draw reins... hmmm

draw reins, do you like/ use them. please post reasons below.

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ex racer rider

ex racer rider

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What is your opinion on draw reins. Do you agree with them? is so when would you use them and why.

I personally cannot stand them and think they should be put in the bin and then a match should be struck so they cannot be revived!

:D
 
Dont like them

Can work and school CORRECTLY through work not forcing their head to their chest

My opinion but Im usually shot with sh#t for it :(

Side reins at an appopriate length on an appropriate aged horse for lunging or a pessoa again at right tension yes..... (not riding in which I have seen done :confused::eek: )

Draw reins - No ta

And under NO circumstance to JUMP in!!! :mad:
 
I won't blast them as they can have a use, but probably only in the hands of less than one percent of riders.

There is simply no need for them to be used though in my opinion because anything you can achieve with them is possible through taking a little more time and understanding.

Horses work much better when they work with us, not for us!
 
There are times that draw reins can be of genuine benefit to a horse. These times are very few and far between and not to do with schooling or a long term thing. My old mare had surgery and needed work, but needed not to lift her head for medical reasons. The good thing with draw reins over what some people will do, which is ride in side reins...is that a capable rider can be giving and soft with them.

Schooling - no! Stop taking short cuts or learn how to train a horse!

Rehabilitation - sometimes, under certain circumstances.

Jumping - never!
 
I haven't voted but..

I have always hated them with a passion, but then was asked by my trainer to try them on my Appy. I had them on for a short while in two lessons, and used them a couple of times at home, and now believe that they have a place.

In my case it helped me with my feel, so more of a rider aid than a training aid for the horse. So I would not pull them out very often, but now I have a set in the tack room just in case.
 
Pale Rider said:
If you can't train properly, use force.
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Its sad that some people actually do have this ethos (i know your post was tongue in cheek ;) *i hope* :p )

But i just cannot stand them, yes they possibly have a use in correct and experienced hands connected to a common sense brain but i think the amount they are mis used far outweighs any positive effects they have.
A 'Draw reined in' horse is a horrible ride, far too stiff and wooden for me!
 
My view is that the standard of riding and training is fairly poor to start with. Talking to people about feel, is like speaking in a foreign language. As soon as a rider/trainer starts with a mechanical advantage, go get a motor cycle, cos you can't ride a horse.
 
Big Ben said:
I haven't voted but..

I have always hated them with a passion, but then was asked by my trainer to try them on my Appy. I had them on for a short while in two lessons, and used them a couple of times at home, and now believe that they have a place.

In my case it helped me with my feel, so more of a rider aid than a training aid for the horse. So I would not pull them out very often, but now I have a set in the tack room just in case.
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I understand the reasoning behind wanting you to feel a difference, but a horse in draw reins feels very different to a horse in self carriage, taking and accepting your contact.

My biggest issue with them in schooling is that they are usually used when something isn't quite going right. The horse is becoming resistant, refusing to soften etc.

When these issues occur, it is because something is lacking in the foundations of training. You deal with that by going back to basics and getting it all established before moving onto more challenging work.

If you build a house on bad foundations, it will eventually start to fall down. You can prop it up with something, but you are still left with a broken house.

It's the same with horses. Get the basics right, then build upon it. If you don't, you will hit problems and using gadgets to mask those problems will mean you still have a "broken" horse.

It's not a race so there's no need to use these gadgets to teach us or our horses what we could otherwise learn with time and correct training.
 
Pale Rider said:
My view is that the standard of riding and training is fairly poor to start with. Talking to people about feel, is like speaking in a foreign language. As soon as a rider/trainer starts with a mechanical advantage, go get a motor cycle, cos you can't ride a horse.
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Thank you! People sometimes forget that a horse is a living breathing thing.
Talking about 'feel' is like asking someone to ride from their seat.... Cue leaning over and bouncing around... Erm no i said ride not force! Drop your reins and ride quietly, problem?
Its one of my bugbears insensitive riding. Fair enough if your a novice, everyone has to start somewhere but do not inflate your ego as you are not capable or to be trusted with a gadget of any kind!
 
_GG_ said:
I understand the reasoning behind wanting you to feel a difference, but a horse in draw reins feels very different to a horse in self carriage, taking and accepting your contact.

