Have I been ripped off? Or this the done thing now...

dominobrown

dominobrown

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Bought a bridle with no reins, so I am in need of black rubber grip reins...
Went to tack shop and they had:
£18 Caldene (maybe caldene, had 2 labels on) rubber reins
£48 Jeffries rubber reins

So I bought the cheap ones :o
However on closer inspection the leather of the reins does not go all the way through the rubber, unlike the more expensive ones, meaning that most of the rein is flimsy rubber that even stretches a little :eek:
Is this safe??? I have been told by a saddler never to use them, as rubber can wear away quite easily and without leather inside the rubber they would just snap :confused:

p.s This is for my good bridle on a big ISH, so I would be using them for hunting/ eventing/ show jumping etc, not for hacking/schooling.
 
Eek, agree this does not sound good. What brand are they? (Just so we can all make a mental note to avoid like the plague!)

I'd return them pronto. I'd not want to use them for anything, let alone hunting, etc. Your safety is more important than price!!!!

I can't actually believe any responsible UK tack shop would stock such an item. :confused:
 
Never heard of that before, but as someone with a hard pulling horse that would fill me with horror.
You've got me thinking about my lovely hand made bio grip rubber reins now. They are so flexible, they surely can't have leather through the middle. Err..
 
I think they were caldene, but I do have a caldene bridle with rubber reins which is brilliant quailty, however no where near as cheap.
They are very thin, you can feel your fingers touch if you squeeze them if you get my meaning, and I can stretch them pulling on them. The horse is a big strong type (more ID) with a big neck, though he is nice in the mouth, not a train. However he is only 6 so he sometimes gets a bit excited about hunting and stuff!

Better take them, not sure why they make reins which look/are so unsafe??
 
lots of reins don't have leather all the way through. There is usually a nylon webbing core (much stronger than leather) inside the rubber section. This makes them far more flexible and easier to grip
 
Thistle said:
lots of reins don't have leather all the way through. There is usually a nylon webbing core (much stronger than leather) inside the rubber section. This makes them far more flexible and easier to grip
Click to expand...

I thought that but there doesn't seem to be, you can squish the rubber the other way and them just seem to be hollow. However I am not a fan of nylon on horse tack either. It is too strong. Leather is more likely to snap under extreme pressure, nylon won't. Imagine if you fell off and got your foot caught, or the horse got a foot caught. You would rip its mouth open before nylon reins snapped. Same with nylon head collars. :eek:
 
dominobrown said:
I should think so, I have an account there, and they would miss my business to much :D
Click to expand...

That's good news. Would be interested to know what they think about them.

Thistle said:
lots of reins don't have leather all the way through. There is usually a nylon webbing core (much stronger than leather) inside the rubber section. This makes them far more flexible and easier to grip
Click to expand...

I think mine must be like this. They are very strong, but super thin. I love them :)
 
dominobrown said:
I thought that but there doesn't seem to be, you can squish the rubber the other way and them just seem to be hollow. However I am not a fan of nylon on horse tack either. It is too strong. Leather is more likely to snap under extreme pressure, nylon won't. Imagine if you fell off and got your foot caught, or the horse got a foot caught. You would rip its mouth open before nylon reins snapped. Same with nylon head collars. :eek:
Click to expand...

In which case the leather part of the reins would give way
 
to be honest, especially as you say you bought these reins for best, not everyday/schooling, i would always buy the best quality i could afford especially when its a piece of equipment that's going to affect my safety

things are usually a lot cheaper than a comparable product for a very good reason and now you've found out what that is.

£19 is VERY cheap for a pair of good quality reins, as you've now found out, these aren't. cheapest is usually a false economy.

If they really are as bad as you think, just be thankful you found now and not as you gallop towards that drop fence out hunting on your strong ISH!


go back and buy the £48 pair... why risk being cheap with your safety ?
 
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My caldene reins are just the same. I too thought it strange that there was no leather running through them and also find them very strechy. Caldene is supposed to be quite a good make though.
 
You do get what you pay for and those reins were cheap. I would take them back and if you are unable to get the new named ones perhaps look on ebay and get a good 2nd hand pair such as Stubben as they are fantastic and will last you for a long time.
 
I think it's more likely to be kincade than caldene, caldene is quite nice stuff. I have a kincade bridle due to budget and young horse (the cash is going on his development) and it has taken a LOT of oiling to be supple at all. Not good leather but will do the job til Xmas. The reins seem fine to me though.
 
Yes, that is the cheap way things seem to be done now, had 12 sets of reins in from local tack shop I was doing repairs for. Some of the reins were made like this meaning the rubber rein grips are being used like a leather rein which is VERY dangerous!
When I repaired them I ran some polypropylene webbing through the rein grips to add some strength and security, far from perfect but far safer than they were, I also added a written disclaimer on the invoice stating that the reins were not correctly made in the first place,Oz
 
YasandCrystal said:
I use these - as does my daughter - they have webbing inside and are strong but really flexible and soft. I really rate them.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FSS-Germa...quipment&var=580113008537&hash=item41676484ea
Click to expand...


I LOVE the flexi reins. Although I can confirm mine cost a lot more that £26 so thank you soooo much for the link :)

I can confirm they do snap as my stupid bloody horse managed to snap a pair of Jeffries (they went through the leather) alongside shredding a beautiful albion bridle :(
 
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