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Rein Aids Part 2: Direct, Indirect, and Opening Rein Aids

I get A LOT of questions from my viewers about reins and their hands. I want to preface this by saying that you should always try to make the sids first from your seat and legs. The rein aids should be used sparingly and only when absolutely needed. Top trained horses and riders use very subtle and minimal rein aids and mainly communicate with their horses via their seat and legs!

Here are the main types of rein aids:

Direct Rein Aid:

This is generally what you would use to get your horse a little rounder or for a flection aid. Direct rein aids are where you have a straight line from your elbow to the horses’ mouth. It’s important that your hands are not too high or too low.

Opening Rein Aid:

Opening rein aids are used for turning or steering as well as getting bend in your horse. Opening rein aids are where the rider takes the rein away from the horses’ neck.

Indirect Rein Aid:

This is where the rein goes across the horses mane line. This rein aid should be use sparingly and momentarily and should NEVE be used as a turning aid!

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A smiling woman wearing a helmet and riding gear stands beside a chestnut horse with a black bridle and white saddle pad, holding its reins outdoors in a sunlit, green setting.
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I'm Amelia Newcomb
At Amelia Newcomb Dressage, I work to develop a trusting and confident relationship between horse and rider. I draw on theories from both natural horsemanship and classical dressage, creating a holistic training approach that adapts to the unique needs of each horse and rider.
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I want to thank Amelia from the bottom of my heart for creating this group and learning module for us. I've followed your suggestions religiously even when it felt like we were hitting a wall at times. Finally, it all came through, all at once! I never thought I'd get a connection and have such light hands in the left lead canter, and yesterday we pulled off a 7 in left canter and an 8.5 in right canter in our WDAA Basic 1 test, with a total score of 67.3!
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Holy Moly. I just learned that I earned 1st place at Training 1 with 5 entries in the class in a virtual show. I received a 65.00. Wow. This is starting to work. Thank you Amelia. Thank you supportive new friends. I encourage you all to try virtual shows. I have tried Greystone, Lower Puget Sound and Oregon. Very helpful for building confidence. I really support this idea. It works like this: you ride at home, send in your video, and then you receive your test with judge comments and your ribbon in the mail. See you all in Strides!!
Joanna Sachs
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We see and feel the difference!! Thank you Amelia for this difficult but very helpful program. Our #1 issue was giraffe head in transitions. Downward as well as up. Don't look at my position, I was giving everything to the aids for him to maintain roundness in the trans. Now it will be time to work on our position more!
Carol Anne Marano
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I can't stop making progress, thanks to this awesome program. Today my horse and I could do the counter canter on both hands on the first attempt without our trainer.. Thank you so much for explaining my missing parts! I have to wait until tomorrow, 8 hours of time difference, to see who is the lucky one, but I think we are all lucky to join this incredible program!!
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A person wearing a helmet, sunglasses, and navy riding attire is riding a dark brown horse in an outdoor arena surrounded by greenery. This scene captures the focus often discussed in our rider mindset webinar. The horse sports white leg wraps and a bridle.
Rider Position Masterclass
Rider Position Masterclass. Uniquely designed, this masterclass teaches you why and how to improve your rider position and become the rider you dream of. Your horse cannot listen to your aids if your hands are bouncing, your seat is crooked and your legs are floppy. This masterclass teaches you use your core and the exact muscles to communicate well with your horse.
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