Rein grip

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Ceilidh3114

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Hi all,

I really struggle with keeping my grip on the reins. After half a minute, I always catch myself having to shorten my reins because I can't seem to keep my fingers closed!


I've been looking into Mailer reins...any reviews on these? And I've been thinking about getting a 'stress ball' type thing so that I can strengthen my hand - even at home I find keeping my hand closed in that position hard.

I'm very keen to sort this out because my contact is inconsistent so all of the forward energy is going out of the 'front door'.


Any suggestions at all are very welcome - desperate to sort this out!

Many thanks :)
 
My coach used to call this "Slippery rein disease" :D

To fix it, get into the habit of 'Check and correct' constantly.

Check that your fingertips are against the palm of your hand, if not correct. Develop a new habit!
 
I have arthritis and sometimes use rein bows (Google them) but also remember it's the thumb pressing on the index finger that holds the reins, your fingers need to be able to move without the reins slipping. Practice practice
 
Tnavas: That's a good idea, sometimes I can't tell if my reins are slipped until my hands are suddenly in my lap!! I might try and mark my reins with tape so I can see where my hands should stay. My fingers are against my palm but my grip feels really weak and I get a jelly-like feeling when I hold it for about a minute which is strange! Thanks for the ideas ☺️

Soulful - that's interesting, I have seen them before but I discounted them as they look quite chunky, perhaps I should give them a second look. I think you're right, it is a matter of building a new habit. I'll try and press down with my thumb when I ride today. Many thanks all :)
 
soulfull said:
I have arthritis and sometimes use rein bows (Google them) but also remember it's the thumb pressing on the index finger that holds the reins, your fingers need to be able to move without the reins slipping. Practice practice
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WNot totally! The finger tips on the palm is the 'hold', to use the rein you close those fingers a little tighter, then return to the hold position, at no time do you take your finger tips off your palms, if you do you lose the contact.
 
how wide are your reins? I have damaged fingers so I can't grip particularly well. I use 1 inch wide reins if using a single rein (double doesn't seem to cause the same problem). The wider reins allow me to keep the contact without a death-grip which just locks up my elbows. I use racing reins and libby's 1inch webbing reins.
 
Slightlyconfused said:
Have you seen a gp about it?

I have tos which used to cause me to have weak hands.
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I am thinking of getting it checked out because it feels so unnatural but I'm hopeful it's just a matter of building muscle memory. I'm going to give these methods one last shot before I get it checked out (thanks for the advice everyone!)


On Monday I'm planning on marking my reins with plaiting bands/tape so I can see where my hands should be and focussing on pressing my thumb down and keeping my fingers in contact with my reins.

If that doesn't work then I'm going to try hand strengthening exercises (stress ball?) and continue with the tape or perhaps thread on some bulkier rein stops as a temporary measure for the muscle memory.

And if I still can't do it, then I'll buy some Continental or Mailer Reins and go to the GP!

At least I've got a plan! xD
 
Tnavas - That makes sense, thank you! I'm finding that an easier position to maintain too.

Catkin - I have rather narrow dressage reins (rubber on one side). I'm thinking of playing around with different reins so I'll have a look into those :)
 
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Ceilidh3114 said:
On Monday I'm planning on marking my reins with plaiting bands/tape so I can see where my hands should be and focussing on pressing my thumb down and keeping my fingers in contact with my reins
Click to expand...

No pressing down with thumbs!!!!

Imagine you have a tiny bird inside each hand, it's a hold, no physical effort. Put physical effort into the hold and you will start tensing muscles in your forearm, which will then lock your elbows.
 
Tnavas - Oops, I see what you mean! I won't press! Sometimes I say these things because if I think about pressing, I'll hopefully have the right amount of pressure on the rein, but I completely see what you mean so I'll keep it in mind! :)
 
I too have a condition that means I can't close fingers properly and have v poor grip - fortunately thumbs still work! The best thing I have found is using 'eventer' style reins that are very thin and flexible with larger than normal 'pimples' - I can't remember the make but they were quite inexpensive. I also always wear thin Roeckl riding gloves which seem to stick to the reins and help enormously. (Not quite so inexpensive but worth every penny)!
 
Cortez said:
Yes. I use wider ones. They will solve the problem of not knowing where you are - just count the rein stops to ensure your hands are even.
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I also like these reins - I have leather ones with extra stops sewn on so they are 3" apart. Can't get on with rubber reins as I find they just shred my gloves and don't have enough feel. I find the stops make me more aware of keeping my hand closed on the rein.
 
I use dressage reins - leather on top with rubber underside think they are sometimes called Continental reins and find them ideal, the grip of rubber without the bulk. Also magic gloves - they're the super stretchy ones with little bobbles on palms, finger and thumbs you can pick them up for about £3-£4 from most tack shops
 
Thanks all for the responses! I've decided to buy some hybrid continental reins with rubber grips. They have more "stops" than normal (6cm gaps) so I'm hoping they'll help me to monitor my hands so I can catch myself red-handed. I'm also going to invest into some quality gloves. I'll let you know how I get on and if the reins are any good (although I can't order them for another 2 weeks from now because they're out of stock)!
 
Ceilidh3114 said:
Thanks all for the responses! I've decided to buy some hybrid continental reins with rubber grips. They have more "stops" than normal (6cm gaps) so I'm hoping they'll help me to monitor my hands so I can catch myself red-handed. I'm also going to invest into some quality gloves. I'll let you know how I get on and if the reins are any good (although I can't order them for another 2 weeks from now because they're out of stock)!
Click to expand...

you used to be able to get continental reins with rubber threaded through the webbing too, marketed as sure-grip reins. I don't know if anyone still makes them. Libbys make the webbing/rubber combination but with thinner webbing and there aren't any stoppers on the reins either.
 
I hold my reins with my thumbs
My fingers are pretty relaxed so I can vibrate the reins easily my finger tips are not on the reins they touching my palms .
 
Goldenstar said:
I hold my reins with my thumbs
My fingers are pretty relaxed so I can vibrate the reins easily my finger tips are not on the reins they touching my palms .
Click to expand...

That's good to know, helps me to picture the result I'm going for, thank you. I think the main thing is concentrating on my hands and producing what you've said above and focussing (which never comes easily to me!!)

Sugar_and_spice - I think the ones you're describing are similar to the ones I'm buying. The ones I'm getting are a cheaper alternative to the 'Amerigo Vespucci Hand Grip Rubber Reins' which I'm hoping will help me out too. For jumping I'm going to continue with 'dressage reins' (thin, bobbles on one side only) so I can easily slip my reins because my young horse is often producing some interesting shapes over fences! 🙈
 
I found the thing that really helped me was a set of children's rubber training reins with coloured sections! You can get them in full size. It was really useful being able to see and correct my hand position at a glance.
 
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