Holding Hands - Murdoch Minute #27

Does your horse resist your rein aids? Or does he hesitate before turning? Do you have sore hands, shoulders or arms after you ride? Do you feel like you have to pull your horse around more than you would like to? Do you think you have kinds hands but your horse still objects to your contact? The answer to these problems may be in what you consider soft hands compared to how it feels to your horse.

Next time you ride notice how you hold your reins. Do you grip the reins so much at your knuckles turn white? Or is your rein contact so wispy that it is non-existent? Do you keep the rein between your thumb and forefinger with the other fingers open? Or do you hold the reins between your ring and pinky finger leaving your thumb free? Does it feel like your biceps are soft or hard when you hold the reins? How you hold the reins can have a direct effect on the type of contact your horse feels in his mouth.

To improve your rein contact find someone to assist you. Take your bridle (or even a piece of string) and have the other person hold the bit. It is easier if she puts the headstall over her head. Now hold the reins the way you normally do and have your friend tell you what your contact feels like. Then change how you are holding the reins. Open your fingers, make fists, pinch with your thumb and forefinger or hold the rein with your ring finger (not easy to do with thick reins). Let your friend tell you how each different variation feels to her.

Ask your friend to move the bit as if she were a walking horse. Can you follow the contact or do you bump the bit repeatedly? Ask your friend to turn using the reins. Have her tell you what it feels like. Then reverse positions and feel what it is like when your friend holds the reins.

Generally pinching with the thumb and forefinger causes you to contract the biceps, which feels more like pulling. Wispy contact is not necessarily pleasant because you can't tell what the rider is doing, like a wimpy handshake. Holding the reins in the crook of your thumb with your fingers open could leave you open to broken fingers if your horse jumps suddenly. In addition holding the reins this way and turning your palm away from your body for steering stiffens your shoulder and arm. This will feel more like pulling rather than guiding to the horse. Turning your palm slightly upwards (like turning a key in a lock) keeps the upper arm close to your body so that you turn from your pelvis instead of your shoulders as long as you don't contract in the shoulders.

Once you have explored what your rein contact might feel like to your horse you will be more aware of how his reactions may be caused by your signals. Experiment with different ways to hold the reins looking for the one that feels clear, concise and easiest for your horse to understand. You might find that the less muscle you use the happier your horse will be.

Use this Murdoch Minute to improve your rein contact. By exploring different ways to hold your reins with a "horse" that can give you feedback you may find that by making some changes you will have better communication with your horse. And remember - enjoy the ride!

Wendy Murdoch resides in Washington, VA and is an international riding instructor/clinician. She travels worldwide teaching riders of all levels and disciplines how to improve the horse's performance by improving their body position. Her book, Simplify Your Riding and DVDs Simplify Your Riding - Ride Like A Natural Part 1 -3 are available at www.murdochmethod.com.