All 36 Uses of

rein
in
All the Pretty Horses

He turned south along the old war trail and he rode out to the crest of a low rise and dismounted and dropped the reins and walked out and stood like a man come to the end of something.†
Chpt 1

reins = a means of control -- most commonly the straps attached to a bit in a horse's mouth that are used to control it OR restrains or controls

His father rode sitting forward slightly in the saddle, holding the reins in one hand about two inches above the saddlehorn.†
Chpt 1 *

He dropped the reins at the fence corner and watched the house.†
Chpt 1

John Grady picked up the reins and swung up into the saddle.†
Chpt 1

John Grady reached and took the reins and held the horse while Blevins lurched aboard.†
Chpt 1

Let me have them reins, said Blevins.†
Chpt 1

Blevins dropped the reins and reached to get them and almost slid off down the horse's shoulder.†
Chpt 1

He saved himself and sat up with the reins and pulled the horse around sharply.†
Chpt 1

Blevins took off his hat and passed the sleeve of his shirt across his forehead and doubled the reins in his fist and took one last desperate look behind him and whacked the horse across the rump with the hat.†
Chpt 1

He took up the trailing reins and swung up into the saddle.†
Chpt 1

He'd let go the reins and the horse bowed up and hopped sideways and stood trembling and he stepped down and ran to the spot where he'd seen the little buck and it lay dead in its blood on the ground.†
Chpt 1

He gathered the reins and looped them over the horse's head and nodded and Rawlins knelt and undid the hobbles and pulled the slipnooses until the siderope loops fell to the ground at the horse's rear hooves.†
Chpt 2

He reined it and it turned.†
Chpt 2

reined = restrained or controlled

She raised up and passed the reins over the horse's head and put her foot in the stirrup and stood up into the saddle and turned the horse and rode down the bay and out the door.†
Chpt 2

reins = a means of control -- most commonly the straps attached to a bit in a horse's mouth that are used to control it OR restrains or controls

A mile from the town a car passed full of young men and they were going fast and he reined the horse to the side of the road and the horse skittered and danced in the glare of the headlights and as they passed they called out at him and someone threw an empty beercan.†
Chpt 2

reined = restrained or controlled

He reined in the horse and it stopped and stood trembling and stepped about in the road slinging its head in a froth from side to side.†
Chpt 2

reined in = restrained

He took off his hat and passed his shirtsleeve across his forehead and waved her forward and put his hat back on and reined the horse off the road and through the sedge and turned so that he could watch her pass.†
Chpt 2

reined = restrained or controlled

He pressed the horse between his heels and at the same time pulled on the reins of the hackamore to make the horse appear uncertain and difficult but the horse only stood.†
Chpt 2

reins = a means of control -- most commonly the straps attached to a bit in a horse's mouth that are used to control it OR restrains or controls

She stepped to the ground and lifted the reins over the black horse's head and turned and stood looking at him with the reins behind her back.†
Chpt 2

She stepped to the ground and lifted the reins over the black horse's head and turned and stood looking at him with the reins behind her back.†
Chpt 2

She turned and looped the reins over the saddlehorn and came forward and took the hackamore reins from him and put them up and turned and put one hand on his shoulder.†
Chpt 2

She turned and looped the reins over the saddlehorn and came forward and took the hackamore reins from him and put them up and turned and put one hand on his shoulder.†
Chpt 2

One of the guards was carrying Rawlins' rifle and Rawlins was sitting slumped in the saddle on his horse with his hands cuffed before him and the reins on the ground.†
Chpt 2

He mounted up and they cuffed his wrists and handed him the reins and then all mounted up and they turned their horses and rode two by two out of the lot through the standing gate.†
Chpt 2

The horse liked nothing about it and he dabbed the reins against its neck and touched it with the heel of his boot and they turned carefully in the room and went out and rode down through the orchard and out past the marshlands toward the road.†
Chpt 4

He told the charro to get a bridle and he stood holding the pistol while the charro bridled the horse and then he took the reins from him.†
Chpt 4

The charro pushed the headstall over the horse's ears and stood in the stall door holding the reins.†
Chpt 4

The charro stood holding the horses and he took the rope and handed him back the reins and told him to go get the captain and to mount him on the grullo and he leaned against the side of Blevins' horse and got his breath and looked down at his leg.†
Chpt 4

The captain complained about his shoulder and tried to take the reins and then he said he needed a doctor and then he said he needed to urinate.†
Chpt 4

John Grady let go the reins and swiveled and cocked the rifle and fired.†
Chpt 4

Blevins' horse stood twisting like a circus horse and the captain must have sawed back on Redbo's reins because he stopped dead in the middle of the road and John Grady fell against him and almost pushed him forward out of the saddle.†
Chpt 4

Behind him the riders were pulling up their mounts and milling in the road and he levered a fresh round into the rifle and fired again and by now Redbo had turned in the road to face the pull of the rope and the Blevins horse was wholly out of control and he swung around and whacked the captain's arm with the barrel of the rifle to make him drop the reins and he took the reins up and hauled Redbo around and whacked him with the rifle and looked back again.†
Chpt 4

Behind him the riders were pulling up their mounts and milling in the road and he levered a fresh round into the rifle and fired again and by now Redbo had turned in the road to face the pull of the rope and the Blevins horse was wholly out of control and he swung around and whacked the captain's arm with the barrel of the rifle to make him drop the reins and he took the reins up and hauled Redbo around and whacked him with the rifle and looked back again.†
Chpt 4

He handed the waterbottles up to the captain and slung the bridle over his shoulder and reached a hand up and the captain looked down at him and then reached down with his good hand and he struggled up onto the horse behind the captain and reached around and took the reins and turned the horse back up the ridge again.†
Chpt 4

They rode out on the prairie and sat on the ground and let the animals drift with the reins down and he told Rawlins all that had happened.†
Chpt 4

Then he walked out and picked up the reins and mounted his horse and rode up and caught the Blevins horse by its halter.†
Chpt 4

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From Other Sources
Highlighting 4 Senses of the Word

Definitions:

(1) (rein as in: to rein in their activities)
to restrain or control; or a means of control
The meaning of rein depends upon its context. For example:
- "keep a tight rein on the new employee," or "rein in a horse" -- to control or restrain
- "give the new employee free rein," or "give the horse full rein" -- do not restrain
- "the reins of government" -- means of control
- "the reins of the horse" -- leather straps used with a bit to control a horse (You might like to think of other senses of rein as being figurative derivations from this sense.)
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
meaning too rare to warrant focus:

To "rein in" or to "keep a tight rein" is to restrain.

To "give free rein" is not to restrain (not to exercise control over)

Page Numbers by Book Edition

rein in All the Pretty Horses

rein
in
All the Pretty Horses