Advice from hungry pony owners please. Grass or Daisy reins?

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shmoo

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New pony arriving at the weekend! He’s very much a chunky leg at each corner type – my first tiny pony!!! 12hh for smallest daughter. My own first was an Exmoor who stood 13.2hh around a hundred or so years ago, so I can’t remember or never knew these things but…

Grass reins or daisy reins? I have been advised I need something but I just don’t have any experience – any didn’t know daisy reins existed.

Ignorance is bliss, but sadly not all of the time. Any advice greatly received.
 
i found daisy rein just shoved saddle forward and didnt help where as grass reins to bit as more help i got the ones from equiami which were good. there's another type you can get that goes from the saddle rings to the reins as well, can't remember what they are called but they were more expensive so I didnt get them (they get good reviews though). someone may come along who knows what I mean or search grass reins on here and it'll come up in one of the threads
 
I did look at the balance reins but thought I may try and get a saddler friend to knock me up a cheaper version. For the time being I got the equiami grass reins which do the trick well enough at the moment.
 
Definitely agree with the crupper, we forgot one day and our shetland put his head down with the daisy rein on and pinged my tiny son over his head onto the ground, luckily he landed on his feet and found it hilarious but it could have been a horrible accident.
 
I would second the full nose net muzzle. Once pony realises he can't get any grass even if he does put his head down, he'll stop doing it! Will also prevent picking from hedges.
Worked for my pony when my small nieces started to ride him out on hacks, I didn't like the idea of strapping his head up in case he tripped and couldn't balance himself!
 
I went down the opposite route - I always fed the pony just before he was ridden so he wasn't hungry. Semi-full tummy = happy, obliging pony.

I don't mean a massive hard feed of course, just access to hay before you plan to ride, and then a decent half scoop of a low energy chaff-type feed (i.e. D&H Safe and Sound) ten minutes before you tack up.

I was obviously ahead of my time because they now recommend some chaff before you ride to prevent ulcers :)

You are only going to be plodding about with the pony mostly in walk with the odd trot at this stage, and most feed is out of the stomach within 20 minutes anyway (I was told by a feed expert) so it's not going to cause colic.

Might help, might not, but worth a try!
 
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