Correctly executed rein aids can help produce beautiful movements but only as an accessory to the aids we give with legs, seat and body. The only job the hands, and consequently the rein and the bit, have is to either allow or block what is being asked with the more dominant aids.

The three most common rein techniques are the direct rein, indirect rein and open rein. Most riders are familiar with these whether or not they can give them a name.

The direct rein is, as its name implies, a direct connection from bit to seat – the bit through the action of the hand, connected by the rein, is held in the direction of the rider’s hip of the same side. If you notice I said bit to seat – not hand. The hand, although of some use, does very little to assist in our riding and more often than not impedes anything else we may be trying to accomplish. The action of a direct rein is to block the hocks from coming too far forward but this is the least dominant of a circle of aids that begins with the leg, comes through the seat and ends THROUGH the bit not ON the bit as so many directives pronounce. The difference between through and on is quite small but is critical when building true balance and “throughness” in the horse. The difference is, at its most basic, the recognition of when to hold the hand and when to give the hand. More precisely – you hold a constant pressure until the correct answer is given and when the horse responds correctly you give. The rein pressure stays the same while the more dominant aids are ramped up until the horse understands, gives you the correct answer, at which time all aids are released until needed again be that for one step or many.

The indirect rein’s connection is diagonal – from hand to opposite hip. This and the open rein (discussed in the next paragraph) are the aids most often misused in an attempt to “steer” the horse. The indirect rein does one and only one thing – it bends the neck of the horse. Since horses can quite easily continue along a straight path with their head pulled to one side or the other it becomes clear how ineffective an indirect rein can be when used as a dominant aid. The indirect rein should only suggest the bend as the rider’s body pushes the horse through the bend and onto a curved line. Think of your reins as a corridor through which you wish to move your horse – walls of a corridor don’t move to avoid collisions with a body – the body must shift to avoid collisions with the wall. You must fix the hands with no shifting, pulling or dropping of the reins with the energy directed to the outside of the bend. You then ask your horse to move into that bend with the correct rider position. Look in the direction of the bend with eyes, shoulders, elbows and hips all parallel to the ground. Do not lean and make certain your elbows are not locked against your sides so you do not inadvertently pull the horse into the bend – your hands should always be held independently from your trunk and seat. If the horse responds correctly the inside rein will become slack. When that happens do not take up the contact. If the horse falls into the contact (the inside rein) you must repeat the process from the beginning. As the horse develops the strength to hold the bend with her inner leg you will need to help out less and less with the rein.


An open rein is directed sideways, away from the horse, and would seem a logical step in turning the horse and in fact will accomplish such. However when you open a rein it causes the horse’s hindquarters on the opposite side to fall away. When turning a horse in this manner he cannot help but fall onto the shoulder and spin instead of continuing the four beat rhythm of a true walk. Picture a loaded wagon with a stuck front wheel – if you keep pulling that wagon onto that stuck wheel it will eventual tip over. This is exactly what the horse will do if you pull his weight onto his forehand without engaging the shoulders in conjunction with bending the neck. You must instead push the shoulders with your outside thigh around a fixed inside leg, asking the horse forward with the lower leg, correcting each step until she is equally on all four feet, in the desired bend without leaning.

There are two more somewhat obscure rein effects but we will save them for another time.