home made grass reins

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L&M

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Will be making them out of baler twine.

Am i right in thinking they go from the 'd', to the bit, then up over the poll and down to the other side, back through the bit then to the other 'd' ?

Also how loose should they be?

Thanks in advance.
 
OP you have it right. If you do it just from the D to the bit that's like side reins for lungeing.

I've known horses rear and go over backwards wearing side reins, because they spooked and felt trapped. It's fine for lungeing when you can have them concentrating and send them forward, but not for leading or riding.

Also side reins don't allow for turns that you'll make when riding. Putting one piece of string up through bit rings over the poll and down other side allows the pony to move its head and neck through a turn without getting caught in the mouth.

Have the pony standing on a loose rein and fix the grass reins in place with a little room to spare, so pony can lower head a little from the natural position but not reach the ground to graze. This way when ridden the grass reins will not affect the ponys head carriage at all, only prevent grazing and prevent pulling reins out of riders hands.
 
Nooooo, dont put bailing twine over a ponies head!!!!

Go from the D, to the bit, through to the otherr bit ring and then to the other D. Have enough slack that the twine can almost go up to the gullet when the pony is stood up properly.

Or go on Ebay and get a Daisy rein for a few quid.
 
I think there is a terminology tangle here. Grass reins go from the bit to the D. A daisy rein goes from the saddle to the poll. Both have the same effect - although acheive it with different action.

The synthetic ones are only a few quid - I'm slightly wary of trying a pony's head down with bailer twine.
 
Thanks - we have tried a daisy rein but although pony size, is still too big and slips off his crest, so doesn't really work.

A friend suggested grass reins made out of twine - I was a little dubious, but have heard of this before. Again she suggested over the head like a bungee.

I will just go from 'd' to bit and see how we get on.
 
we used dog leads when I was little and ebay didnt exist! from the D to the bit - my pony used to trot along at 100mph until he found a blade of grass that was tall enough for him to eat!!
 
Try a home made daisy rein. You can adapt an old side rein, stirrup leather, half a rein, a lead rope, leg strap, dog lead etc with a flash strap to attach to head piece & old leg strap/lr clips & twine to fasten to d rings.
 
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