"Happy Hackers", would you pass judgement on a horse hacking in draw reins?

[Mike007]

On the contrary, my current mare was a nightmare when I first got her. Reared, spooked, spun and everything in between. Took her back to basics, a long and at times frustrating experience, neverless I never resorted to quick fix gadgets.

Rearing ,spooking and spinning, great fun ,but hardly anything to get excited about,and not somthing I would use draw reins for either. But the horse that pathalogicaly will not drop his head and at the first sign of excitement up goes the nose and out goes any sense!!. Dont get me wrong, I hate draw reins with a vengance, I just have seen enough to know that they are sometimes the answer.

 

[ChesnutsRoasting]

Rearing ,spooking and spinning, great fun ,but hardly anything to get excited about,and not somthing I would use draw reins for either. But the horse that pathalogicaly will not drop his head and at the first sign of excitement up goes the nose and out goes any sense!!. Dont get me wrong, I hate draw reins with a vengance, I just have seen enough to know that they are sometimes the answer.

Mike, you have described her exactly! Still never resorted to draw reins.

 

[ChesnutsRoasting]

Have i missed something???

Were we not asked for our opinions? Everyone is entitled to one (especially when asked!) including blazingsaddles.....wow, you have stood up well under attack of your opinion blazingsaddles, my hat off to you!

Tbh, fatigue is starting to set in and Glee is on. Hurrah for E4+1.

 

[emm0r]

Mike, you have described her exactly! Still never resorted to draw reins.

I am assuming you compete regularly

 

[ChesnutsRoasting]

I am assuming you compete regularly

Why on earth would I would to do that? Those days are gone. Its a young persons game and one that I no longer wish to play. As an aside, not quite sure what that has got to do with anything

 

[emm0r]

Why on earth would I would to do that? Those days are gone. Its a young persons game and one that I no longer wish to play. As an aside, not quite sure what that has got to do with anything

About as much as you riding horses "straight" from Ireland does?

 

[Mike007]

I have a horse at the moment who is possinbly the most angelic easy going creature to ever walk this planet ,YET, a moments loss of concentration and one might easilyfind oneself going over a stupidly large hedge that isnt even meant as a jump meerly because a certain ginger lunatic thought it was a good idea. I am facing 6 years of Irish bad training. (dont even get me started on what they did to his feet). Cannot soften to contact lacks strengths in his neck. Cannot get strength in his neck till he softens to contact. I( can spend an hour of schooling for 5 minutes of true work or I can use draw reins and get 50 minutes of pseudo work. None of it is right,its just making the best of a bad job. We have to work with whats in front of us.

 

[ChesnutsRoasting]

About as much as you riding horses "straight" from Ireland does?

Calm down and stop concerning yourself with my former activities. Please don't start getting personal or childish, this post so far has been quite civilised.

 

[CalllyH]

Im not really a so called happy hacker but no I wouldnt if they were being used to school a horse out hacking by an experienced rider and mainly hacking in walk and trot

 

[emm0r]

Maybe you could try being open minded !!!

And Mike I too am having the same problem with a rather tall TB .... she just cannot concentrate when i got her she couldnt trot she literally ran and couldnt carry herself at all!! However she finds the draw reins a comfort thing and we are now at the point were I dont even need to use them she just likes them there !! I have began to take them away now so fingers crossed it goes well !! Poor girl thought the idea was to run around like a yak as fast as possible head higher than a giraffe!! However I will continue to have them out hacking as I dont want her getting crushed by a bus or jumping anything she wasnt asked to sideways !!!

 

[mhorses]

no i def wouldnt as i hack out in them regularly

 

[Mickeymoo]

Kat, I think you have found a way to hack safely and that's what you need to do at this moment in time regardless of what others think.

I have a flash on Mick but I have it very loose. I get comments about it's not doing anything, but if I have it tighter he just looses the plot for the whole session. If I ride without a flash he opens his mouth and buggers off.

I think what I'm trying to say is by you having the draw reins loose is like me having the flash on - its in their mind that there's no point in trying it on. Does that make sense?

I have also seen Lucky in action, and I have a very sharp irish horse so I know where you're comming from.

If its any comfort, Mick did calm down alot - when he was 10..

