Holding your reins Argentine-style or English-style. Is one better?
By T. Goodspeed
English-style (left hand) left snaffle rein through your hand, left curb rein through your little finger and your third finger, the right curb rein through your third finger and your middle finger, and the right snaffle through your middle finger and your index finger. All the slack of the rein comes out to the right through your index finger and your thumb.
Argentine-style (left hand) top rein or snaffle reins join together lay across the top of your index finger and the slack of the rein goes into your hand and out the heel of your hand. The curb reins join together and lay across the top of your middle finger and also go down through your hand and out the heel of your hand.
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| Argentine method with snaffle reins on top. |
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| English method with snaffle reins on outside and curb reins on inside. |
I used to always demand that one learn how to hold the reins English-style, as that is what I was taught. Then over my years of teaching and playing I came to appreciate three very real advantages of the Argentine-style of holding the reins.
1) it is very easy to teach
2) It is easier for people with smaller hands
4) It seems better suited for faster polo on well trained horses.
So where is the advantage of the English method? I believe it is in slower outdoor polo and in the arena game, where a lot of lateral work and stop and go is the style of play. The reason I say this is because the English method is easier for adjusting the various lengths of your individual reins, which is a real benefit to getting your horse to respond to lateral and bending movements. You can learn to reach down and pull a single rein a little easier with the English method.
Some will argue that you can learn to twist your rein hand around some to get similar effects with the Argentine-style.
I must note that players have reached a ten goal handicap with both styles so I don’t think there is a right or a wrong here. Two different methods which are better suited for different styles of the game.
If you have the wonderful gift of awesome ponies and play in 12 goal plus polo, I would have to say the Argentine method is superior. However, if your horses are a bit average and you spend a great deal of time in the arena or in lower goal outdoor polo, you may find some advantages to the English method.
Again, I repeat, players have reached ten goals with both methods.
In any event, I just sure hope you are holding reins either way, and having a lot of fun playing the greatest game on Earth.
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