Expert Tip
Avoid holding the reins with your knuckles up, which brings your elbows away from your body and makes it easy to pull backward on the reins, which is exactly what you don't want to do. (See Step 4.) Instead, your thumbs should be the highest point.
To remind yourself to move the open (direct) rein to the side, turn your palms up. Your elbows will immediately close against your sides, which aids steering while making it difficult to pull back on the reins.
This position also helps your neck (indirect) rein cue: When you turn your palms up, the entire rein touches the side of your horse's neck. If your hand is knuckles up, only part of rein comes in contact with his neck.
Use this extreme palms-up hand position only when necessary to remind yourself how to correctly handle the reins.
Use the following exercise to fine-tune the coordination between your leg and hand/rein aids. You'll need eight cones.
Lay out a circle about 70 feet in diameter. Stand in the center and take about 10 large strides out toward the edge of the circle. Place one cone. Take two strides on the circle's arc, and place another cone, so that the cones are about six feet apart.
Return to the center of the circle, take 10 large strides in the opposite direction, and place two more cones six feet apart. Repeat this action until each quarter of the circle is evenly marked with two cones.
Mount up, and ride in a circle at the walk. At each quarter, ride between the two cones, staying the same distance from each one. You'll find you have to use both your inside and outside leg to support your horse; the cones make it obvious which leg needs to be more active.
This exercise also helps you coordinate your rein aids as you use an open (direct) rein to guide your horse in the direction you want to go, supported by the neck (indirect) rein. Change directions frequently, making an "S" through the middle of the circle.
After you master this exercise at the walk, move into a slow trot, then a lengthening trot, and finally up to a lope/canter.
