horses, horses for sale, horse floats, horse saddles, horse deals, horse forums, horse news.
Horses for sale, horse deals, horse floats, horse saddles, horse rugs, horse riding, horse forums & horse news. Over 50,000 horse people use HorseYard every month!
Riding with two sticks affords you the perfect opportunity to isolate your
rein positions and find out what’s working and what isn’t. The term ‘rein position’ can be
misleading as each of these is more about getting your body position and dynamics right than
it is about what the reins are actually doing.
If all else is correct, you will find that you barely need the reins, if at all, which is of
course our goal. If you no longer need your reins for basic yields and rein positions, you
can then use them for greater refinement and accuracy. This is particularly true of support
reins, often confused with neck reining.
A support rein has little to do with laying a rein on your horse at all, and everything to
do with the outside or pushing side of your body yielding the outside of your horse’s body
when steering the front end of your horse.
The support rein speaks to the outside front foot, i.e. when turning to the right, it speaks
to the left front foot. When turning left, it tells the right front foot when to move. The
support rein asks the outside front to step across and catch up with the direct rein foot
either stepping in front or behind the other front leg, depending on what your focus and
seat points ask for. Neither response is right or wrong, just different. The direct rein
offers the open door to step through; the support rein hurries it up. Support reins are
discussed at length in Lesson Nine of the QS programme.
Riding with two Sticks will improve your support reins by exaggerating their movement and
responsibility. As discussed previously, the support rein comes from turning your focus and
allowing the outside of your body to yield the outside of your horse. As your focus turns,
your outside hip and leg will naturally come forward…if you are turning from the hips. Many
women turn naturally from the waist and forget to turn their hips also, so it is important
to remember to focus with your whole body. Turning from the waist will bring your
outside leg backwards behind the girth, instead of forward toward the front leg.
As with all yields, work on your focus and you will find that your body dynamics will happen
naturally. The more you try to get into position, the more rigid your body will
become and you’ll find you begin to resemble a pretzel! Relax and allow it to happen.
Having the stick in your hand will ensure that your arms and hands are in the right
position. At no time should your support rein hand cross your horse’s wither. If it does,
you may inadvertently activate an indirect rein, which tells you that you were trying to
make the support rein happen with your reins, rather than causing it to happen with
your focus. As you turn your body, you will find your direct rein opens up high and offers
an open door. Your support rein hand will go forward toward your horse’s nose, causing it to
turn in the direction you wish to go.
Advertisement
Have a look at where your sticks are pointing. You may think that your hands
and focus have been pointing in the right direction. Your sticks will exaggerate this now
and some of you may find that ultimately your sticks were ending up pointing toward the
ground in your direct rein or trying to come across your horse’s wither in the support
rein.
Remember to sit back on your back pockets, look up and offer an open door with your direct
rein. Allow your support rein to come forward and influence the outside of your horse’s
body. Ultimately your horse’s nose should lead in the turn and be pointing in the direction
you wish to go.
(0 vote)
