Left, Right, or Does It Matter?
Photo credit: Kristin Spinning, Arizona Sun Circuit
After several online discussions lately about which rein hand to use when riding western, and how to use the hands properly, we asked our readers:
When riding western, do you use your left hand, your right hand, or does it matter?
We had over 180 responses, and the stats demonstrated our sport that is steeped in tradition:
83 percent said “left,” or they originally learned to ride with the left hand since the right hand was meant to open gates, rope, assist riders with getting up in the saddle or holding the reins, since we mount from the left, and let’s not forget, it allowed us to hold the sword in our right hand in a sword fight!
Over 20 percent said to use your non-dominant hand, or that it didn’t matter. Using the left as a non-dominant hand aligns with the original tradition, since approximately only 10% of the world is left handed – so for most people, riding with the non-dominant hand would be the left hand, freeing up the right, or dominant hand, to rope, use your sword, etc.
We also did a bit of research on discussion about how to hold reins whether they are split or romal reins, and AQHA has delved into the topic before – just please check your current rulebook for all associations to be sure these articles coincide:
First up, an article by AQHA and the Certified Horsemanship Association from 2018:
https://www.aqha.com/-/rein-holds-for-all-styles-of-horseback-riding
Also from AQHA, how to hold and adjust reins in a reining class:
https://www.aqha.com/-/adjusting-reining-reins-with-mike-mcentire
Two of our much-loved trainers from Colorado, Leslie Lange and Jimmy Daurio, recently demonstrated for AQHA on video on holding romal reins in ranch classes:
