length of reins when out on hack

minkersmum

minkersmum

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Aug 4, 2009
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I am probably quite paranoid in general. Current paranoia is regarding rein length/contact when riding out.

I always have as loose a rein as is possible whilst maintaining a contact. In walk i will almost always have a long rein but can feel my horses mouth on the end of the rein. Troting i will have a very light contact and only shorten my reins up and take a better contact if i feel slowing my rising down is not having as much effect as id like. Cantering i do shorten reins up as obviously when my horses head comes up as he canters i have to shorten to again feel his mouth but always lightly in my hand only taking a better contact if i need to remind him we are not in a race:wink:

This has worked ok for me so far. But i have on a couple of occasions had people riding with me saying i should have shorter reins and more of a contact and today when i was being nanny at the back of a ride out a paying customer who didn't speak much english said to me 'are they ok with no reins??' i said better to have a bit of a contact but they were all pretty good with a longish rein and then i realised she meant in particular my horse, she said 'you are lucky he is good with no reins'.

I wasn't holding the buckle end, far from it, altho his owner often does, i had a contact albeit a very light one.

Is there a problem doing this. I always feel as long as i have enough contact to feel i have communication with my horses mouth from my hands then that is all i need. He is not trying to take off and a light contact and a gentle half halt tells him to slow and come back to me if he is becoming a little ambitious.

Can anyone shed some light on what is the norm. What is the right way? Or is it each to their own??

:help:
 
If it works for you and it works for your horse, carry on doing what you're doing :)

I tend to keep a contact at all times out of habit, as my horse was not well schooled when I got her. Though in walk I have a looser rein.

I don't know if there's a "right" or a "wrong" way.
 
Agree its whatever works - and it depends on your goals for the hack.

When we hack alone for example, my goal is to actually go somehwere, all be it round the block - so I need short reins to have some napping control although its actually her front feet that I need control off.

When we hack in company we able about with slack contact - she is fab and I can sense her looking at things now so I can anticipate what she is going to do (usually nap :p).

Its about what works and what you want to achieve - but hacks for us are generally chill out time.
 
I have wondered this too. I hacked my usual RS mare on a longish rein, including in canter. Unless I thought she wasnt listening to me. Sounds just like you and your horse.

I did get run away with once or twice and it was implied by someone at the yard who was also on NR that it happened to clients because of the way we rode.

I am not sure of the answer to this - but the actual situations in which I got run away with were when I was trying to prevent canter starting, and the horse thought canter was needed, either due to other horses going ahead in canter or another horse spooking or a combination. i.e. I had already shortened the reins -

People differ a good deal in the extend of physical contact and pressure they feel is essential to good riding - not just reins but thighs, legs, seat. So yes it depends on the horse, and the horse's position in the group - but the convictions of the individual rider too.

I have been offered hacking on a nice pony but warned that he can be strong out in the open. Does this mean contact needed? Or that contact will be resisted? How does a horse used to being ridden long or short respond to a change in the rider?

If your horse goes nicely as you currently ride it - I wouldnt change a thing. Build on the quality you already have.
 
It sounds to me as if you know your horse well and so I don't think you owe anyone any kind of explanation!

I am still struggling with the contact thing myself. My tendency is always to ride too loose (washing lines) and my ideal is to ride with the contact you describe, just being able to feel the horse's mouth at the end of the rein. Ziggy was so stressy to start with that I had to keep the reins shorter for my own sense of safety, but now he is more chilled I give him as much rein as he wants for most of the time.

I also notice that when he does get stressy and hurry, it makes not a blind bit of difference to him whether I have a strong contact or no contact. Only my seat aids will calm him and get him listening to me again. His mouth seems to be mostly for getting his hindquarters engaged, if you know what I mean, and for basic steering.

I wonder what others will say? I find this a very interesting subject.... :nerd:
 
I think the amount of contact out hacking can sometimes be more about the rider's sense of security than what the horse actually needs to go along nicely. With both of mine it's normally fine to have washing lines and pick the reins up as and when there's a need to apply an aid of some kind. That doesn't mean I never have a contact out hacking, because I do, especially if I need to control speed, but it's not our default setting, both horses are very reliable hackers.
 
It sounds like you know your horse so stick with it as it is clearly working for you :smile:

I don't think there really is a right or wrong answer to this just peoples opinions!

With Indie I tend to have long reins but still walk out! However on main roads and hills I will shorten the reins and engage the backend to get some work from him!

