Ive given in

D

d_s

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And started to school my pony in draw reins... :S
only in walk and trot, I will probably take them off when I canter/not hold them... have only walked her in them at the moment as the school is a bit hard

Im making her work off my normal rein, and using the draw reins like a curb rein (half halt on the bottom rein if she hollows)

I make sure she works from behind and flex both ways, is there any other exercises I can do, or just school normally?

xx
 
Whats the reason for your using draw reins? Is she difficult to school?

Just trying to get a grip on the situation as its hard to say what could be useful.
 
shes quite hard to school, and ive battled for 3 years and it just takes too long for her to work properly (about 45 mins to an hour solid schooling before she gives in)

she goes round with her head in the air, and i just thought i would try them to see if they helped our schooling, as ive got fed up of really battling to get her to accept the contact

i want her to work long and low and relax into it
 
do you do lots of lunging with a passoa or side reins? i find that most of the problems with horses that wont take a contact down are because of the lack of the right muscles.

i had a pony like that and insted of draw reins, my trainer advised me to work her in side reins on the lunge every now and again, and use a passoa. she built up all the right muscles and she became lighter, more balanced and much more rounder. worked wonders
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I bought my mare last year and she was like a giraffe.She had only sj and hadnt done much schooling and hated contact.I found the kindest way to help her develop her back muscles and show her the correct way to go was market harborough ,it only took few months s and she works in nice outline .
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im not really allowed to lunge her (physios orders)
i got my side reins stolen (well i lent them to someone and never got them back)
when i did lunge her in them she used to just go backwards and up...
i havent tried her in a pessoa, i may borrow a friends

thanks
she is 18 now
 
To be fair it usually takes me a good 45 minutes to get my horse going really good. It used to take me that long just to get him to accept the contact.

I shouldn't think draw reins would help. They will just draw her head in. Maybe a harbridge would be better? It would help but you still have to ride her properly into the contact and its not quite so forceful. Just my opinion..? Maybe try lungeing her if you dont already, perhaps in a pessoa so you train her to go long and low.
 
[ QUOTE ]
i find that most of the problems with horses that wont take a contact down are because of the lack of the right muscles.


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Agree with this. I've never used a pessoa but it could be worth a try.
 
shes a lot more developed now than she was... she was completely hollow when i first got her, and not so bad now...
 
a passoa will encorage her to strech down, building up the correct topline. she might be finding it difficult to carry herself, as if she has spent a long time of her life with her nose in the air, she wont have developed the right muscle tone.

good luck with her!!
 
thanks i might try it, ive had her 3 years and shes now only just starting to accept it and work

tomorrow i think ill try a pessoa and see.
ive tried a lungy bungy, i didnt like that. i quite like the draw reins as you can control them... unlike the bungy
but i will have a think about it

OH wants to get a pessoa, so i guess we could buy one together lol
 
draw reins are good as a last resort, when youve ruled everything else out. if you have a trainer and they say your horse has the correct muscle tone and just need that extra encouregement then thats fine. but i like to make sure the horse is capable before rushing straight in.

your lucky having a horsey OH, mine couldnt care less about mine lol.
 
i havent had a lesson because of the weather!
but my trainer trains with the fielders (train the norweigen dressage team)

but i think i will invest in a pessoa, as it should help.. and i can use it on any horse

oh yes very lucky lol
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x
 
If the physio does not allow the horse to be lunged, are you sure you should be riding in draw reins? What is wrong with her that she cannot be lunged. And are you sure your physio knows what they are talking about? If there is a physical problem your vet should also be involved.
 
