Which hand holds the reins and how is it positioned?

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

Question’s in the title. I show ranch horse, and I trail ride. I’m more interested in the functional answer than what the show handbook says. Which hand position makes the most practical sense, in your opinion? Do you use your dominant hand or non-dominant? And what do you do with your free hand?

At home I ride in rope reins that are all one piece, although my instructor says I need to get some split reins before the fall show season.

Riding one-handed is the hardest thing for me about western so far. For a long time it wasn’t a problem - I just rode my snaffle-bit horse in a snaffle bit and used two hands. But now I’ve bought a horse who knows more than I do. He was trained as a reining horse and then worked at the Dixie Stampede and then was someone’s cow horse. I discovered yesterday in my lesson that he’d really prefer I use one hand and he’d be delighted if I learned how to do it properly, thank you very much.

My instructor has shown me several ways to hold the reins, but hasn’t really recommended one way over another. Which is why I’d love to hear y’all’s opinions. With pictures if possible! Thanks.

[Tee]

I am right handed, and am in the minority in that I also ride right handed. I think for practicality in doing gates, throwing a rope, and so on is why most learned to ride left handed. I just don’t have the ability or flexibility to pull it off yet. Maybe when my horses are more finished? But I doubt it.

I ride with one rein over and under my forefinger, with the excess rein draped to the right. My free hand sort of floats everywhere, tho I try to keep it on my leg. I prefer to ride on romals, for the sole reason that it gives my free hand something to do.

[Donkaloosa]

It you are going to show, be sure to check the rules about how to hold the reins. I believe in aqua, etc., you can’t have a finger between the reins — but that may have changed since I last showed stock horses.

[Luseride]

Right handed and usually ride with my left hand but if riding a pattern and I know I will gain an advantage the other way will do that. One finger between the reins, I can see the first two knuckles of my rein hand. The rein ends hand down on the same side as my rein hand.

[roseymare]

The index finger is allowed between the reins in all major stock horse breed rules.

[sk_pacer]

What hand would you throw a rope with? Use the opposite hand for the reins. The rope, if on the saddle is always handy to the hand you throw with

[Palm_Beach]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B74AytQSZK0

You want your dominant hand to be your free hand.

[jdobbs64]

I am right handed, I ride and show western left handed, like this:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WMLJW9X6BqU/TD3sWQPjF5I/AAAAAAAALko/eTyObrjvxwg/s1600/reinhand.jpg

You do want to get very comfortable with split reins well before show season. I prefer 3/4" wide, heavier-weight reins, and 8’ in length. Little spaghetti weight reins are harder to really feel and hold while a bigger one really sits in your hand quietly.

http://www.rods.com/schutz-brothers-5-8-x-8-waterloop-reins.html#product-detail

[Bluey]

Some trainers explain to their students how to hold the reins for each different situation, how to “milk” the reins up and down to shorten or lengthen them, how to barely move your hand an inch or two one or another way still with the proper contact, to do that with different sizes of reins, etc. and then have them practice it with reins on hand while sitting there watching TV in the evenings.

We used to teach apprentices while sitting on a bale of hay how to handle reins and whip while exercising and running.

That is not at all like having a horse respond to reins at the other end, but it helps with the basic motor memory at the hand itself.

[cutter99]

I am left handed and hold the reins in my right as that frees the left hand to hold the horn when I cut.

[kewpalace]

I ride cowhorse, some arena shows and do occasional cowboy/obstacle races/shows.I am right handed and ride with the reins in my left hand. With romal reins I ride them in a fist, right hand on the romal. You get DQ’d in you have fingers between the reins, unless you are riding in two reins. Split reins index finger between the reins. Right hand w/bent elbow forward a bit so I’m not pulling my shoulder back. Of course, snaffle/hackamore (bosal) are two handed.

[sirbeastmom]

I’m right-hand dominant and ride with my right hand (in the minority, but totally legal at shows as long as the rein tails fall on the right side). I ride in split reins with my pointer finger between the two reins and my hand above and in front of the horn. I hold it at a 45(ish)-degree angle, because that gives me the most flexibility. My left hand is on my thigh.

[beau159]

There is no rule that says which hand you have to hold the reins. Do whatever is comfortable.

