Riding With one hand?? Neck reining??

M

Monty

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Nov 16, 2001
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Anybody here riding with one hand??

I have just had an acute attack of calcific tendonitis, probably due to being manhandled rather when I was x-rayed, the other week. I already have the chronic version of the disease. It's the closest thing to tooth ache in your shoulder that I can imagine. Radiates down your arm, right to the knuckles, into neck, jaw, and even gives you earache... so you end up not even knowing which bit of you hurts.

I'm told mine is likely to come back time and again, because of using crutches and a wheelchair, with my shoulders. And consultant asked if there was any possibility of my riding using one hand, even part of the time?? Does anyone here ride using a neck rein??

Anyone got any ideas?? Or know anyone who does??
Any info gratefully received.:)
 
Poor you it sounds like agony. I ride with one hand and neck rein my mare as she used to be a polo pony. I think they are trained in sort of western style. I don't know how well it would work on a english trained horse. When I first had her I spent ages getting her used to being ridden with two hands and we did flatwork lessons which she picked up ok but she much prefers to be on a loose rein and responds so well I just go with it.
I keep the reins really long and touch the left rein onto her neck, put my body weight slightly to the right and put my left leg on when I want her to go right and vice versa. I shorten the reins slightly to go into trot and more into canter. When I first rode her when I was trying her out I could never work out what to do with my other hand! Now I just rest it on my thigh with the buckle of the reins lightly in my hand so if I need to shorten the reins I can just pull on the buckle to bring the reins shorter in my other hand. It is good as I find you can't hang onto the reins or lean on the horse with only one hand. I hope you can work out a way to do it.
 
I ride with one hand ALL of the time, as my back is so twisty, it is uncomfortable to ride with two,,,,
i think Mills just knows what i want re weight and movement, i even ride in the school at lessons with one hand, RI has given up on me now,,,,,
don,t have any special equipment just normal reins,,,
what do you want to know,,???
MM
:)
 
Not disabled, but I do neck rein. Unfortunately, before you can ride with one hand, you need to do a lot of two-handed riding with the horse. The horse must be able to go on a loose rein for one thing. And I don't mean long, I mean totally loose. No pressure at all. Get some longer reins, I always find a standard English rein is too long to neck rein with.

Before every turn, lay the opposite rein against the neck. Then immediately use an open rein for the turn. Be VERY consistent about this. After awhile, the horse learns that rein on neck = turn. The horse should also be very good about responding to leg pressure, as that's your back up if the horse doesn't respond to the rein cue.
 
hi monty,

my o/h rides with one arm.. he does great (started learning 10months ago) he strugged with regular reins though, even with a knot at the end, so he has gone and got himself some ladder reins (the rigid ones) he rides at a r.s and most horses take about 10-20minutes to get used to them and then no probs!! ..he loves them, the horses seem to not mind them, if he had his own though he would love to try neck reining!!! :) good luck xxx
 
Poor you, very frustrating and painful. Anyway, criollos are all trained neck reiners when they arrive here. Great Auntie (on the criollo forum) rides with one hand, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you contacted her.

Any decent western trained or polo horse should be OK for one handed riding, I would have thought. Mine is a bit argumentative some times and I resort to 2 hands, but most (criollos) are responsive to it as far as I have seen.
 
izo said:
hi monty,

my o/h rides with one arm.. he does great (started learning 10months ago) he strugged with regular reins though, even with a knot at the end, so he has gone and got himself some ladder reins (the rigid ones) he rides at a r.s and most horses take about 10-20minutes to get used to them and then no probs!! ..he loves them, the horses seem to not mind them, if he had his own though he would love to try neck reining!!! :) good luck xxx
Click to expand...

Have to say, your OH is a great rider izo. I am so impressed.
 
I have seen riders at our RDA using reins with a wooden bar linking the two reins at the rider's end (not sure what they are called). Could you get one of these?
 
:eek: aww bless.. thankyou peaches_magic ..really nice of you to say :D (he will pay u later ;) )xxx
 
My OH does - if your reins are just the right length, held as you would normally if you were putting into one hand to use whip etc, you can ask for left and right bend as normal by twisting your hand. OH hasn't worked out how to get pony into an outline like this though...
 
Thank you all for your insights. This sounds tricky. It would be my right hand that I used. Now I am used to pushing my supermarket trolley (the shallower ones) with my left hand, by twisting it, because I use a crutch in my right hand I can't manage the deeper ones, because they get too heavy. I guess it's the same sort of movement but with less vigour!!!

Mmmmm, I'm trying to imagine trying to get Rubi in an outline, with one hand.
Hmmmm. I'm having my shoulder done next Friday, apparently I only need to stay off riding for a few days aftier it stops hurting, which should be immediately after the 'op', So next time I ride, perhaps I shoudler make a start by putting a knot in the reins and at least starting to get a feel for it.
Sheeeeesh.....this is going to be hard!!:eek:
 
Monty said:
Mmmmm, I'm trying to imagine trying to get Rubi in an outline, with one hand.
Click to expand...

You can't, at least, not the way it's traditionally done (pushing the horse into the bridle and holding it there with the hands). You have to start two-handed, get the horse in an outline and then drop the contact. Pick it up again when the horse loses collection. The horse has to learn to travel in self-carriage before you can go totally one-handed.
 
I ride with one hand because I'm lazy - and it's traditional western style.

Keket gave some excellent advise. I did most of my 'leg' work from the ground, asking for yields by touching the neck or his side, by the time I got to the saddle it was one handed all the way.

As far as collection, it's a fun challenge. It is very possible for a horse to learn to carry themselves with no reins at all. It is possible to do it one handed, with one rein even. Might have to learn a different teaching method to get there... but it is certainly possible.
 
Training a young horse

I taught a young horse how to be ridden with one hand. He was broken by myself the conventional way and he was sold to a young girl who could only use one hand. He picked it up very quickly (he was only four.) I am sure yours would learn soon enough if he was re-trained. Good luck x
 
Rubi is well on the way to going in an outline all the time in walk and trot, which is all I personally need, being a Grade 11 rider. Thanks for that keket, I'll stick a knot in my reins and give it a try.
 
Try the gateway or presision reins

I use these for affiliated dressage as I found the one hand thing not easy. My horse is used to less pressure in my left hand but is also regularly riden by a "normal" 2 handed rider. I found the loops mean I hardly hold the reins at all. I can get away with just looping a finger in to the loop on my left hand this takes masses of pressure off my upperarm and takes the tension away from my arm and shoulder. It is a bit like having a feather like feel in my left hand amd a more normal elastic feel in the right hand. And I noticed it with in seconds of riding in the looped riens. This way I can still ask for an outline in a more traditional way. I am doing this on a gobby thick warmblood who before I lost the use of the left hand liked to lean in to the contact and be "held" in an outline. So if that does not show the power o getting the right reins I am not sure what can.
Good luck
 
I was just about to post a thread about riding with one hand (my left). I had an accident last May in Greece and unfortunately my local hospital missed the fact that I had snapped the flexor & extensor tendons in my right hand. Two weeks ago I had the first stage of a bilateral tendon reconstruction which will be ongoing until the end of this year and possibly into 2010. Apparently its unlikely I will get full function back.

My own mare is retired now and I had been part loaning a really nice little coloured cob who is somewhat on the strong side. I am desperate to get back in the saddle and once the surgeries are over OH wants me to buy another horse, and get back competing (unaff dressage and maybe BD).

I just need a bit of reassurance that its not unrealistic for me to want to get back in the saddle asap and that I can find a horse that can cope with a slightly modified me.
 
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