A horseback riding apparatus embodiment is described that includes a saddle mountable over a body of a horse, a bridle mountable over a head of a horse, a main rein connected to the bridle and a rein keeper connectable to the main rein and the saddle. The rein keeper has a first end, an elongated strap, and a second end opposite to the first end. The first end can be slidably connectable to the main rein, and the second end can be fixedly connectable to the saddle. The elongated strap has a strap length, wherein at least a portion of the strap length is extensible to allow a horse head to freely move between a raised position and a resting position and wherein the rein keeper is graspable by a rider seated on the saddle.