 

[mystiandsunny]

In days gone by, only owning sensible sorts, I'd have wondered why you needed them, but that would be all. Now, I'd think you were probably on something nutty that could either rear or tank.

 

[dieseldog]

I don't think you can win on this one. You should not ride in draw reins as it means your horse is not properly trained. So you ride it in the school in mindless circles and bore it rigid, make it nappy. Or you could hack it in draw riens where it gives you a little bit more control and stops you sitting on top of a car and stops your horse getting bored out of its tiny little mind going around and around and around.... dizzy...

Which is worse for the horse and fellow road users?

*obviously people only really ride in drwa reins as it just looks so cool

 

[Pidgeon]

wouldn't pass judgement on it at all, as to be perfectly honest its not on my horse so I don't really care

 

[SO1]

i would rather see a horse hacked out in draw reins than not getting any hacking at all and being stuck in the school the whole time.

if used for safety then it is no different than stronger bit or martingales, it just people are used to seeing the gags, martingales, flashes and not used to seeing people riding in draw reins so it looks different/strange and I think as long as you are not going on a really long hack holding the horses head in an outline the whole time it is fine.

 

[brigantia]

I wouldn't "judge" per se, but I would wonder why the person thought they needed the draw reins.

 

[Dolcé]

Well I got a bit of a shock reading that lot! Draw reins used to be a piece of essential kit for schooling when I was younger. I have to admit I haven't used them for years but, as with all schooling aids, when used correctly, they can be a valuable training aid, or so I thought! When did they become such a controversial aid?

OP, I would not dream of commenting on any riders choice of tack, or clothing, as I feel strongly that it is all down to personal choice, anyone who feels able to comment on you hacking in draw reins possibly needs more in their life to worry about! Unless you know the reason behind a riders choice then how can you comment?

 

[miss_bird]

Wow now that took a while to read through, OP no i would not comment on what ever you were riding in as it is not my horse to pass comment on.
Draw reins are not my favorite item on a horse, seen far too much misuse of them over the years.

 

[somethingorother]

I hate draw reins when used by stupid kids (or big kids) to get their horse on the bit.

But i used them 70% of the time for several weeks on a 16.2 built like the proverbial outhouse, recently gelded (at 14) and formerly battered belgian warmblood i schooled. Because otherwise he would not leave his front feet on the ground for long enough to 'talk' any sense into him. He had been charged around and battered. His useless owner of the time has tried to resolve his rearing habit by hitting him repeatedly over the head, charging him around til he was too exhausted (usually fell off before acheiving this) and other such drastic and useless means. Usually under the influence of alcohol because he was scared stiff of him, as was everyone else.

I got on him, sat quiet, asked simple things of him and built up slowly. However i got a bit sick of his rearing everytime he was asked something he didnt want to do, so the draw reins were used loose but in case he flung his head up to rear. Worked a treat, alongside much ground work etc. Within 8 weeks the horse that no one would ride was schooling beautifully and hacking out alone and in company which he hadn't done for years (without the rearing and spinning and bolting). Et Voila! 'Evil' Draw reins were fazed out and nice horse was made. Only time i have ever used them, never needed to since but would do it again for a similar situation (which was a drastic one, not a 'fresh' youngster)

But i still hate to see horses heads winched in by them. So no i would not judge the OP. But blazing saddles is another story....

 

[Charlie_F_K]

Wow, I actually don't think anybody is right or wrong on this and as per I really wouldnt want to cause any offence, but Holly Hocks made a good point. I would rather take the long road to (genuinely) happy hacking. Admitedly bad breaking and training can take a while to undo but definitely can be done with knowledge and patience. If my horse was inclined to jump in front of buses, I wouldnt be hacking her out draw reins and hi viz or not. I fully agree that horses need a change of scene to the arena, but box it up to the beach or local woods or something where you arent putting your life in the hands of draw reins of all crappy things?! until it has sufficient manners and a better way of going. And I do find incinuating that anybody who disagrees with or doesnt see the point in draw reins has never ridden anything sharp/ fresh/ highly bred a little bit patronising if I'm being honest!!

