Draw Reins, Young Pony & Child Rider...??

itsonlyme

itsonlyme

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There's a pony on our yard who has just turned 5. He's been owned for a year and is mostly ridden by a 9ish year old child. The've had some problems with him and have recently started having lessons from an instructor, who today told them that next week she would bring some draw reins down and put them on the pony. I'm not too sure what her reasoning was for this, but am i right in thinking it's a very bad idea? Baby horse and a very novice child rider.
Told his dad i would find out a bit more about them, having never used them myself or even seen them used.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks. :)
 
I would be very interested to watch a novice 9-year-old rider trying to handle two pairs of reins :D

Draw reins can be effective when used properly by experienced hands, but even a lot of adult riders don't know how to use them properly - people tend to use them way too short in order to hoick the horse's head in. I would NOT recommend a novice rider, child or adult, to use draw reins.
 
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The instructor sounds clueless - resorting to draw reins on a young pony + a child rider (a razor in a monkeys paw) = ruined pony and a child not learning to ride correctly.
 
On a 4 year old it could easily do damage to the neck and end up with muscle wastage at the bottom of the neck and an over developed neck up towards the poll. They can become set in the neck and could take a bit of time to school it out of them. A child will never no when to give with draw reins and you will end up with a stiff sore over produced little pony.

I do use draw reins on some horses (ones that go up) but I have a friend who bought a youngster from a pro who was produced in draw reins and he has a awful neck and a year on she is still trying to school him out of carrying his neck in a really over bent way.
 
No, no, no..... As others have said, what type of instructor is this. Draw reins can cause a lot of damage in the wrong hands.
In the meantime I would suggest they put on a martingale instead as a temporary measure.
Maybe some lunging before the child gets on may also help.
Hope you manage to dissuade them.... It's a young pony, who will not have the muscle or strength yet, and the draw reins at best will pull him into an incorrect way of going, and at worst may blow up with the child on board.
Our neighbours used reins on their horse from 5yrs of age as a security blanket because he was so big.
He now goes in a false outline, is weak behind, and they're now struggling to get him out of them.
The worst thing is he now rears because with draw reins they were pulling him in, and if course when they can't go forward, the only way is up.
 
The pony wouold be better ridden either in side reins or a Market Harborough - at least then the child cannot have an effect on them so much as with draw reins.

I see many childrens ponies being warmed up at shows with side reins on - so long as the pony is introduced to them they are far the safest and give the most correct action.
 
Side reins would certainly be better and kinder in this case, but it sounds to me like a schooling issue (as you'd expect since the pony is young) and all any gadget is going to do is cover up the problem.
 
I'm not a fan of draw reins at all.

They often only mask problems rather than solve them.

You can always tell when a horse has been ridden incorrectly in draw reins, yes the neck is arched and the head tucked in (often to the chest!) but the hind legs dragging behind because the horse is still on the forehand.
Much easier to do lots of upwards/downwards transitions/changes of direction...really get the hind leg moving under the horse. Get the back end working properly and the front end will sort itself out.
There's too much reliance on gadgets these days at the expense of schooling.
 
Evelyn said:
The pony wouold be better ridden either in side reins or a Market Harborough - at least then the child cannot have an effect on them so much as with draw reins.

I see many childrens ponies being warmed up at shows with side reins on - so long as the pony is introduced to them they are far the safest and give the most correct action.
Click to expand...

I was just going to post the same as this, defo not draw reins, I see so many clueless people using gadgets they don't know what damage they can do.
 
mollydollymo said:
There's a pony on our yard who has just turned 5. He's been owned for a year and is mostly ridden by a 9ish year old child. The've had some problems with him and have recently started having lessons from an instructor, who today told them that next week she would bring some draw reins down and put them on the pony. I'm not too sure what her reasoning was for this, but am i right in thinking it's a very bad idea? Baby horse and a very novice child rider.
Told his dad i would find out a bit more about them, having never used them myself or even seen them used.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks. :)
Click to expand...

What is the pony doing to warrant the use of draw reins ? I presume just being a baby and as the child is novice, I'm no brilliant rider but know the horse needs to work from behind etc and not be forced into an outline. I quite like the harbridge, I've never used one myself but can see with the elasticity is better than draw reins for a novice.
 
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Use this post to convince him. I am not, btw, anti draw reins. They have a place! I have a lovely 5 year old but unfortunately he has been schooled in draw reins for a quick result. I can see this as he overbends hugely and doesn't actually work over his back at all, neck and back are totally disconnected. My schooling work at the moment is to get Billy to actually accept the bit and go into the bridle. He can be backwards if unsure so this has not helped me. I just went down to a happy mouth fulmer and am focusing on getting him forward with a soft contact but someones elses short cut is going to take me a long time to undo.

Also showed up as unpleasant soreness in his shoulders and strained pecs when the back lady checked him over. Better to put the pony into side reins and get the instructor to lunge them both for a while!
 
In my opinion i think that unless you have more or equivalent qualifications as the professional instructor then you should leave them to get on with it. Did they even ask your advice on it?
 
...perhaps try a different tack - ask the father to ask the instrustor how draw reins will benefit this pony & why, what issues are they trying to correct?

Is the pony too strong for the rider, does it b*gger off in the school, put its head down etc, or are they simply trying to force it into a (false) outline? Sure, draw/running reins will yank its head to its chest, but small ponies simply tuck their chins in tighter, create loops of reins in a small riders hands & *any* benefit is lost since they can duck so far behind the bit short arms have nowhere left to take the reins & no leg to lift the pony up & forward.

Like most "gadets" including strong bits, if a child requires them to control the pony, it may simply be the wrong pony who in more experienced hands will happily work through his back, into a great soft outline, track up & swing his butt - without resorting to ever stronger methods of control.

...loved the comment about a 9yo handling two sets of reins!!!
 
bad idea

draws reins - young pony - inexperience rider = bad combination


schooling for the pony maybe with a more experience ride r lunging side reins is the way to go.

draw reins is an easy fix and doesn't address the problem. answer NO would not do that.,

I will not let any novice use draw reins when I teach them , they are to give and take check and learn to ask for bend and flexing the correct way


using draw reins could cause a young pony who has no muscle to resist and fight could potentiality rear in rebelling and the constriction end in disaster

last thing

the pony has no muscle there is then force to keep head down!!!!!!!!! part from uncomfortable for pony its like any sport you do an exercise say crossing your legs for some time and force you muscle to do its before you trained and built the muscle up there through other ways you will me in agony . so will the pony
 
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I'd rather a Harbridge as its elasticated and I wouldn't think it would do as much possible damage as draw reins and a novice rider
 
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