Loose horse with long reins

[Birker2020]

Lari got loose in the school on Saturday! I'd long reined him around the building about four times and I thought I'd take him in the school as there was no one in there and the gate was wide open so I just long reined up the slope and through the gate. We started walking calmly down the long side of the school when suddenly a horse in the paddock across the way stared cantering around and that was it! He did a smashing piaffe before trotting sidewards and he was off, I just couldn't hold him.

My heart was in my mouth as he had long reins trailing after him and there were jumps set up down the one side of the school and I was concerned the long rein would catch on one of the wings. However he saw things a bit differently and he was having a whale of a time whilst I was trying to persuade my feet to move as my legs had gone into a jelly like tremor. I managed to outrun him down to the gate and shut that before running off to my stable to grab a bucket of treats to shake at him (luckily I always have a big tub of mints and treats for stretches) so I managed to grab them and run outside.

When I got to the menage he was stood still and looking at me as if to say "where have you gone? I was worried when you left me in here on my own".

I could have throttled him! Fortunately he was safe and unhurt but the 'what ifs' have been plaguing me since. Also seeing that piaffe with the neck and tail arched and the elevated trot (partly due to the training bands he had on) has made me drool in anticipation of some dressage in the future!

 

[Annagain]

I know that feeling, Charlie had a bit of a moment a while back when I was lunging him and got away - he was cavorting round the school with the lunge line in tow but it was almost parallel to him so the only place I could try to grab it was by his back legs. Luckily there was a moment where he shoved his quarters away and that gave me the distance I needed to pounce on it and get him back under control. It was only about 10 seconds but my heart was in my mouth the whole time! I just had visions of it tangling round his legs.

 

[Birker2020]

I know that feeling, Charlie had a bit of a moment a while back when I was lunging him and got away - he was cavorting round the school with the lunge line in tow but it was almost parallel to him so the only place I could try to grab it was by his back legs. Luckily there was a moment where he shoved his quarters away and that gave me the distance I needed to pounce on it and get him back under control. It was only about 10 seconds but my heart was in my mouth the whole time! I just had visions of it tangling round his legs.

Its a horrible feeling. I think if the long reins had been connected directly from my hand to the bit it would have been different as I could have got more leverage on his mouth and stopped him, but as it was they were going through a roller so I stood no chance!

 

[milliepops]

draw reins or long reins? or have you got the long reins looping back to the girth?

anyway, been there, my ex racer got away from me when i was long reining him once and was utterly terrified by the 2 serpents chasing him. at that point i just hoped that whatever he did to himself was conclusive and swift after what felt like a lifetime i managed to get hold of him unscathed. i didn't long rein him again because his reaction was too extreme. I have other horses that long rein well and all know the emergency stop but he was utterly oblivious to me when he took flight.

 

[Birker2020]

draw reins or long reins? or have you got the long reins looping back to the girth?

anyway, been there, my ex racer got away from me when i was long reining him once and was utterly terrified by the 2 serpents chasing him. at that point i just hoped that whatever he did to himself was conclusive and swift after what felt like a lifetime i managed to get hold of him unscathed. i didn't long rein him again because his reaction was too extreme. I have other horses that long rein well and all know the emergency stop but he was utterly oblivious to me when he took flight.

Arrgh, long reins. I keep calling them draw reins, sorry getting old! I personally dislike draw reins.

Yes I think I will keep long reining him around the yard buildings but leave the long reining in the menage. He is good lunging and doing in hand work in the school, all I can say was I am glad I wasn't sat on him, although its probably the only time in my life I will ride a horse that is piaffing.

 

[Bellaboo18]

Been there, it's a hellish feeling! I try to have someone at the head now but appreciate its not always easy to have an extra person.

 

[FestiveFuzz]

I’ve been there! My new boy got away from me over the summer as I foolishly popped the lunge line down after he stepped over it whilst adjusting poles. My previous boy would have just stood there, but new boy took flight at the sight of this giant colourful snake chasing him. It felt like an eternity until I got him back under control and I still have no idea how he walked away unscathed.

