Reins and Sticks and Spurs...Oh My!

I had a nice conversation with a judge-friend recently. She remarked how many competitors rode well, but had small deductions in their score due to a lack of attention to detail, such as riding with their reins twisted and/or holding the crop incorrectly, that kept them out of the high ribbons.

So for today's blog I will illustrate proper rein and crop carriage.  I am also including a discussion on proper spur and stirrup leather positioning just for good measure.

Before we begin, I'd like to say a big thank you to my judge-friend for the suggestion (you know who you are, lol) and to IHSA rider Anika Cook and lesson horse Simon for acting as models.

Correct Rein and Crop Position
The picture below demonstrates correct rein and crop position.  A few things to note:

• The reins should lay flat against the horse's neck from the bit up to the rider's hands, with no twists.
• The "bight" of the reins (the loopy part at the end including the buckle) should come upward out of the rider's hands and fold neatly under the reins.
• The crop should rest on the rider's thigh.

Here are a few pictures of common rein and crop mistakes.

Common Rein Mistakes

• Reins and bight twisted (also end of nose band not in keeper!)

• Bight flopped over reins, not tucked neatly underneath

Common Crop Mistakes

• Crop hanging straight down from rider's hand.  Note how this creates a break in her wrist, interrupting the elbow-hand-bit line.

• Crop sticking out perpendicular to the horse.  Note how the rider's hand is turned sideways in a "piano-hands" position.

Where should you put the bight?  The left or the right?
There is no rule about which side of the neck the bight should rest upon; however, many trainers follow the easy-to-remember phrase "bight on the right" because, as the rider enters the ring tracking left, the bight is out of the judge's view on the opposite side of the neck, creating a clean and tidy first impression.

Correct Stirrup Leather Alignment
The stirrup leather should lay flat against the rider's leg (not twisted).

• Correct stirrup leather

Incorrect Twisted Stirrup Leather
If the stirrup leather is twisted, it won't lay flat against the rider's leg.  This is unsightly and uncomfortable for the rider.

• Twisted stirrup leather

Correct Spur Placement 
Spurs can be placed on the spur rests on the rider's boot heel or below the spur rests lower at the bottom of the heel.

• Spur sitting on spur rest on rider's heel

• Spur sitting below spur rest at the bottom of the rider's heel.  If necessary, the spur can be placed even lower than this, all the way down even with the sole of the boot where the boot heel meets the sole.

Either of these spur positions is correct.  The higher the spur is placed on the heel, the more effective it is.  A coach may choose to put the spur low on the heel if the horse doesn't need much spur or if she is concerned that the rider may accidentally overuse the spur.  She may choose the higher option if the horse is dull to the leg or reluctant to canter.

Rolling spur straps to make them smaller
In IEA and IHSA shows, the riders are instructed to use the spurs that are provided with the horse. Sometimes the spur straps are too large for the rider's foot.  This problem can be easily remedied by wrapping the spur strap, the same way we wrap stirrup leathers, as shown in the picture below.

• Spur strap rolled correctly

Make sure the spur is on the correct foot
The spur straps should come across the top of the foot from inside to outside.  The end of the strap should rest against the outside of the foot facing out and back, as shown in the picture below.

• Spur on correct foot

If the spur is on the wrong foot, the end of the strap will be on the inside facing the horse's side, which looks unsightly, but more importantly, it can poke or tickle the horse causing miscommunication during the ride.

• Spur on incorrect foot

A little attention to detail goes a long way
Taking care of small details like those described above can give you a little extra bump in your score, and in a tough class that can mean the difference between first place and a lower ribbon.

If you enjoyed this post, please like and share on Facebook.  Thanks!  --Amanda

Amanda Garner is an IEA and IHSA steward, IHSA coach, IEA board member, and the author of "A Parent's Guide to the Interscholastic Equestrian Association."