My biggest issue with them in schooling is that they are usually used when something isn't quite going right. The horse is becoming resistant, refusing to soften etc.

When these issues occur, it is because something is lacking in the foundations of training. You deal with that by going back to basics and getting it all established before moving onto more challenging work.

If you build a house on bad foundations, it will eventually start to fall down. You can prop it up with something, but you are still left with a broken house.

It's the same with horses. Get the basics right, then build upon it. If you don't, you will hit problems and using gadgets to mask those problems will mean you still have a "broken" horse.

It's not a race so there's no need to use these gadgets to teach us or our horses what we could otherwise learn with time and correct training.
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^^ very well said, its lovely to see someone talking sense!
 
_GG_ said:
When these issues occur, it is because something is lacking in the foundations of training. You deal with that by going back to basics and getting it all established before moving onto more challenging work.
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My husband schools and breaks and is often asked to go and see 'naughty' horses.

By the time your rule out pain,(usually backs or teeth but can be other things) badly fitting tack,(saddles usually but also bits and bridles too loose or too tight) incorrect aids (rider hasnt got a clue or the horse hasnt been taught what your actually asking it) , incorrect foundations ie the horse never started properly(longreining/backed properly/seen traffic) etc etc, and then of course the peoplewho are wanting a machine rather than a horse then only about 5% of them if that are actually 'naughty'

:rolleyes:
 
i will probably get a lot of dislike from this post. BUT i feel there is nothing wrong with using draw reins... IF you have been taught by a professional or someone with a lot of knowledge about schooling and training aids. it saddens me to see riders using draw reins that a faR too tight on horses that really dont need it. i also know two professional riders who will use draw reins whenever they are not using a double at home and they seem to be doing very well because of it but this is because they know how to use them to benefit the horses training not just to make the horse look good at that point and build wrong muscles.@!!!
 
I worked for an advance eventer who trained in germany and used draw reins all the time, and used them for jumping. And they said everyone used them in Germany, I personally don't use them, I guess each to their own.
 
Springy said:
My husband schools and breaks and is often asked to go and see 'naughty' horses.

By the time your rule out pain,(usually backs or teeth but can be other things) badly fitting tack,(saddles usually but also bits and bridles too loose or too tight) incorrect aids (rider hasnt got a clue or the horse hasnt been taught what your actually asking it) , incorrect foundations ie the horse never started properly(longreining/backed properly/seen traffic) etc etc, and then of course the peoplewho are wanting a machine rather than a horse then only about 5% of them if that are actually 'naughty'

:rolleyes:
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Unfortunately, I see it a lot. Almost on a daily basis and when I can, I will point things out but it can be a by delicate thing.

Yes, too many people have no idea what effect everything we put onto or into a horse, tack, bits, even nosebands have so they don't know to assess those things when problems arise. I regularly hear lines like, " his back was checked a month ago so that's fine". Well, I was fine last week, but currently have a pulled muscle in my leg after slipping in the mud...horses are no different. A horse can go out in a paddock and put it's back out with one silly buck or slip, so never rule out back issues or other pain issues.

The worst of these is the effect the actual rider has and it is usually a selfish attitude of asking for too much too soon, not waiting for the horse to be ready for the next step.
 
eventer131 said:
i will probably get a lot of dislike from this post. BUT i feel there is nothing wrong with using draw reins... IF you have been taught by a professional or someone with a lot of knowledge about schooling and training aids. it saddens me to see riders using draw reins that a faR too tight on horses that really dont need it. i also know two professional riders who will use draw reins whenever they are not using a double at home and they seem to be doing very well because of it but this is because they know how to use them to benefit the horses training not just to make the horse look good at that point and build wrong muscles.@!!!
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I won't blast you...but I would like to know what benefit the draw reins give that can't be achieved without them. That is a genuine question.
 
_GG_ said:
I understand the reasoning behind wanting you to feel a difference, but a horse in draw reins feels very different to a horse in self carriage, taking and accepting your contact.

My biggest issue with them in schooling is that they are usually used when something isn't quite going right. The horse is becoming resistant, refusing to soften etc.
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Oh I agree that the feel maybe different, but to get an idiot like me to 'feel' something, to be able to get that light bulb moment that says "there, that's what you are trying for" after months of struggling YUP it was worth it.

