Jumping in draw reins?

quirky

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Yes or no?

And reasons for doing so or not doing so.

No hidden agenda, I don't have them in my kit, wondering if they'd be a useful addition.
 

ecrozier

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Definitely NO! Dangerous - imagine if a horse got a leg caught - and far far to easy to jab the poor creature in the mouth. I know some people do, but wouldn't even cross my mind.
 

Polar Bear9

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Absolutely no way ever for jumping. I sometimes like them for flatwork if you are a competent rider and they are used correctly, not just to pull the horses head in. But....horses need to be able to use their head and neck to jump correctly and jumping in draw reins would be extremely constricting and could have very negative consequences, certainty the horse would not jump properly with them.
 

ecrozier

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I disagree slightly with the poster above saying no to using draw reins ever - I do have a pair, and when bringing 17hh of young sharp sports horse back into work in increments of 5mins walk increasing every 3 days... Straight lines only, therefore hacking, when he has a mean spook/spin, draw reins were my safety belt. They saved me from hitting the road several times! But - as soon as he was back in enough work to keep a lid on him and allowed to turnout, they went back in the cupboard.
However - I would never ever jump in them.
 

quirky

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You see, no no no is all well and good but why?
Things you have been told might happen, things you have seen happen, the list goes on?

As I said, I don't own any and am very unlikely to use them but people do.
Why exactly? What does jumping in draw reins achieve?
 
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xspiralx

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Fine as long as you are competent enough to release fully over a fence so a horse can stretch its neck.

I've jumped in draw reins in a lesson environment, but prefer not to as I don't trust myself to be 100% perfect to a fence all the time.

Draw reins are a very useful tool in the right hands - the people that get hysterical about them are just being silly. If they were the work of the devil then they wouldn't be widely used by many top professionals.
 
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xspiralx

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You see, no no no is all well and good but why?
Things you have been told might happen, things you have seen happen, the list goes on?

As I said, I don't own any and am very unlikely to use them but people do.
Why exactly? What does jumping in draw reins achieve?

At the time when I used them to jump with, it was to help keep the horse (who had a tendency to be excitable, throw his head up and back off the bridle) in a steady even rhythm before and after the fence. They are of no use over the fence as should be completely released to allow he horse to stretch.
 

quirky

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At the time when I used them to jump with, it was to help keep the horse (who had a tendency to be excitable, throw his head up and back off the bridle) in a steady even rhythm before and after the fence. They are of no use over the fence as should be completely released to allow he horse to stretch.

Thank you, the non hysterical type of answer I was hoping for.
 

TandD

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Draw reins are a very useful tool in the right hands - the people that get hysterical about them are just being silly. If they were the work of the devil then they wouldn't be widely used by many top professionals.

This exactly..... While working with a top professional I was re-educated in how draw reins are used to benefit the horse. I have never actually seen someone use DR quite like this lady and I was amazed just how much they benefited the horses she rode in them!
The problem is most don't know how to use them, therefore see them as a dangerous tool. I myself would never use them without instruction as I don't have enough experience with them, but can see the benefits they give the horse.

The lady I worked with did jump in them. They helped with balance and rhythm, plus the horse could give a nice rear! But she was highly skilled and they never interfered with the jump
 

Wagtail

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Even, some top jumping horses often throw their heads up just before a jump. There is a theory it helps them see the jump better.
 
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Spring Feather

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I used to jump one of my jumpers in draw reins from time to time. Worked perfectly. I have used draw reins on and off with certain tricky horses for decades. They were fairly common place many moons ago and some of us oldies did learn how to use them correctly. Of course these days there are WAY more far fangled gadgets around to take the place of any old staple piece of equipment.
 

Lolo

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Even, some top jumping horses often throw their heads up just before a jump. There is a theory it helps them see the jump better.

But they remain rideable despite that. It's the horses who get their heads up and run that are difficult.

Al has never jumped in draw reins. As a piece of equipment they have their use and there is a time and a place, especially on an established horse with a competent and experienced rider. But most of the time I think the purpose served by draw reins in jumping is better served by a correctly fitted standing martingale.

That's not to say they are interchangeable at all, and I can imagine that actually with someone experienced enough to ride with them well they could be exceptionally useful in teaching a correct way of going in a horse who has a technique that will cause problems down the line.
 

