You know, it's funny, because with a lot of "cowboys" these days I'm seeing really high hand positions, like you see in the photo of the guy in the red shirt, almost like it's a style thing... they like how it looks. Plus a lot of western riders these days tend to ride in big shank bits so a little pick-up on the reins is like you're trying to twist your horse's head off. :-/ I don't often see it in folks who have real riding training, but lots of those who learned how to ride from neighbors or 4-H or whatever seem to be riding that way... I assume just because they think it looks cool.