摘自《Hunter Seat Equitation》------------George H. Morris THE FIVE REIN AIDS 五种缰扶助 Hands are more versatile than legs; they have infinite shadings and degrees of control and therefore are the most sophisticated of all the aids. Their infinite nuances can only be learned through feel and experience on many horses having different mouths, and it is therefore sufficient to categorize the rein aids into a general group of five: the direct rein, the indirect rein, the leading or opening rein, the neck rein, and the pulley rein. A variation of the direct rein that we’ll discuss separately is the vibrating hand. The basic hand-rein relationship, outlined earlier in the discussion of the position of hands and arms, is the direct rein, the means by which collection or a decrease of pace is customarily obtained. Its most important characteristic is straightness of the horse’s head and neck, with no evidence of bending or flexing to either side. In its simplest form, this rein control retains a straight line from the rider’s elbow to the horse’s mouth at all times, regardless of the horse’s head position, head placement problems being corrected by flexions and not by an incorrect hand position. However, for certain specialized performances, such as the showing of a hunter, the hands may remain low even though the horse raises its head producing a broken line below the mouth, in this instance in order to convey an impression of the casual ease with which the horse may be ridden. Even more useful, for short periods of time, is the high hand, which creates a broken line above the mouth and is often effective in correcting and elevating horses with heavy forehands. The indirect rein, the second rein aid of importance and supplementing the direct rein, controls lateral work such as bending or turning. In going from a direct to an indirect rein, the inside hand moves above and in front of the withers, or above and behind the withers, causing the horse’s head and neck to bend toward the inside just enough for the corner of the horse’s eye to be visible to the rider, no more. This same rein also displaces the horse’s weight from the inside to the outside shoulder, thus affecting the balance from side to side rather than from forehand to haunch as is the case with a direct rein. As the inside rein, for example, the right rein, moves to the top of the withers, the left hand shifts correspondingly to the left, yielding to the same degree that the inside hand takes up. From a direct rein with five ounces of pressure in each hand, if one were to apply a right indirect rein, one would now have about seven ounces of pressure in the right hand and three ounces in the left. An indirect rein is used for all the lateral work, and care must be taken, when applying the indirect rein, never to cross over to the other side of the neck. If the rider feels this temptation, a common one, he should use more leg to supplement the rein aid. While an indirect rein in front of the withers displaces weight to the opposite shoulder, the indirect rein behind the withers displaces weight from one shoulder to the opposite haunch. Again, the way to judge correctness of position of this rein aid is by a line from the inside of the bit through the withers to the horse’s opposite hip. As far as its general purpose is concerned, it is most used for any two-track lateral work such as haunches-in and two-tracking, or any work where the horse must bend in the same direction he’s moving. The third kind of major rein aid, the opening or leading rein, are categorized together, since they act upon the same principle. The leading rein opens farther to the side than the opening rein and does actually lead the horse around the turn. An opening rein merely opens out to the side, never back, and is used to guide the horse while the leading rein turns either a very green horse or very balky horse. Each of these aids should be thought of solely as directional reins having nothing whatsoever to do with bending or restraining. Flexible riders of a sensitive nature tend to utilize these rein aids a good deal as they direct and encourage the horse rather than force him. The application of the neck rein, the fourth rein aid, is fairly simple. Both hands move over in the direction of the turn, which causes the outside rein to press against and even cross the horse’s neck. It is not surprising that this rein aid is a commonly used western control, for it demands a prompt turn of the animal’s shoulders by its bearing action, hence the name “bearing” rein. I do not teach or advocate this rein aid for normal hunter or equitation riding, but restrict it to sharp turns in jumper time classes where the emphasis lies on speed and instantaneous response, regardless of technique. No points are awarded in these classes for sophisticated subtlety—the fastest wins, and in this case the neck rein often comes in handy.
In contrast, the fifth, or pulley, rein is an aid of tremendous severity which is used for emergency control at fast paces only. In its application (which requires a bit of practice before one attempts to use it during the galloping work for which it is intended) the knuckles of the inside hand are pressed down into the top of the withers and active control is left to the outside hand, which acts backward and upward. The more the outside hand pulls up, the more the inside hand pushes down, sometimes even sliding over to the other side of the withers, making an extremely sharp stop control. Be sure to fix the inside hand, not the outside one, as this alteration helps to keep the horse from becoming one-sided. Also, when riding in a ring, turning the horse’s head toward the wall gains the advantage of an additional stopping block. Great care and judgment must be exercised in regard to the stopping, or pulley, rein, as it is very severe, and because of this characteristic association with a rough hand, it is not, as a rule, considered appropriate for refined riding at show gaits. Out hunting, however, where emergency stops are a necessary part of the game, it is definitely apropos, as it is in hunter hack classes where a hand gallop and stop are required. For sharp turns in the woods or during a handy hunter or a jumper class, a pulley rein is useful. In this case, for turning, one sets the outside hand and brings the horse around with the inside hand. Generally, however, it should be considered an extraordinary measure and reserved for such use. Two interesting variations, although not rein aids as such, are the vibrating hand and the lifting hand, both of which act as an accent strengthening the direct rein. In the vibrating effect, the hands alternate back and forth slowly, smoothly, and elastically, thus counteracting stiffness, fixation, and heaviness in the horse’s jaw. This creates a yield and flexion in the horse s mouth. The lifting hand corrects horses that are either overflexed or “boring” down on the bit. This lifting action is best used in a series of jerks upward, the strength being determined by the degree of the horse’s resistance. As soon as the horse ceases to offer any of these defenses and becomes soft, carrying himself and his rider in light balance, the hand ceases to vibrate or lift, returning to a steady position. Only after developing a relatively educated hand, capable of providing both instant punishment of resistance and instant reward for response, should a rider employ these strong but effective rein actions. In essence, the five main rein controls provide a base for the functions of the hand. They may be incorporated together or combined in different ways for various special effects, but the above-mentioned group alone will suffice for all the exercises encompassed in this book. | 
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提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
显身卡
IP卡
狗仔卡