Queenbee

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Al has never jumped in draw reins. As a piece of equipment they have their use and there is a time and a place, especially on an established horse with a competent and experienced rider. But most of the time I think the purpose served by draw reins in jumping is better served by a

Was going to say exactly the same, IMO a standing martingale would be the correct bit of tack to use in such a situation.
 

exmoorponyprincess1

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I am another one of the draw rein haters...mostly because they are used so badly. Horses going around looking "pretty" (according to the uneducated) with overdeveloped neck and no back end to speak of, not tracking up and not going forward properly with required impulsion from the back end. I'd rather have months (years!) of lessons to address an issue than stick draw reins on IMHO.
 

LaMooch

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I am another one of the draw rein haters...mostly because they are used so badly. Horses going around looking "pretty" (according to the uneducated) with overdeveloped neck and no back end to speak of, not tracking up and not going forward properly with required impulsion from the back end. I'd rather have months (years!) of lessons to address an issue than stick draw reins on IMHO.

Agree

to get a horse going forward into the bridle it should come from behind not be fixed into position by gadgets
 

VioletStripe

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one big load of nope - they restrict them so they can't use their head properly to balance, though I have to admit, using them over a teeny cross pole they step over probably isn't that bad, unless they tripped. Even if you did have them very loose, they'd be flapping around and could risk getting a leg caught.
Draw reins do have their place on the flat, however they seem to have a trend for just yanking a horse into a false outline.
 

Lolo

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Was going to say exactly the same, IMO a standing martingale would be the correct bit of tack to use in such a situation.

I can see a situation with a horse who could panic at the restriction, draw reins would be preferable- you can let them go completely, whereas with a standing martingale you're stuck until you can stop the horse to get off and undo them. Swings and roundabouts. Not many horses react like that, and ones that do generally need a very different approach anyway!
 

brighteyes

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No element of tack should cause danger or discomfort to the horse who is going correctly. I think the possibility of getting entangled in them would be my primary concern, if you were to release them fully (or by accident) as the horse stretched over the fence.
 

martlin

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Yes, I have used them jumping, but due to the risk of the horse getting tangled over a fence, I tend to attach them to the sides.
They are a useful tool, and I fail to see why, if the horse/rider has the need to use draw reins, would they remove them for the most crucial part of jump training - the jumping :)
 

Kokopelli

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I know a very talented but explosive mare who used to jump in them with an incredible rider. (Actually the only rider who can ride her). OP I'll send you a link to the video, for that stage of her training they were invaluable. She now doesn't need them and is a cracking mare but to begin with the rider needed better control.
 

GinaGeo

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My Connemara was jumped in them for a short time. He used to put his head up and tank between fences. He stood up when we tried a standing martingale as he found it too restrictive, stronger bits had a similar effect and a running martingale not enough of an effect, he used lean on them. Draw reins were a comfort blanket for us both, and with them on he would listen, remain soft in the contact and remain a good rhythm. Without them he was more than a little terrifying to jump. We never jumped big as that was never the point, the point was to teach him to listen and remain in a rhythm. The draw reins were released over a fence, but not to the point that they could swing in the wind and wrap around his legs!

I don't think they're a solution for every horse, far far from it, but for him they did do the job and he hasn't worn them for over six years and is now a gentleman to jump, although he does still wear a running martingale ;)
 

eggs

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Yes, I have used them jumping, but due to the risk of the horse getting tangled over a fence, I tend to attach them to the sides.
They are a useful tool, and I fail to see why, if the horse/rider has the need to use draw reins, would they remove them for the most crucial part of jump training - the jumping :)

I've used them as Martlin suggests - attached to the girth straps on the side of the horse rather than to the girth through the front legs. My instructor suggested it and after only a couple of lessons using them my mare became much easier to ride in front of a jump and I was able to stop using them. As long as they are not used to just winch the horse's head in I don't have an issue with an experienced, balanced rider using them.
 

Daytona

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Draw reins are not the work of the devil and when uses correctly can be a useful tool. A very competent rider used them on my mare to help with canter

When asked for canter she would throw her head up and leap into it, the rider used draw reins for 3 schooling sessions, only bringing them into contact for the canter transition to stop the head being thrown up. This was after a few weeks of trying to sort the canter. After three sessions she removed them and we have never had a issue with canter transitions since. She has learnt it's not scary and she does not need to panic

Sorry nothing to do with using them jumping just my experience of draw reins , they are not all bad of used by a competent and experienced rider.
 
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