How to Hold a Horse's Reins

To gain a trustful relationship with a horse, a rider must master the basics of riding, including how to hold reins.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Horses
• Horse Reins
• Riding Boots
• Riding Helmets

1. 

   Take one rein in each hand; left rein in the left hand, right rein in the right hand.

2. 

   Tuck the reins under all four fingers, with the reins going in at your pinkies and coming out at your forefingers.

3. Hold the reins in place with your thumbs against your forefingers.

4. Hold your hands in the thumbs-up position, with your palms slightly downward and thumbs turned toward each other. Hold your hands no farther apart than the width of the horse's neck.

5. 

   Keep your wrists and fingers relaxed. Let your arms and elbows hang naturally, but don't let them flap. Hold the reins as if you are lightly squeezing a sponge.

6. Keep your hands about an inch in front of the saddle and a few inches above the horse.

7. Lift your thumbs and let the reins slide out to add length. Shorten the reins by using the opposing hand to take up extra length.

Tips & Warnings

• Imagine a straight line going from your elbows through the reins to the horse's bit.
• Keep your hands still and don't jerk or pull at the reins.
• Horseback riding is an inherently dangerous activity that can result in serious injury or death. We recommend that you seek proper training and equipment before attempting this activity.

Who Can Help Sponsored

• Tired of Being Tired? Fight Fatigue and Try FRS for FREE!

[LaurieBee81]

on 8/22/2008 This may be correct positioning for the purposes of showmanship (I'm no expert in Western), but when riding a less-than-perfectly trained horse, I have always been taught to bring the reins through the underside of your fist and out through the top, by your thumb. This is essential to maintaining control when riding a green or uncooperative animal, as the method you've illustrated here provides no leverage against pulling or head-tossing. Nothing is to keep the reins from sliding through your grip, no matter how strong it may be. Just a note for the inexperienced rider reading this eHow.

[DukeSPS]

on 10/7/2007 Learners Note: The picture is not showing the English way of holding reins as described!

[horse_lover]

on 11/12/2006 hold careful and dont pull the reins hard or else the horeses mouth gets hurt. hold light and gently.

on 8/8/2006 The position of your hands tends to vary in the discipline of riding, a general rule of thumb however is;

Imagine an imaginary box around the horses withers, never stretching out wider than the bit. Your hands should never leave this box (unless it's for correctional, schooling or emergency purposes), and they should be about six inches above the withers. Never wider than the bit, and properly spaced between each other (two or three inches). With your thumbs on top of the reins, your hands should be slightly inclined toward each other at an angle, not much, maybe at an 80 degree angle. Your thumbs should be on top, however, not pointing directly to the sky. This is sometimes asked from novice riders, to reinforce the generally proper position without getting too complicated.

Remember to always keep your fingers firm, this doesn't mean more contact with the bit, just tight fingers in case the horse were to pull or spook and yank the reins from your hands, the degree on pressure on the reins can be varied to use as an aid for more sensitive horses.

on 8/8/2006 I used to hold the reins with the reins between my pinky and ring finger. That was really bad because I started to get skinned on the joints on my ring finger, and that hurts. Then I thought I was really professional so I thought I could hold both reins in one hand. That was really bad too, because when my horse went into a trot one side of the reins would tighten making the horse lean to one side. This also made me lean and start slipping in the saddle while in a trot or canter!