I would never school in them long term, but a total of around an hour or so, over a few sessions in a 3 year relationship, yup, they had their place.
 
ex racer rider said:
What is your opinion on draw reins. Do you agree with them? is so when would you use them and why.

I personally cannot stand them and think they should be put in the bin and then a match should be struck so they cannot be revived!

:D
Click to expand...
Pulling a horse's head in doesn't get him into a good shape. Proper riding, time and schooling does. I'm not a fan of any gadgets, particularly draw reins.
 
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Oh dear! When will you people ever learn that the ONLY way to school a horse and to get it's head down is to use tight draw reins! They are also fantastic for gettibg your horse to bascule over fences! You lot have clearly been using some very wrong and very bad trainers if you think schooling can be done purely with time and magic hands!

*shakes head and walks away*

;)
 
ex racer rider said:
What is your opinion on draw reins. Do you agree with them? is so when would you use them and why.

I personally cannot stand them and think they should be put in the bin and then a match should be struck so they cannot be revived!

:D
Click to expand...
My choice wasnt in your poll=
I dont like them and they are a sign of poor horsemanship or at best lazyness..
 
Don't like them personally...Wouldn't use them, I'd rather have spent the last 7 months getting my horse to the point she is now where she will hold herself for longer periods than she used to be able to, than have whacked on draw reins and pulled her into a false outline from the word go...
 
I have used them in the past when I was stupid and naive and believed my trainer at the time when she said I needed them. I realise now I never did, I just needed to put the work in!

I'd never ever use them again!
 
I hate them. I think that some people (very few) are experienced enough to use them correctly and get good results, but they are dangerous in the wrong hands and unnecessary in the right hands.

A lovely warmblood at our yard is currently unridable and undergoing tests to find what is wrong. The last two times he was ridden without symptoms were in draw reins (not by me). The following day he objected strongly to going forwards bucking and kicking out, backing up, threatening to rear etc. And has been that way for ten weeks now. He is very sore in the base of his neck, withers and back.

One thing I have learned through my many years experience in retraining horses, is that if they are 'gobby' (a common reason for using drawreins) there is usually a pain reason, and using draw reins simply covers it up.
 
I don't like them and wouldn't use them - and the amount of times I've heard people say "well they're not actually being used because they're loose" drives me mad. If they're that bloody loose and you don't need them, then take them off and prove you don't need them.
 
Big Ben said:
Oh I agree that the feel maybe different, but to get an idiot like me to 'feel' something, to be able to get that light bulb moment that says "there, that's what you are trying for" after months of struggling YUP it was worth it.
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Sorry, but this is the very LAST example of how you should use draw reins. If you are not experienced enough to know what real 'feel' is like and how to achieve it without training aids, then yours are not the hands that should be using them. IF they are to be used (which I don't honestly believe they ever need to be), then it should only be by the best, most exerienced horsemen and women.

ETA: I have seen many trainers getting their students to use them for the reasons you outline. This is pure LAZINESS on the part of the trainer. They have given up rying to teach you properly and have given you a quick fix. Yes, it is hard work with some students getting them to feel that eureka moment, especially if they are slow getting it. Some people can take two years or more. Some get it in a handful of sessions.
 
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Big Ben...I can't quote on my phone but your response makes no sense. You admit that the feel may be different, yet believe you had that light bulb moment in draw reins. I am not judging or having a go...most of us have been in your position before, but we learn from it.

A good instructor will find you an experienced horse that will teach you feel without the need for restraining your horse.

An inexperienced rider should be taught by an experienced horse.

An inexperienced horse should be taught by an experienced rider.

If your horse is not established in the contact and you don't understand the feel, draw reins won't help. Instead, as so often happens, a false frame is achieved which will make it much harder for the horse to be willing and soft without them on.

The main point should be made here also...the position of the head is the last piece of the puzzle and if your horse is not established in contact, the last head carriage it needs is one created by draw reins. It needs to be learning how to seek and accept the bit, work through from behind and stretch long and low in the contact...something that draw reins make impossible.

I am honestly not trying to have a go here, just hopefully trying to explain that while you may be under the impression that they help...they will not be doing you or your horse any long term favours.
 
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