[ QUOTE ]
i havent had a lesson because of the weather!
but my trainer trains with the fielders (train the norweigen dressage team)

but i think i will invest in a pessoa, as it should help.. and i can use it on any horse

oh yes very lucky lol
wink.gif


x

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If you can['t lunge, then how can you use the pessoa?
 
well she can be lunged, aslong as its on a decent surface and a big circle.. no canter work at all

she told me to ride more than lunge as shes a very tense mare and often turns her head out on the lunge.. but the pony was stiff and very tight the last time she came, which is why the physio advised not to lunge as you cant help her as much with balance and stuff
but the last time i lunged her she was loads better and was really loose once shed calm down (trot with her nose nearly on the floor, really extending and going from behind)

so i think she would be ok now as the physio hasnt had to come out and treat her for a year... as shes become alot more relaxed
 
Personally I would have the physio out again. I have my boy seen to every 6 months as a matter of routine, unless theres a problem and I feel he's needs it sooner.

Also, as good as pessoas are, I am slowly growing to dislike them. I am now preferring to use draw reins, which lay over the horses back and go down between his legs to attach to the bit...this has improved our canter no end. But you have to do what works for each individual horse.
 
i will talk to mum about the physio, its so expensive... so i may massage her myself until the physio comes out

i use the draw reins in between her legs, up through the bit and to my hands... ?

x
 
[ QUOTE ]


Also, as good as pessoas are, I am slowly growing to dislike them. I am now preferring to use draw reins, which lay over the horses back and go down between his legs to attach to the bit...this has improved our canter no end. But you have to do what works for each individual horse.

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Ditto about the draw reins
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. I use them on both my horses, really encourages them to stretch down, and use themselves without gobbing them in the mouth or creating a false contact.
 
Who do you have, because there may be several cheaper options- we use 2 (because one lives a million miles away 90% of the time) and neither of them are bank breakers (from a seriously skint family!).

Tbh, she's moody mare who's quite stuck in her ways. I have the same in gelding form and I find that by picking my battles I win more (ie today you will trot like a normal horse, nit an alapaca) and its begun to work!
 
I used draw reins on my chap and when I took them away made no difference to what he was like before hand. So it boiled down to basic schooling and making sure he was happy and relaxed to work!
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I did however have problems in canter without a martingale. What I did (as a cheap solution) was attach my side reins to either side of the bit and attached them straight through his legs to his girth. I had them loose so they were baggy and I had to do all of the work to get a contact so there was no false aid through my gadget holding his head down. However, they kicked in when he did his giraffe impersonation, and stopped his ears entering my nose
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This worked for us anyway! Perhaps worth a try?
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My mate used draw reins too much when she was younger not having much experience, and as consequence, her horse is so over bent. It's difficult to push him forward into the contact, which I think is harder then trying to get their heads lowered!
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I guess it boils down to different horses, cope and react differently in situations! Good luck! xx
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OP TBH it sounds as though what is happening with your mare is that she is keeping her head up partly becasue she is stressed and it takes her a while to relax mentally? I'm not sure that restricting the natural 'safety' mechanism of a flight animal when it is already tense is likely to help much...

I don't know enough about gadgets to advise on those but perhaps a few lessons with a trainer getting her to listen and trust you (in hand, on the lunge providing vet/physio etc give the all-clear and ridden) might help?

I also find that share horsey has his head in the air more when he has been kept in... it really helps to lunge/loose school before riding on those days.
 
QR - it is not a matter of lowering the head - more of getting the horse working correctly. Some of the responses sound as though you want heads "tucked in" and then believe this is correct. The whole horse has to work correctly and draw reins are not the best way of achieving this - in (even competent) most hands all you achieve is the front end "drawing" in towards you, with the engine (rear) not engaged correctly.
 
i always always always insist that my horse works from behind, and until she works from behind i dont use the draw reins (once shes warmed up shes fine) i then pick the reins up and continue to school her, but hardly touch them at all until she puts her head where i dont want it... like a curb rein, she works off my normal rein, and then a half halt on the bottom just to remind her where her heads meant to go...


x
 
I don't know I just think if it is possible to get her working properly without, it just takes longer than draw reins shouldn't be used. Pickle takes a hell of a lot of work to get working properly, my legs have to be so strong to really push him onto the bit. However because I know I can do it without something forcing him I wouldn't, closest he gets to gadgets is flexi reins but thats it really.
 
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