Generally though I only shorten the reins when picking up the pace as he has a bad habit of spooking and dropping shoulder and :bomb:ing off :redface: Although he is so much more responsive to weight and seat aids that my reins are becoming redundant on a good day :dance:
 
It depends on the horse and the situation! I can ride Cheeky on the buckle because of his recent training and we have nearly 10 years behind us, I trust him with my life. But if we're somewhere new, then I do pick up a bit of a contact to be sure.

Just keep doing what you're doing. :)
 
I tend to hack out holding the reins on the buckle, even in canter. I only take up a bit of contact when necessary, and only the amount I need to regain control if the horse gets faster or stronger than I want them to be. I have always found that a quiet, sensible hacking horse doesn't need a contact, and a young, green or spooky horse is more relaxed with longer reins allowing them to look at things.

When I'm hacking out I want to be relaxed, so I want the horse to be relaxed too. For me that has always meant having very long reins! I agree with Yann about it being a "rider's sense of security" thing too. A major part of my job is escorting hacks and I spend so many hours doing it that I never really struggle with my confidence, it's just become second nature to have my reins long and not worry about how the horse is going. Even when a horse is spooking or being silly, I much prefer to keep my reins long and just ride them through it, to shortening the reins up which often just makes the horse's behaviour even worse.
 
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Yes, definitely agree that it can be the riders sense of security, if only I could learn to have less contact out hacking (like I have learnt to in the school environment) then I'm sure we would both do better!
Sounds like you are doing fine btw, don't change anything as it obviously works for you!
 
You sound just like me. I like to ride in a very light contact. I feel close contact is for schooling when you need more collection. I find a close constant contact out hacking just makes the horses I ride stressy.
 
As others have said it really varies from horse to horse (and even day to day!)

My coblet is great out hacking or hunting on a very light rein but if you attempt to take up a stronger contact will fight and speed up. My daughters horse that she takes out with me on the other hand would be in the next county if not ridden correctly forward into a frame (outline) at all times.

If it works don't change it!!
 
Hi Minkersmum
What is important that the horse is conferable in his mouth, and also the neck of the horse is long and round a bit, we must make sure that the mussels of the horse are at the top of his neck, if the reins are short the horse will go with the neck upside down,
the length of the reins depends on the training of the horse, the higher the horse in his eduction the shorter the reins can be, if the horse was trained correctly. (The most important think is to have light contact with the mouth)
www.faibishclassicaltrainer.com
 
I think it depends very much on you and your horse, and if you're both happy, then don't take any notice of what other people say.

I tend to ride with a very light contact, but I find that spooky Hebe is much more confident if there's a positive feel on the reins. I think maybe if the reins are too loose then she feels she's out on her own, and that worries her.

i've noticed that escorts at the RS tend to ask the horse to go in an outline all the time - but I expect that's because for them hacks out are schooling time, not relaxation.
 
Washing lines for us all the way :bounce:

If Im any shorter it generally means something is amiss. The shorter I keep her the more wound up she gets - bit of a vicious circle if shes a bit spooky and I do need a bit more control - I have to work hard at calming MYSELF down enough to let her have a little rein. Our aim is relaxed hacking so cant see any point in doing anything else!

I would agree with the rider confiendence comments and I think thats one of the reasons we chose to ride so long - so if I was tense I wouldnt be conveying that down the reins. To be fair we are bitless anyway so any 'contact' we have is quite different.
 
Interesting reading through this thread now, and a couple of thoughts to add.

My new loan horse, Mattie the wetired Awab wacehorse, goes in a hackamore and he absolutely detests any strong contact. He is always light and balanced and would rather have his head to himself. So washing lines all the way for him.

Ziggy prefers loose reins when I ride him. When my RI rides him (a Mary Wanless instructor and the person who makes Ziggy feel safest) he is very happy to take a good contact and go forward into a lovely outline. I can't get him to do this yet. Her reschooling is helping him to get his neck the right way up, so to speak.

When I am better at lifting his back up, I'll use a contact for some of the hack to help him develop his outline and way of going.
 
It depends on what I'm riding and what I feel the horse works better on. I generally like a loose rein when hacking. However if we were in training for something ie when it was competition season and I was helping exercise my sisters eventers then it would generally be contact and working on balance, suppleness and strength, she was a hard taskmaster and always said that they spent at least 23hours a day totteling about doing what they wanted in their field stable so they could work for the other two! x
 
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