By: Lyle Jackson
While comparing notes with my friend and fellow trainer, Jimmy Anderson, we agreed that we have a mutual pet peeve within the reining industry. A common thorn in our side is the reluctance of our non-pro riders to ride one handed.
Whenever the situation gets tough, they always revert back to two hands. The problem is that they then plow-rein the horse left, right, here and there, and in doing so totally mess up the horse’s frame.
As Jimmy said, they get “busy” with their hands. Instead of being held in frame, the horse is pulled out of position.
The problem generally starts with the horse not guiding well; not going exactly where the rider wants. The point is that the horse’s shoulders need to stay between the reins in order for it to be guided. This means moving away from the outside rein and staying relatively straight through the body.
When this fails, the best approach would be to reinforce the outside rein with a little more pressure and use some outside leg.
Wait a stride or two in order to give the horse a chance to respond, and when he does, reward him by dropping your hand and removing some of the pressure. This will encourage him to guide better next time – next time probably being in the next quarter circle.
However, what so often happens is the quick switch to two hands. The inside rein is pulled in an attempt to get the horse to go the way the rider wants. The disaster in this move is that by pulling the horse’s nose in, its shoulder is left behind.
The horse’s shoulder is forced to the outside of the circle, against the outside neck rein. The horse does not learn to move away from the outside rein; rather he is encouraged to lean on it. Very bad. Future does not look good.
We have sympathy for our Non Pros. We know how difficult it is. It takes a long time and a lot of practice to effectively handle the reins with one hand, one finger between the reins.
If you are going to ride reining horses, though, you need to accept the fact that reining horses will eventually guide better, stop better, and turn better when they are trained to stay straight and between the reins. It is a one-handed job.
Unfortunately the rider never learns this if, at the first sign of trouble, he or she always “jumps ship” and goes back to two hands.
The horse certainly knows the difference between one and two hands. If the horse has not learned to be guided with one hand, pulling him around the pen with two hands will certainly not teach him.
In our opinion, it is unfortunate for the Non Pro riders that there are so many opportunities to show with two hands. Granted, it is good for the rookies to have a choice and to get started in the show pen in a two-handed class (dragging their horses around the pen in a class where a score of 66 is the goal).
However, it now seems that there are so many two-handed classes that the riders are never forced to “step up to the plate” and learn how to ride one-handed… and get to that 70-plus score.
The designation “Rookie Rider” or “Green as Grass” should not be a life sentence. Associations and trainers need to gently drag the reiners forward into the sport of reining.
Reining is a one-handed sport. It may be difficult to learn, but you need to stick with it before you can learn it.
Lyle Jackson
Lyle Jackson has been in the Quarter Horse industry for 30 years as a trainer, and 15 years as a judge.
He holds judges cards for the NRCHA, AQHA, NRHA (FEI), and the APHA and has judged international shows in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Australia, France, the United States, and Canada.
While Jackson has shown in almost every western discipline there is, he now specializes in reining and working cow horse. He has won international and national championships, has accumulated multiple NRHA bronze trophies, and had reining futurity, derby, and maturity winners.
Jackson currently sits on the professional horseman’s committee for the American Quarter Horse Association, is on the board of directors of the NRHA and the executive board of Reining Canada.
