“Very few modern riders are taught the old and perfectly correct cavalry way of holding the reins.

That is both curb reins in one hand, but the bridoon reins separated.

In itself, the present day customary 2:2 division of the reins is not wrong, but riders ought to understand that it imposes perfect stillness of the hands; the curb rein must never be used for giving direction and position. If in the course of training one may sometimes have to “bend the horse forcibly” it is absolutely essential to put the curb rein out of action for the moment and to use only the bridoon rein. It follows that if one rides with a curb rein in each hand, it is almost entirely with seat and legs that the horse has to be directed since the curb rein should not be used for this purpose except to give the barest indication of change of position.” Kurt Albrecht

The key phrase here being that the curb rein must never be used for giving direction or position.

Riding with the Curb in Two Hands Means our Hands MUST Be STILL.

This imposes huge restrictions upon the rider when he chooses to ride in the customary 2:2 division of the reins. With the curb bit in each hand, the rider must have stillness and symmetry between both hands. The curb bit and rein infers a horse that is finished to a degree that we no longer need to use the rein for either direction or positioning. The curb bit being a solid bit cannot be used seperately from one side to the other, and thus the two hands of the rider cannot be doing seperate things. It is thus quite correct to request perfect quietness of the hand when one rides 2:2.

From December 2005 Albrect: The Double Bridle