 

[DragonSlayer]

Wow, I actually don't think anybody is right or wrong on this and as per I really wouldnt want to cause any offence, but Holly Hocks made a good point. I would rather take the long road to (genuinely) happy hacking. Admitedly bad breaking and training can take a while to undo but definitely can be done with knowledge and patience. If my horse was inclined to jump in front of buses, I wouldnt be hacking her out draw reins and hi viz or not. I fully agree that horses need a change of scene to the arena, but box it up to the beach or local woods or something where you arent putting your life in the hands of draw reins of all crappy things?! until it has sufficient manners and a better way of going. And I do find incinuating that anybody who disagrees with or doesnt see the point in draw reins has never ridden anything sharp/ fresh/ highly bred a little bit patronising if I'm being honest!!

Best post on here....

 

[emmaln]

Wow, I actually don't think anybody is right or wrong on this and as per I really wouldnt want to cause any offence, but Holly Hocks made a good point. I would rather take the long road to (genuinely) happy hacking. Admitedly bad breaking and training can take a while to undo but definitely can be done with knowledge and patience. If my horse was inclined to jump in front of buses, I wouldnt be hacking her out draw reins and hi viz or not. I fully agree that horses need a change of scene to the arena, but box it up to the beach or local woods or something where you arent putting your life in the hands of draw reins of all crappy things?! until it has sufficient manners and a better way of going. And I do find incinuating that anybody who disagrees with or doesnt see the point in draw reins has never ridden anything sharp/ fresh/ highly bred a little bit patronising if I'm being honest!!

Totally agree with this, I took my tb mare on because her owners were going to PTS as she was "crazy" she had gone from home to home been showjumped raced and point 2 pointed and basically been ruined! However I have had her 7 years now (initially planned to sell on, oops!) and she is the craziest loon in the world but I have never resorted to gadgets and never will! If ridden regularly in full work she copes very well however any time off and she will walk down the road on her back legs (6 monthly chiro and more often massage teeth etc)

Having said all that I try not to judge others as that is my choice to not use gadgets I have much less problem with people who hack out with a loose draw rein and use in an emergency but unfortunately all too often they are used by idiots who think it is a way to get their horse to work in an outline!

 

[Chunkie]

Haven't read all of this thread as it's a bit long, but I hacked mine out a draw reins a couple of times last year and would do again if I felt I needed to.

Mind you, if I actually got close enough to another horse to see what tack they had on (my eyesight's rubbish and I don't wear glasses to ride) I'd be far too busy trying to stop my girlie from going over to say "hello" to notice anyway!

 

[Lollii]

It wouldn't bother me if I saw a horse out hacking in draw reins, each to their own, if it works for them - great!

My horse won't happily hack out on his own so I use a Market Harbourgh (sp) I guess it's the same principle, it helps my horse concentrate on going forward instead of flinging his head around and screaming to everyone who is listening that I am kidnapping him!

IMO Saying that draw reins have no place out hacking is a bit like the thread saying that a Waterford bit is harsh, it's not - they can only be 'bad/harsh' in bad hands.

 

[Pipkin]

It is my opinion. And I would say to the rider that felt the need to resort to stronger bits and/or draw reins to feel safe on their horse out hacking then you've messed up somewhere.

Really??? Feel free to come and ride my brick ****house of CB who NEEDS a stronger bit

As with all gadgets...used properly they can be benificial, used incorrect can be horrific!!!!
What someone puts on their horse is nothing to do with me so I`d never pass comment unless the horse looked unhappy/in pain etc.

 

[Kenzo]

Some interesting replies.

Back to original question, I wouldnt think anything, I'd be concentrating on what my own horse is doing while passing as I'd no nothing about the horse or the rider therefore why would it be anyone elses business?



Now a rider using draw reins while puffing on a Beson & Hedges....well

MAY GOD STRIKE YOU DOWN IN FLAMES!!!!

 

[Spudlet]

I'd like to qualify my earlier response, and say that draw reins are fine is used correctly BUT only if they are hi-viz draw reins

 

[AmyMay]

SO what would you think if you saw a horse out hacking in draw reins?

I have to be honest and tell you that it's something that I really hate to see.

 

[Ranyhyn]

Good grief Kat, bet you didn't expect THAT reaction lol