the surcingle. Depending on what your running reins are like, you will probably have an adjustable buckle that clips to the reins & the top of the surcingle. Start the reins on a very lose setting on the lunge & gradually shorten over time once the horse begins to understand that lowering its head brings the greatest relief & comfort. It is important to always keep the horse thinking forward. Often the inside rein will be set shorter than the outside one to encourage flexion. Once the horse is experienced the reins can be run between the legs rather than on the outside of the legs.

Answer 2

There are 2 different ways to "steer" or direct a horse:

direct reining: hold the left rein in the left hand and the right rein in the right hand. make sure they are even!!!! pull the left rein toward your hip if you want to go left, or the right if you want to go right, when the horse's nose is pointing the direction you want to go, release the tension on the rein. nudge the horse with the OPPOSITE leg as you pull on hte rein(ex. left leg to go right, right leg to go left.) this method is used for both English and western riding

Neck reining: chek the reins to make sure they are even and hold both in your dominant hand, to go right, lay the left rein on the horses, neck, they will yield to the pressure, again relase the tension when their nose is the direction you want to go. and again, nudge the horse with the opposite leg at the same time you use the reins. to go left, lay the right rein on the horses neck, when their nose is pointing the direction you want, release the tension on the rein. this method is only used in western riding.

Answer 3

The following answer is assuming that you are riding English with English tack: Put your horse's saddle on and do the girth up on one side. Then, put the buckle of the draw reins (where you would hold them) on the horse's withers so that the loops on the draw reins are on either side. Take each loop and, making sure they're not crossed with each other, put the girth through them and do it up on the other side. Now put the horse's bridle on and do up the noseband and throatlatch. Undo the buckle of the draw reins that you put on the horse's withers and lay one side on the withers again. The other side would go up from the girth (the loop around it) to your horse's bit. Thread it through the ring on the bit under the regular rein. (Always use a gentle snaffle bit with draw reins). Put it back on the horse's neck and do the same on the other side. Now buckle the two together. You're now ready to ride! Hop on the horse and pick up your reins. Your ordinary snaffle reins will go in their normal position, in between your pinky and ring finger. The draw reins will go under your pinky and you will hold them in your fist. It will take a while to get the length of the draw reins and regular reins correct and can be quite confusing at first. To use the draw reins while riding, tilt your hand forward so that you are pulling the draw rein. Use the draw reins for putting your horse in a frame and the snaffle reins for steering. A word of caution: Don't use the draw reins for too long or your horse (and you) will begin to depend on them. They should be used briefly as a training aid and then discarded as soon as you no longer need them. Phase them out by loosening them gradually until your horse is only listening to your regular rein. (Don't do this all in one day.) Good luck with your horse and don't be too worried if you don't get it right away! Holding four reins can be quite confusing.

Answer 4

If you are using double/split reins, you should use one hand if your horse is trained well enough, its doesn't matter if you use your right or left hand, (use the hand you are more comfortable with) Put your index finger between the two reins, rest your thumb on top of the top rein, and the rest of your fingers should be just below the reins. The rest of the reins should rest down the horse's side, (normally the right side) but make sure that they are not too long. Short answer-Thumb, 1st rein, index finger, 2nd rein, other fingers. Hope this helps! :D

Answer 5

It depends on what style riding you are doing. Generally, for single rein English style riding, you hold the reins in each hand between your pinkie and ring fingers (outside to inside) and up between your tumb and pointer fingers. For western, you hold the reins in your dominant hand up through your fist coming out beteen your thumb and pointer finger.

Answer 6

It depends on the type of reins you're using. I prefer tie-on reins on my bridle, because i also use different bits and they're easy to switch from bridle to bridle. But I ride western, If You ride English, it gets a little more complicated, send me a message for Morse info, because it also depends on what type of bridle you have. My user name is crazycowgirl.

Answer 7

To stop your horse using the outside rein you need to gently squeeze the rein until the horse starts to slow down.

You can slow a horse down by using your outside rein to do something that is called a 'half-halt'. This is when you gently squeeze the outside rein to slow the horse down just slightly, for example if your horse is getting excited in trot and you just want to remind your horse that you asked for a steady trot, then you squeeze the outside rein until the horse listens and slows itself and then you release the squeeze to reward your horse.

You can also slow a horse down by slowing your body down, for example in trot, if your horse's trot is getting faster, use your outside rein to give your horse 'half-halts' until it begins to listen to you, but you can also slow your rising. By rising higher and sitting for slightly longer your horse will feel your body moving differently and will steady to meet your pace.