 

[Cortez]

Its a horrible feeling. I think if the long reins had been connected directly from my hand to the bit it would have been different as I could have got more leverage on his mouth and stopped him, but as it was they were going through a roller so I stood no chance!

All's well that ends well, he's fine and probably thought it was a lot of fun. Now all you have to do is make sure he doesn't make it a habit. Just one point about what you've said above ^^^ there is a great deal more leverage when a rein passes through a ring or loop; it has the effect of turning it into a pully and increases the pressure exponentially, something people don't realise when they are long reining a horse, and the reason that classical work on the long rein goes direct to the hand from the mouth (see the Spanish Riding School for example).

 

[SEL]

I lost an ex racer in the school once - I'd been told by his trainer that he'd been long reined when he was backed but judging by his reaction I'm not sure he had. Standing there in the middle of the school trying to calmly say whoa while a horse is galloping flat out around you is not fun. Glad yours is OK.

And habits can form. My Ardennes is fully retired now but is an absolute pro at long reining. Not only because he was a logging pony but because when he was imported he was taught some tricks on them. He also learnt to bog off as and when he felt like it and as humans weigh much less than a log he got away with it. I stopped taking him out after I lost him once and he happily trotted back towards home with reins trailing. Met the guys at the local engineering firm have a smoke break and stopped with them to eat the grass verge. No harm done but that was the last time I long reined him in the open. Lead rope on the bridle though and butter wouldn't melt.

 

[scruffyponies]

I have seen folk long rein with the reins buckled. This is precisely why they should always be split. Much less chance of them catching on something if things go wrong.

 

[Birker2020]

All's well that ends well, he's fine and probably thought it was a lot of fun. Now all you have to do is make sure he doesn't make it a habit. Just one point about what you've said above ^^^ there is a great deal more leverage when a rein passes through a ring or loop; it has the effect of turning it into a pully and increases the pressure exponentially, something people don't realise when they are long reining a horse, and the reason that classical work on the long rein goes direct to the hand from the mouth (see the Spanish Riding School for example).

Its a homemade elasticated loop with a metal ring on it that goes through the strap on the roller and the metal rings on the roller are a bit too high for the purpose, just some items I found in Mum's sewing box as my friend had lent me some she'd had specially made so after I'd finished borrowing them I made my own. They are there to faciliate the passing of the lunge rein to ensure its the right height for what I want to do and not made with strength in mind. The elastic was too thick to sew with a sewing machine so my partner sewed for me with needle and thread, any real force and they would have just broke.

I won't long rein him in the school again, he's fine going around the outside of the building though but I can only do this weekends because of the dark nights. Lunging and leading in the school is okay, although he's got excited on the lunge rein before now. To be fair he's probably quite bored by now, he's a former competition horse used to being kept in work, and this enforced break with in hand stuff is probably blowing his brain with boredom, I know it is mine - any excuse for a jolly and all that.

 

[Tarragon]

I long-reined my pony over the farm when getting him ready to work in harness, and one day he saw something that spooked him and he got away from me, pulling my shoulder on the way. I slumped down, clutching my very painful shoulder, watching him high tail it across the 15 acre field. He stopped at a gate, turned around, saw me, then came back over to where I was, as if to see if I was ok! I picked up the reins and long-reined him back to the stables very gingerly.
It was very scary.

 

[Goldenstar]

I never longline horses on rehab it’s just too risky I do all the work beside them .

 

[Birker2020]

I was using a carabiner before the girth loops but lost one of them.

 

[Birker2020]

I never longline horses on rehab it’s just too risky I do all the work beside them .

Been told I need to by the vet and physio. I already do lunging and leading over poles and walking backwards between poles and walking through a labyrinth in hand. But the long reining has the benefit of increasing stride length and the stopping and starting and getting him to push off with his weak hind leg really comes into play using long reins.

