If you fall off should you hold on to the reins?

Whether to hold on to the reins during a fall is one of those questions where the instinctive answer and the correct answer are not always the same thing, and where the right response depends on the specific circumstances of the fall rather than on a single universal rule. The honest answer is that it depends — on how you are falling, on where you are, on what the horse is doing, and on whether holding the reins will improve or worsen the outcome for both you and the horse. The case for releasing the reins during a fall is straightforward and rooted in physics. A rider falling at speed who holds the reins creates a direct connection between her falling body and the horse's head — and as her weight drops and she hits the ground, that connection transmits a sudden sharp force through the reins to the bit and the horse's mouth. This abrupt force can cause the horse to jerk his head sharply upward, to spin in the direction of the pull, or to panic and bolt, any of which dramatically worsens the situation for both parties. This is the primary reason most riding instruction teaches the instinct of releasing the reins during a fall. The case for holding the reins exists in specific circumstances, primarily where the environment makes a loose horse immediately dangerous. In traffic, near a cliff edge, at the top of a bank drop, or in any situation where a loose horse could immediately place himself or others in serious danger, the calculus changes. This is a judgment call made in a fraction of a second, and it is not one that can be fully prescribed in advance. The technique of a trained fall — curling into a ball, protecting the head, rolling rather than bracing against the impact — is incompatible with holding the reins because rolling requires both arms to be free. If a rider chooses to hold a rein, she accepts that her fall will be less controlled, with more impact force absorbed by the shoulder, wrist, or hip. The practical training recommendation for most riders in most situations is to develop the habitual response of releasing the reins during a fall — to practice the emergency dismount, develop the muscle memory of letting go and rolling, and override the instinct to grab and hold. That habitual release will serve correctly in the majority of falls and environments. Then develop the environmental awareness to recognize the specific situations where the default needs to be overridden.