Draw Reins / Side Reins

[Frazer]

Which ones do you think are more effective to use. I have a 9 year old tb, she works in an outline after a good warm up, but she moves her head about and often comes off an outline. I was hoping one of these would work? Which one would work better? Also can you ride with side reins?

 

[tinatina]

hi i think its easier to ride with draw reins but i would lunge with side reins draw reins will deffinetly help to keep head down hope this helps

 

[allijudd]

i was always told that you should never ride with side reins it is only a tool to use with lunging.

i like draw reins but it can have the ability to set a horses head in position if you dont use them appropriatly and with a light hand. Over use can cuase a horse to look very stilted in its movements and can make it look like the horse is moving correctly but not using all its back and then they cant engage the hocks underneath them...

 

[0]

I did respond to what you said in another post saying that i don't really think you should use these gadgets and someone responded as if what i was getting at is that i think all these things are mean, as in cruel - i don't think that...i just don't thnk they work (short cuts generally don't) the reason i said you should feel mean is because if you want to build muscle the first thing to work on is the engagement and all the things that you listed that you use in the other post tend to restrict engagment (see what person above says) and so therefore you are getting after your horse to do something that at the same time you are stoping it from doing!!
You'd be better ignorng the front end and working on the engagement and this i think you will find will improve the front end without you needing to "mess". If you use side reins then yes you will stop your horse throwing its head about but you will creat a fixed contact most probably with tension at the poll, and draw reins are usually used in such a way that the horse is very short in the neck and overbent, so the poll is not the highest point - the only way to avoid this is soft hands and lots of leg with effective half halts and i guess i'm just saying can't you try that witout the gadgets first??
i wouldn't be opposed to lunging in side reins as long as when the horse does want to draw longer and deeper, it can!
sorry for the VERY long post - obviously it's just my opinion but i hate to see people think there's an easy answer when there isn't!!!

 

[nrob1982]

I wouldn't use draw reins unless you are absolutely confident you know what you're doing....it's far too easy to unintentionally force your horse's head into position.

I'd recommend the lungiebungie developed by Clayton Fredericks. Works on side rein principle but everything is elasticated and so nothing is forced. Can be used for riding or lungeing.

I quite like the de gogue too but have only ever used it on a horse that was accustomed to being lunged in a chambon and so was used to the action.

 

[serena2005]

only use side reins when lunging, iv seen hrses ruined when ridden in side reins.

as for draw reins i only use them as part of training, generally for 10 mins max and as little as possible, usually only ever once on a horse.

it only takes a short amount of time riding in draw reins to ruin the way a horse works,
how much does your horse know? how developed is her top line?