What is a “fist” hold? . Looking at my hand, the “straight line” between rein and elbow would be between ring and middle finger. The pinky/ring “slot” is at the bottom of the arm and not down the middle (so there is that…). I was discussing double reins. just where would you suggest the curb rein go? If the pinky is the “weakest”, isnt that just the place the most powerful rein should go? SO the curb is not overused? And certainly the horse should be trained sufficiently so he does not pull on the curb rein.
as far as a snaffle bridle goes, yes, the traditional hold… but now I wonder…
Holding the rein between the middle and ring fingers would still create a fairly straight line, but then you only have two fingers holding that rein so you’re sacrificing strength.
If I’m using the two reins I hold the snaffle rein between ring and pinky because that’s still the rein I’ll be using the most. I put the curb rein under my pinky so that a small flex of the wrist brings it into play without having to shorten the rein. I suppose if you were on a runaway you could switch the hold so you were using all of your strength on the curb rein.
A fist hold would be one rein running through the whole fist and exiting below the pinky.
Now, obviously everyone’s hands are different, and if someone found a different hold works better for them than there isn’t really a good reason not to try it.
The odd ride where I’ve forgotten my gloves has allowed me to play with different holds to avoid getting blisters.
Most of them, yes, but not all of them in a single sitting.
Holding the reins is a small part of horsemanship. All of the links had do do with horsemanship. If you want to become a better horseman you educate yourself in specifics and HOW those specifics work to create a functional whole. Knowing how to hold the reins to be most effective in your discipline is a Good Thing. If that’s all your obsessing about your not doing you job.
Or, to quote the motto of Faber College, “Knowledge Is Good.”
the “strength” of holding a rein is found in the pressure of the thumb on the top of the hand. Without that the rein easily pulls through any hold…And frankly I dont want to ride a horse who is so strong that I need all my hands’ strength to control him…
Practice different rein holds and have a person pull on you. Practice each hold with your upper body in a different position. Try each hold with your hand in the proper position vs “piano hands”.
You’ll find that some holds are more difficult to maintain without losing your balance or bracing.
It’s more about maximizing dexterity and a relaxed, following hand while having strength in your back pocket in case things go sideways.
Well I definitely never accidentally default to the fist hold . . . so I wouldn’t know anything about exaggerated wrist movements! :uhoh:
In all seriousness, the next time my trainer tells me to keep my wrists straight, I’m going to check I haven’t let my pinky over the reins, and I bet it will help a lot!
Thanks to everyone for the very interesting responses, I knew people would have a variety of great explanations for my question here
Not that works. It used to on the older version of the forum but when it was upgraded a few years ago it stopped working. Apparently somewhere in personal settings there is an ignore feature but it doesn’t actually work. Sorry.
There are a few posters I have just learned to scroll on by because they are holier than thou and know everything about everything. Just not worth engaging with them since they really only want to lecture not have a conversation.
All of us have posters we are not interested in what they have to contribute and scrolling by is easy.
These being public forums, it would be rare that you would not find some you disagree or not care for, just as in real life not everyone likes everyone else.
What many figure, to their surprise, after a while, if they stay here is that, depending on the topic, we may eve at times agree with those we dislike, people being multi-dimensional, not the one sided caricature we generally tend to form of them.
In a way that gives life to public forums, is what makes them extra interesting over more close social media, where only like minded people talk to other like minded ones.
These differences is what gives such an interesting bend to what each one can get out of public forums.
The ignore function helped those that rather not scroll by.
At the same time, it made them miss part of the discussions.
Most that tried were eventually deciding it was not helping anyway.
They were in fact only blinding themselves.
Since the platform of these forums changed, a basic glitch in it’s programming made it unworkable, sorry.
But then again, in reference to G., sometimes reading what he has to say can be a very good idea.
I don’t always agree with him, and sometimes he can be a bit pushy, but for the most part, he knows his horse stuff and the info he provides is worth knowing.
So blocking someone like that can become a handicap to greater knowledge.
Certainly in this instance, blocking G., who has provided you with excellent resources for furthering your knowledge of horsemanship, would be a perfect example of cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face.
You could always go to the link, hit ctrl F, enter “reins”, and cut to the chase, if your time is so valuable that you can’t be bothered to read the whole thing.
Raising hand. After 2 hours of this. It’s so we can harden and strengthen the inside of the ring finger so we can wrap running ground vines and that damn 5 leaf tree climber around our fingers to get the grip to pull them out. :encouragement:
She can’t acknowledge that if she’s pretending to be new.
Regardless of how you feel about G I have always appreciated his book recommendations to further my horsemanship or gain a better knowledge of the history.
I have done that. And I still like the way I hold my reins. NOT piano hands (where did you get that?) I find that what stabilizes my core MOST is remembering to keep my elbows “attached” to my hips (not braced, you know the feeling I mean…)
ANd really, the way I hold my reins is ONE FINGER different from a traditional uncrossed hold.
