Western Reins

Which material should the Western reins be made of?

The typical and most commonly used split reins are usually made of leather. Originally they were braided from rawhide, but today they are also made from soft harness leather.
The mecate, which is knotted to the bosal, a bitless Western bridle, is usually made of braided horse hair. Mane hair makes mecates not only an ornament, but also particularly strong and durable. There are also mecates made of nylon with a cotton core.
Romal reins, which are closed Western reins with a leather flap designed for holding the reins in one hand, can also be made of harness leather. Decorations made of braided leather or rawhide make romal reins look beautiful and give them additional grip.
In our online shop you will find a wide range of Western reins. You can choose between split reins made of leather or cotton. You can also buy closed Western reins made of cotton or nylon at Kramer Equestrian. In our bitless bridles for Western horses you will also find mecates for bosals.

Why are Western reins usually split?

Split reins are most commonly used in Western riding. These are Western reins that are split at the end. To prevent them from slipping out of the hand and the horse possibly stepping on them, they are folded over on the horse's neck. This is also called a rein bridge.
Of course, split Western reins come from cattle and ranch work. Split reins can be pulled off the horse's neck more quickly so that it can be led or tied somewhere. Furthermore, one avoids the danger of the horse getting caught in closed reins as soon as the rider has to jump off quickly, for example to catch a calf. With split reins, the horse can at most step on a rein that has slipped down, but does not get tangled in it.
Closed Western reins, also called trail reins or loop reins, are often used on trail rides or longer hacks. Then there is no danger of losing the ends of the reins from the hand, which could cause the horse to step on them.
Romal reins are also closed and have a leather flap. These are designed for holding the reins in one hand so that the rider has sufficient hand freedom when roping. The leather flap is used to drive cattle by slapping or dropping it against the rider's leg.

How long should the Western reins be?

• Split reins: between 2.1 and 2.4m long
• Mecate: total length between 6 and 7 m
• Romal reins: between 1.1 and 1.35 m or longer