 

[Cortez]

It doesn't matter what the rein is run through, or whether it is intended to increase strength, a pulley effect is created and people do not generally realise the increased weight going to the horse's mouth. If it was me I would be working him every day in the arena until he was comfortable with it. What happens if he gets loose outside the confines of the manege?

 

[Goldenstar]

I have always been able to achieve what I need to without long lines .
long lining is always a risk .
We never long rein alone it’s a two man job here if we do it .
I have seen too many horse get loose over many years to be anything other that extremely cautious .
I would do the hogs back excise with poles raised on the inside on a small circle to get the horse pushing of the hind leg .
I certainly would never risk longlining a horse with a sacroiliac problem to much risk of it getting loose and running about which is the last thing the horse needs .

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I never put long reins through anything, its a hellish amount of leverage on a mouth and I particularly hate the English way fo longreining with people trailing around behind in the next county with reins in great big long loops, of course if they bugger off you dont stand a chance! Work up close (to one side of them if needs be), reins direct to bit.

 

[Cortez]

I never put long reins through anything, its a hellish amount of leverage on a mouth and I particularly hate the English way fo longreining with people trailing around behind in the next county with reins in great big long loops, of course if they bugger off you dont stand a chance! Work up close (to one side of them if needs be), reins direct to bit.

Absolutely! I only ever longrein young horses that are going to be harness horses. Short hand rein for the advanced horses only.

 

[sportsmansB]

I have to agree that it seems you were actually really lucky to have been in the arena rather than outside. If a horse running around a bit is enough to spook him that much then I'd not be risking dandering around in a non enclosed area at all. You can do all the stopping and starting etc in hand or on the lunge.

 

[Birker2020]

It doesn't matter what the rein is run through, or whether it is intended to increase strength, a pulley effect is created and people do not generally realise the increased weight going to the horse's mouth. If it was me I would be working him every day in the arena until he was comfortable with it. What happens if he gets loose outside the confines of the manege?

I don't need to long rein him in the week so there is no point taking the chance, I do all my other ground work with him then. I deliberately don't long rein in the school in the week because its not fair to people who want to ride and I can't guarantee he would be fine if horses are cantering past him and its a big ask.

There is no reason to think he will get loose outside the school when he hasn't done it previously. I've been doing this for 4 or 5 weeks now and he's been fine long reining around the yard, its only since its got dark at night I stopped doing it weekdays. So I've probably long reined him 20+ times now and I've not had any issues.

I can imagine what would happen if I tried to long rein him again in the school and something startled him and he took off and hurt himself and everyone would be asking "well how stupid, if he's done it once, why did you do it again?".....

 

[Birker2020]

I never put long reins through anything, its a hellish amount of leverage on a mouth and I particularly hate the English way fo longreining with people trailing around behind in the next county with reins in great big long loops, of course if they bugger off you dont stand a chance! Work up close (to one side of them if needs be), reins direct to bit.

He weighs 650KG. With all due respect whether I am 2 foot from his bum or 10 foot if he wants to go with the best will in the world I won't be able to stop him! Its daft to even think anyone can, you can never have the physical strength to outweigh a horse.

I certainly don't trail behind in the next county with great big long loops either.

 

[Birker2020]

I certainly would never risk longlining a horse with a sacroiliac problem to much risk of it getting loose and running about which is the last thing the horse needs .

Well maybe I should ask my vet and physio to reassess their risk assessment.

 

[Orangehorse]

If you are behind, you haven't a hope anything, even a shetland, is going to be stronger than a human.
If you are to one side you can pull their head round to some extent.

Although I have had a pony bolt once, on the lunge, having previously been OK and worked in the same area, just lunging equipment not long reins, and all I could do was hang on grimly to the line, with both hands, because I realised that if I let go he wasn't going to stop until he hit something solid, As it was, he got faster, round and round in a circle and in the end slipped over and slip and I was able to rush over and get to his head. And then he stood quiet as a lamb.

