[Risk-Averse Rider]

Terminology question (because, yes, I'm THAT anal retentive )

Is it a regional difference?

A discipline difference?

[singletreestable]

Personally I use the words interchangably. I have heard the word "lines" used more often in terms of lines for a multiple turnout, i.e. pair, four, tandem... just my two cents!

[MunchingonHay]

some people even call them Ribbons.!!!

I use all 3 interchangeably.

I grew up in the Northeast (pa), and was trained by several British trainers and have worked up and down the East coast. And have worked more with multiply hitches than singles.


just so you have a bit of background.



If you counted, I most likely use lines more.

[Chewbacca]

I've gotten accustomed to calling them lines. I now think (however wrongfully) of "reins" as short/riding length and lines as longer/driving or ground driving length.

[buck22]

I try to remember to say lines, but often blurt out reins. Whether right or wrong, I tend to associate lines with driving and reins with riding.

[Zu Zu]

TO BE PROPER IT IS :

RIDING = REINS

DRIVING = LINES

UNLESS ONE IS USING CABLE TIES AND DUCT TAPE ~

[goodhors]

May be regional. I know I wouldn't order Achenbach lines, they would be Achenbach reins. Same with Leaders, they would be reins, not lines.

I tend to think of "lines" as being for Draft horses, with being wider and heavier. Or lines used for Long Lining, very long.

I do ride with reins, both English and Western disciplines, no lines there.

[Zu Zu]

DRIVING IS ALWAYS LINES ~ WHETHER FOR FOUR-IN-HAND OR HARNESS ASB OR HACKNEY PONIES ~ EVEN ACROSS THE POND !

REALLY ` DON'T BELIEVE ME THEN CHECK OUT
FREEDMAN HARNESS WEB SITE OR
HUNTS HARNESS ~

I REALLY DID NOT MAKE THIS UP OUT OF WHOLE CLOTH

[goodhors]

Well there you are! I don't shop in their catalogs, never learned to call them lines!!

We used Smucker's for our harness supplier, and they called them reins. So do a lot of the books and driving trainers we learned from, so that must be why we do!

As I said, must be where we come from and who we hung out with, as we learned our harness terms.

[Zu Zu]

I apologize ``` stand corrected ~ you are absolutely correct it is 'lines' or 'reins' apparently ~ depending upon where one purchases their harness ~

"Lines" was beaten into my head !

Again I am sorry ~ please accept my apology ~ I did not know ~

Well there you are! I don't shop in their catalogs, never learned to call them lines!!

We used Smucker's for our harness supplier, and they called them reins. So do a lot of the books and driving trainers we learned from, so that must be why we do!

As I said, must be where we come from and who we hung out with, as we learned our harness terms.

[goodhors]

No apology needed. It was just for fun.

[Risk-Averse Rider]

And then there's "traces", as used in the latest Chronicle Connection (http://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?i=109311), in the article about Jacob Arnold:

Jacob Arnold has always liked the way the traces feel in his hands.
...
...whenever he sits down in a rig and takes up the traces, his hands come alive.

That's a mistake, right? Don't the traces connect the horse to the vehicle, not to the rider?

Or is this yet another esoteric bit of driving terminology?

[butlerfamilyzoo]

as pointed out in another thread, the trace reference in the chronicle connection was quite flawed... Sadly. Otherwise a good read.

Yes, traces connect horse to vehicle...

[RidesAHaflinger]

I've always thought it was a draft thing. Draft harness has lines, most everybody else has reins. I have reins. Although I do have long lines as well. Hmmmm.

I tend to think of "lines" as being for Draft horses, with being wider and heavier. Or lines used for Long Lining, very long.

[Risk-Averse Rider]

Driving Clinic Guy, who drives drafts, was adamant about calling them "lines".

[5chestnuts]

In the good ol days driving reins were often referred to as "ribbons". Mostly an "upper crust" term used with 4-in-hands.

Just to further confuse ya'all!

And yes, "lines", rather than "reins", was/is the term used for commercial and farming harness. Not, however,for private, formal, or sporting turnouts.