Monday, July 26, 2010

Rein Aids: Direct and Indirect Rein

Simply put, a DIRECT rein action is backward toward the rider while the INDIRECT rein is sideways toward the neck or withers of the horse. Once again, simply put, the DIRECT rein action is for displacing the hindquarters to one side while the INDIRECT rein action is for displacing the shoulders to one side.
To help you grasp these effects, think about a small circle. A right DIRECT rein(eg) will directly effect the right hind leg, slowing it and displacing the hindquarters to the left. So the effect will be slightly circular where the hindquarters move left around the shoulders. A right INDIRECT rein(eg) will affect the right foreleg, displacing the shoulders to the left. The circular effect will take the shoulders around the hindquarters. Combining these effects in clever coordination has all sorts of interesting effects. Even horses with tense mouths and tight necks feel and understand the rudimentary aspects of these two basic rein aids. Put these rein aids to work for you AFTER having properly prepared the horse through good directing and recycling of energy, where the horse becomes better 'connected' between his hindquarters and shoulders and the neck is allowed to be free.....all this done primarily through the seat and MINIMAL hand and leg.....and you will begin to feel greater ease in maneuvering in the arena, on paths and around obstacles.
What a powerful effect rein aids can have! This is why I try not to cloud a student's rein-related understanding too early on in their learning and why I insist the riding emphasis is on 'pushing' energy through the rein rather than retracting on the rein. I like it when students start questioning the aids for certain movements. It tells me they want to start directing energy in more specialized ways. Usually as soon as I give some hints there goes the quality out the window! Those that 'earn' their way to the secrets of rein aids often start working at the lateral movements without much instruction---basically through feel. Spoil the horse early on with crude rein handling and a rein 'aid' has little or no meaning. We are too interested in our image! What will people think if we don't have our horse's head down? The reins are a cheater's way to make the 'picture' look acceptable but the actual effect on the rest of the horse's body is often somewhere in the range of nil to damaging! Just watch horses at liberty! Not much in the way of 'head down' there! So why do we do it? For some, I think, it's about absolute control and submission. For some it is probably to mimic what others are doing. The truth of the matter is that the control is going to be better when it is more about energy governance and less about force. And truth has it that horses come 'round', elevate, balance better and their inner dance capability emerges with the least amount of rein! So a word of caution, the next time you pick up your reins think this: you could be throwing the hindquarters or shoulders off making your horse more contracted and crooked and more on the forehand than you ever imagined. What do you suppose your horse might be thinking?!