It is a very, very frightening experience and certainly reminded me that lunging should be done in an enclosed area.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

He weighs 650KG. With all due respect whether I am 2 foot from his bum or 10 foot if he wants to go with the best will in the world I won't be able to stop him! Its daft to even think anyone can, you can never have the physical strength to outweigh a horse.

I certainly don't trail behind in the next county with great big long loops either.

well of course, that’s obvious-but if reins are direct to hand and you are slightly to one side and closer, you have more chance of getting a horse on a circle is all, provided you are paying attention.I first learned to longrein TB yearlings like this-a loose on of those would have got us in a lot of trouble! the long reining I practice now is more akin to in hand work.

I never intimated that you did the last thing, but an awful lot of people do without ever considering the leverage on the mouth or even how heavy their reins are when working a horse that way.

 

[Birker2020]

well of course, that’s obvious-but if reins aren’t direct to hand and you are slightly to one side and closer, you have more chance of getting a horse on a circle is all, provided you are paying attention.I first learned to longrein TB yearlings like this-a loose on of those would have got us in a lot of trouble! the long reining I practice now is more akin to in hand work.

I never intimated that you did the last thing, but an awful lot of people do without ever considering the leverage on the mouth or even how heavy their reins are when working a horse that way.

Ahh sadly I was directly behind him down the long side of a 65m arena.

 

[Rowreach]

I don't need to long rein him in the week so there is no point taking the chance, I do all my other ground work with him then. I deliberately don't long rein in the school in the week because its not fair to people who want to ride and I can't guarantee he would be fine if horses are cantering past him and its a big ask.

There is no reason to think he will get loose outside the school when he hasn't done it previously. I've been doing this for 4 or 5 weeks now and he's been fine long reining around the yard, its only since its got dark at night I stopped doing it weekdays. So I've probably long reined him 20+ times now and I've not had any issues.

I can imagine what would happen if I tried to long rein him again in the school and something startled him and he took off and hurt himself and everyone would be asking "well how stupid, if he's done it once, why did you do it again?".....

He weighs 650KG. With all due respect whether I am 2 foot from his bum or 10 foot if he wants to go with the best will in the world I won't be able to stop him! Its daft to even think anyone can, you can never have the physical strength to outweigh a horse.

I certainly don't trail behind in the next county with great big long loops either.

The thing is, he's learned he can get away from you now, and you have no idea what exciting thing may happen when you are not in the confines of the school which might set him off next time.

I used to have to teach students to long rein - possibly the most stressful job I ever had - and the one thing I impressed upon them is that if the horse goes, you are totally stuffed, so unless you are in an enclosed space, it's a two person job if you want you, your horse, and anyone who might be in the way, to stay safe.

Long reining with direct contact from hand to bit (or lunging with two reins if you like) is a far safer practice than passing the reins through any kind of loops, and kinder on the mouth (and the neck, and the back, and the legs) if you do get into bother.

 

[eggs]

My 3 year old got away from me when I was long reining him in the small field and gave me a real heart in the mouth moment when he jumped the fence into the next field where the harrows were lying waiting to be used. He wasn't daft though and avoided them and everything else that was a potential hazard. He was a bit too clever for his own good as once I had caught him he tried the same thing again (whipping round a post in the field) but that time didn't manage to get away.

I very quickly learned that his ear would lock onto any object he was about to try and dash round.

 

[rara007]

Fwiw a single terret or loop doesn’t work as a force altering pulley.
https://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/pulley.htm
I don’t long rein or double lunge a young horse without using rein carriers of some sort, and I also buckle my reins so if I drop one, I still have them, and also to deliberately have more play with the length you have them from you. I have also been known to use actual pulleys on larger rude or simply deader mouthed horses.
Just to give the opposite POV I’d be tackling this the entirely opposite way.

 

[I'm Dun]

I always thought that a terret would increase force. I know I've pulled things round other things to increase the force on them. Boat related not horse, but it did seem to work. Is this ike fans where the air feels colder even though it isnt? I cant get my head round that either!