The One-Rein Stop (Part One)

Several weeks ago, I started a discussion of one-rein stops on the Linkedin Group, "Horse Lovers of the Business World." I'd seen the term used in a variety of ways, but the online discussions seemed to establish two different uses of the term. One group used the term to describe a technique for suppling your horse and for re-establishing control when a horse is beginning to act up. Another group used the term to describe an emergency technique, so severe that it shouldn't be practiced, to establish control in the event of a bucking spree or in a runaway situation. This post will examine the first meaning of the phrase and a subsequent post will examine the potential use of a one-rein stop in a full-blown, on a runaway or bucker, emergency situation.

My motivation for starting the discussion was an article in the May 2009 issue of Western Horseman magazine. Titled, "The One-Rein Stop and Getting Soft," it was written by working cowboy, clinician, and writer, Buster McLaury. Buster describes the one-rein stop as a maneuver to use when a horse is showing signs of being troubled. To cue for a one-rein stop, he first stops riding. Then to do a one-rein stop to the right, he reaches way up the right rein to get a short hold -- leaving slack in the left rein. Feeling of the horse with the right rein, he has a hold of it with just two fingers with his hand out about as wide as his knee. He slowly adds his third and then little finger and provides a gentle firmness in the rein for his horse to find and follow. His hand may move a little wider than his knee, leading the horse around from its back and keeping slack in the left rein. As the horse softens to the rein, he bends his elbow and takes up the slack the horse gives him. The horse slows and spirals to the right and eventually stops. When the horse is stopped and soft, Buster will reach up and rub on his horse's forehead. When the horse is flexed around like this, there should be no pressure on the rein.

Buster says that the first couple of times he stops, Buster will release immediately. Then he keeps a little pressure on the short rein and asks his horse to get soft by putting a little slack in the rein. When the horse is stopped, with slack in the rein, the horse is telling Buster that he's with Buster mentally. Remember to practice the exercise on both sides. Eventually the horse will stop straight or almost straight when the rider quits riding and reaches for a rein.

Buster says that there's a lot more to the one-rein stop than settling a troubled horse -- it's really about stopping and getting soft and building a foundation for better stops in the future. However, if your horse is showing signs of needing to run or buck, the one-rein stop can be used to head off the wreck and get him stopped. He also says that if you don't act before the horse starts running or bucking, don't crank his head around. You're likely to throw him off balance and he'll fall. If you find yourself on a runaway or a bucking horse, "just sit up there and ride him."

Clinton Anderson also describes a one-rein stop in his book, Downunder Horsemanship. His method is similar to Buster's, but Clinton has the rider pulling the short rein to the hip -- not wide. He also says that the horse should stop his feet, give to rein pressure, and touch your boot or stirrup with his nose before you release the rein. After the horse has mastered the maneuver at a walk, move to the trot, and then to the canter. However, don't move to the next gait until the horse is very smooth at the slower gait. A common rider mistake is to jerk on the rein to stop, but you could cause the horse to fall if you do that at a faster gait.

Another version of the one-rein stop uses the inside leg behind the girth to disengage the hindquarters and further reduce your horse's impulsion. "The Power of the One-Rein Stop" is an interesting video using this technique.

If you have variations of these techniques that work for you, please add your comments.