However, it is also good to think about what is practical. For example, when I am doing ranch horse trail that has obstacles, I look at the obstacles and what the pattern calls for. If 3 of the 4 obstacles that require me to do something with a free hand want that free hand to be my right hand, then I will hold the reins in the my left hand to leave my right hand free for most of the tasks. So if I must rope a dummy during the pattern, I am right-handed and therefore am going to want my right hand to rope.

You could absolutely switch hands if you would like; there’s no rules against it but it just makes it easier.

There have been some patterns that (for example) required a left-handed push on a gate yet I needed to rope something (with my right hand). Therefore, when I approach the gate, I will switch the reins from my left hand to my right hand, handle the gate as directed, and then when I am done, I’ll switch the reins back to my left hand so that I will be ready when I get to the roping station.

Etc.

I have always shown one-handed with split reins with my index finger between the reins, palm facing down, like this picture I found on Google.

[Bluey]

That ^^^ is the way you hold them reining, because you are running a pattern in an arena, don’t have to do other than carefully and with the least movement guide your horse, the less the more points you can get.

Especially in the circles, with reins held like that, even very drapey, you can barely move your hand already well up in front and keep your horse from drifting out of the circle with the hand just there.

[kewpalace]

[QUOTE=beau159;8747819]
You could absolutely switch hands if you would like; there’s no rules against it but it just makes it easier. [/QUOTE]Some competitions DO have rules that you cannot switch hands, except if you have to do so to work an obstacle. In other words, you pick the hand you want to ride with (it can be either) and can only switch if an obstacle requires you to work it with that hand. Then after working the obstacle you must go back to the original hand. Just check with the organization you ride with to make sure.

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

Thank you everyone! I bought a set of leather split reins yesterday - 8’ long, 5/8" wide - and I’m going to practice with them this weekend. May have more questions afterward. :lol:

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=pAin’t_Misbehavin’;8749055]
Thank you everyone! I bought a set of leather split reins yesterday - 8’ long, 5/8" wide - and I’m going to practice with them this weekend. May have more questions afterward. :lol:[/QUOTE]

If they are not oiled already, you may want to do that first.

With use, reins get much nicer, heavier and with a better feel than when new.
They seem to get more “life” to them, so be patient, use them and they will get there.

[beau159]

[QUOTE=Bluey;8747874]
That ^^^ is the way you hold them reining, because you are running a pattern in an arena, don’t have to do other than carefully and with the least movement guide your horse, the less the more points you can get.

Especially in the circles, with reins held like that, even very drapey, you can barely move your hand already well up in front and keep your horse from drifting out of the circle with the hand just there.[/QUOTE]

?? I hold my reins like that for all western showing events that I do, whether it be reining, ranch horse, western pleasure, horsemanship, etc.

@kewpalace;8748698

Some competitions DO have rules that you cannot switch hands, except if you have to do so to work an obstacle. In other words, you pick the hand you want to ride with (it can be either) and can only switch if an obstacle requires you to work it with that hand. Then after working the obstacle you must go back to the original hand. Just check with the organization you ride with to make sure.

And that’s basically what I said (and exactly what I meant); that you can switch hands in order to complete an obstacle.

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=beau159;8749520]
?? I hold my reins like that for all western showing events that I do, whether it be reining, ranch horse, western pleasure, horsemanship, etc.

… and?

And that’s basically what I said (and exactly what I meant); that you can switch hands in order to complete an obstacle.[/QUOTE]

Reining is the only western show discipline I know something, like how to hold the reins, that is why I only mentioned that, not others.

[Montanas_Girl]

As others have said, I hold the reins in my left (non-dominant) hand, index finger between the two reins, with the drape also falling to the left. I rode IHSA in college, and the “correct” (horsemanship) way to hold the reins was drilled into me. I was taught that my thumb should face up, just like when holding two reins. I ALWAYS keep my free hand up beside my rein hand. When you drop your free hand down to your thigh, you inadvertently drop your shoulder down and back, which creates a crooked rider and, in turn, a crooked horse. In order to keep my free elbow from “flapping”, I hold a coin or rock in my free hand. For some reason, if I trick my brain into thinking I am holding two reins, I have much less trouble keeping that hand/arm still and in place.