Reins are items of horse tack, used to direct a horse or other animal used for riding. They are long straps that can be made of leather, nylon, metal, or other materials, and attach to a

bridle A bridle is a piece of equipment used to direct a horse. As defined in the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', the "bridle" includes both the that holds a bit that goes in the mouth of a horse, and the reins that are attached to the bit. Headgear w ...

via either its bit or its noseband.

Use for riding

Reins are used to give subtle commands or cues, also known as rein aids. Various commands may signal a turn, ask for a slower speed, request a halt or rein back. Rein aids are used along with leg aids, shifting of body weight, and sometimes voice commands.

Harness reins

On some types of

harnesses A harness is a looped restraint or support. Specifically, it may refer to one of the following harness types: * Bondage harness * Child harness * Climbing harness * Dog harness * Pet harness * Five-point harness * Horse harness * Parrot harness * ...

there might be supporting rings or "terrets" used to carry the reins over the animal's back. When pairs of equines are used in drawing a wagon or

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

it is usual for the outer side of each pair to be connected to the reins and for the inside of the bits to be connected between the pair of horses by a short bridging strap or rope. The driver carries "four-in-hand" or "six-in-hand" being the number of reins connecting to the pairs.

Other uses

A single rein or rope may be attached to a halter to lead or guide a horse or

packhorse A packhorse, pack horse, or sumpter refers to a horse, mule, donkey, or pony used to carry goods on its back, usually in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of ...

. A long rein called a longe line may be used to allow the horse to move in a circle for training purposes, or for the purpose of a clinical lameness evaluation by a veterinarian. On certain designs of headgear, a third rein may be added to the paired reins, used for leading, longeing, or other specialized or stylistic purposes. The best-known example of a third rein used in the USA is the leading rein of the ''mecate'' of the classic bosal hackamore.

Types

Types of reins include: * Closed reins, or loop reins: reins that are either a single piece or that buckle together at the ends. English riders usually use closed reins. Western riders in timed

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

events use a single closed rein, as do those who use a romal. A closed rein helps prevent the rider from dropping the reins. * Double reins: The combined use of two pairs of reins, a curb rein and a snaffle rein. This is usually two single (buckled or sewn) reins, though sometimes split reins may be seen on western-style bridles. Double reins are used with a double bridle, with bits such as the Pelham bit and, less often, on some gag bits used for

polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...

. *

Draw reins and running reins Draw reins and running reins are pieces of riding equipment used for training that use the mechanical advantage of a 'single movable pulley' to cause the horse to bring its head down and inward. While a regular rein is the strap that attaches to ...

: long reins, usually made of leather or nylon webbing, that attach to the saddle or the girth, run through the bit rings, and back to the rider. Several design variations, they add mechanical advantage to the rider's hands and may affect the horse's ability to raise or lower its head. Often used in conjunction with a snaffle rein by English riders, usually used alone by western riders. * Lead rein: A third rein used on bridles, not to be confused with the single lead rope of a halter nor the direct rein aid known as the "leading rein". In

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

a third rein is most commonly seen as part of the mecate of a hackamore. In Mongolia it is integral to the bridle, and tied to either a bit ring or a

chin strap Chinstrap may refer to: * Chinstrap, a strap fixed to a helmet or other headgear which passes beneath the chin and holds the headgear in place * Chinstrap penguin, a species of penguin with markings resembling a chinstrap * Chinstrap beard, a typ ...

. * Long reins, longlines, or driving lines: exceptionally long reins which allow the rider to control the horse from a

cart A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people. It is different from the flatbed tr ...

, or from the ground, with the handler walking behind the horse. * Mecate: a style of rein seen on a bosal style hackamore made of a single piece of rope that encompasses both a closed rein and a leading rope. * Romal reins: a rein style from the

vaquero The ''vaquero'' (; pt, vaqueiro, , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in Mexico from a methodology brought to Latin America from Spain. The vaquero became t ...

tradition that incorporates a closed rein with a long quirt at the end. * Side reins: used when longeing a horse, attached from the bit to the saddle or surcingle, they are not meant to be held by the rider. * Split reins: a rein style seen in western riding where the reins are not attached to one another at the ends. They prevent a horse from tangling its feet in a looped rein, particularly when the rider is dismounted. They are considerably longer than closed reins. * Two reins—reins used on bridles with two reins: ** Snaffle rein: Usually a laced rein that buckles at the center, used on the bradoon of a double bridle, or the upper ring of a pelham bit. ** Curb rein: The rein used at the end of the shank of a curb bit or pelham. Modern curb reins usually buckle together at the ends, though reins of the classical curb were sewn together at the ends to create a single rein.

In popular expression

In popular culture, to rein in means to hold back, slow down, control or limit. Sometimes the

eggcorn An eggcorn is the alteration of a phrase through the mishearing or reinterpretation of one or more of its elements,, sense 2 creating a new phrase having a different meaning from the original but which still makes sense and is plausible when used ...

, reign in, is used. Usage of the opposing free rein dates back to

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He wa ...

(1343–1400)Merriam Webster
definition of "free rein"">Merriam Webster">Merriam Webster
definition of "free rein" Accessed March 3, 2008 and means to give or allow complete freedom, in action and decision, over something.

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Reins pt:Rédea The Best Org In The World (Rein Clan) https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCmr2j5VxT1nO4bBiUHyM_6w