'Feathering the reins'

[Lorraine]

Could you please explain 'feathering the reins'. Is it similar to feeling the rein with bottom three fingers and imagining the fingers are moving along a feather, from the quill end first?   

[Heather]

Hi Lorraine,

I confess I have never heard of this before!! Where did you hear it said?

Heather

[Lorraine]

Its in Ash's thread further down this section 'talk to me about the outside rein', dated may 1st.

[Peaches]

I think it's Sam (Samboc77) who uses that term on here...I have to say though it's something I've heard from trainers and riders alike up here all my life...Odd  

I could be waaaay off the line, but I've always understood it to be a gentle ('feather light' I suppose) feeling of the rein, a bit like you describe Lorraine. Not so much as 'taking the rein and giving it back' but a small, repeated touch for a horse which isn't totally settled in their 'outline' (I hate this term but don't know how else to describe it) to hold it consistantly - supposed to help them relax through the jaw somewhat and become more accepting.

If I'm wrong, sure somebody will correct me - if I'm right, I hope somebody will elaborate and explain better than I have  

I suspect the way I've heard it used by different people round here though that it's a bit of a varied term - or if not, that it's used unnecessarily or in the extreme sometimes at which point the rider is not longer just feeling or 'feathering' the rein at all, but fiddling it and forcing the head down which kind of defeats the point and certainly isn't going to relax the jaw...But we're getting into a topic which is already being discussed elsewhere now  

[samboc77]

Yeap it was me that used the term Feather in Ash's post   but I didn't say like moving your fingers along a feather. Not sure if anyone did used that as an explaination  

I think the term feather really means gentle and soft like a feather. Feathering the reins is softly opening the closing the ring finger around the rein so that a small amount of vibration is sent down the rein to help the horse soften the jaw... almost like gently pulsing the reins... not socking the horse in the chops or pulling back hard with the hand just a soft finger movement to prevent tension developing in the horses mouth.

The aid shouldn't be visable to an on looker, though to start with whilst the horse gets used to it the aid may be slightly visable but over time as the aid becomes more refined with the horse understanding what this means, just a tiny "feathering" of the reins creates the relaxation required

[Peaches]

^^ that there's what I meant...much better described than me 

[issywizz]

Yes its something that Erik Herbermann teaches,although only applicable to the inside rein.

[Lorraine]

Thanks all for your explanations and than you samboc77 for yours too.
Perfectly explained    'andFeathering the reins is softly opening the closing the ring finger around the rein so that a small amount of vibration is sent down the rein to help the horse soften the jaw... almost like gently pulsing the reins...'     i hope something i will always remember. 

[Fizzbw]

It's an old fashioned driving term 

Niki x

[Christine]

Hi - I used to have lessons with Baron Blixton Fineche as a teenager (he lived localy at the time) and one day he didn't like the way the contact was between the horse and i and asked me to dismount.  He then held one end of the rien and I the other to pretent to be the horse and pic up a tension. He then mooved his moved his hand in a quick quivering motion. that felt it was giving and following my hand but made me immediately release the rein and look perplexed ............I also seem to remember he also told me to hold the fingers flat to the palm and not curl them into a fist to hold ther rein but I also remember one day he told me that the horse should conform to the length of rein available so the feathering was only part of a more complex picture. Just a reminiscence really but though that you might be interested int hat perception of "feel"

[ash]

Samboc77 has been the first person ever to come up with an explanation that actually helps me use my outside rein properly.

The usual request to 'hold' the outside rein normally resulted in me simply freezing that arm and stiffening from my hand to my shoulder.

Pulsing or 'feathering' the rein has resulted in a much gentler yet more effective 'outside rein experience' for Tilly and I.  I could practically hear her sighing with relief when I finally 'got it'.

So thank you Sam. 

[issywizz]

According to Erik Herbermann feathering should only be done on the inside rein-on the outside rein you should either use half halts or giving forward of the rein.
Dont ask me why though. 

[shoveltrash]

interesting topic......
i too remember Herbermann talking about using this only on the inside rein, with the *exception* being for a young distracted horse, getting them to 'look this way' to stay focused. 
my new RI has me riding with closed hands (NO opening of fingers whatsoever!), but using a mobile hand/wrist for this type of thing, to obtain softness thru the jaw.  it's really gotten me to loosen up my typically rigid forearms - my habit was to ride with open fingers.  i'm thinking there is a correlation here, maybe.

[ash]

I think it has helped me so much, because my hands tend to wander about a bit.  Using open fingers means that I can still 'talk' to Tilly yet keep my hands more still.  It also helps my wrists and arms stay looser.

Different strokes I guess!  

ETA:  As some of you have seen, Tilly is a pony who readily and quickly braces against the contact.  This technique (particularly in recent weeks) has help produce a pony that is totally Zen like in accepting the contact.

[shoveltrash]

Using open fingers means that I can still 'talk' to Tilly yet keep my hands more still.  It also helps my wrists and arms stay looser.

whatever works best for you .  i do believe that every horse is different, and it takes 'thinking outside the box' to find the best solutions.
altho as a caution i have to say that for safety IMHO it's best to keep closed fingers on the reins.  and i'm talking "holding a baby bird" closure, not death grip.
depends on the horse though.