(Pointlessly) irritating owner habit

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Jinx94

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First of all, despite how annoying this owners habit is, I'm not saying anything about changing it as I don't see how it actually negatively affects her or the horses.

The horses I look after are ex-polo. Therefore, the owner believes that they should always have two sets of reins on their bridles. Both are in snaffles.

This in itself doesn't bother me, but I find it really frustrating that I'm lectured every time we ride together about how "they don't respond well if you only have one set of reins - they don't understand it". Both horses neck-rein and are ridden mostly with your seat.

I know it's daft, but I just find it so irritating!

ETA *takes a breath, gets a grip and gets on with life* :o
 
Interesting though to those of us not used to the sport

Are the two sets of reins used differently?
 
WelshD, polo ponies (when playing) are usually ridden in gags or pelhams (someone please correct me if I am wrong!!), which I guess is what the owner used to ride in.

holeymoley - I know!! It really frustrates me because she's owned these horses for years and she is a friend of mine, but in certain aspects I don't dare say anything as she's easy to offend. I think that at this point (especially after a nasty fall, resulting in a broken back) to her the two sets has become safety net?
 
Well, if the horses are used to only being ridden like that, then yes, they are making complete sense suggesting that they don't respond well to anything else.
 
Having two reins instead of one will increase the surface area for the neck rein signal, which the ponies are used to. Albeit only minimally where both reins are on a snaffle!
 
As Daremi says I stick and ball my mare with 2 reins on a big ring snaffle as she doesn't always feel one and it gives a bit more 'weight' to the aids. If I get lazy and neck rein out hacking with her skinny dressage reins she finds it hard to feel them.
 
Jinx94 said:
First of all, despite how annoying this owners habit is, I'm not saying anything about changing it as I don't see how it actually negatively affects her or the horses.

The horses I look after are ex-polo. Therefore, the owner believes that they should always have two sets of reins on their bridles. Both are in snaffles.

This in itself doesn't bother me, but I find it really frustrating that I'm lectured every time we ride together about how "they don't respond well if you only have one set of reins - they don't understand it". Both horses neck-rein and are ridden mostly with your seat.

I know it's daft, but I just find it so irritating!

ETA *takes a breath, gets a grip and gets on with life* :o
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Jinx if you want to post something like this -is it wise to have your picutue on you avatar for the owner to see whom has posted this - just a point. I would be really really uspset if i were the owner.
 
Think it often done with polo ponies as it makes the neck reining aid a bit more defined .
It was standard when I was young so you had a spare set if one broke .
Snaffles had two pairs of riens stitched to them.
 
HoNestly OP I have had grooms here who probally would say the same about my love of neck straps but you know I don't care when I am paying I feel I should get what I want.
 
It's not the fact that she uses them, never has been (even more so now that it has been pointed out that it does make a difference wrt to neck reining, and with GS's comment about if one pair snapped), and I should've thought more carefully about the thread title. It's more the lectures I get. I would never change the tack they were ridden in, because this is how she asks me to do it and as I said in my OP, I don't see how it would have a negative impact.
 
If you don't like the "lectures" don't ride the horses, it's as easy as that. As was pointed out up the page the owner would almost certainly be very upset to see these comments and you might well lose the ride anyway.
 
This is an interesting thread to me, so thank you for posting the question. One of the wierd things about riding is that sometimes something we use does make a difference to the horse but we dont have an explanation, and it is indeed irritating to a person who rides with us because we cant justify our choices. But once one searches in books and gets info from forums like this, and can suggest reasons, that removes the irritation.
What is sad is that the owner wasnt curious enough to investigate herself and explain it to you. I dont think she can blame you for trying to sort it out in your own mind. I have learned from this thread.
 
Each to their own I guess? Our polo ponies wear snaffles for exercise - but single rein. Neck reining and polo-riding should mostly come from the seat anyway, just like western riding I guess - so not sure the extra rein in a snaffle should make a huge amount of difference, but each to their own - whatever floats their boat. The most effective tool for neck reining with one of our ours if just using his neck strap of his martingale! When I play him I hang onto it for dear life!
 
Jinx94 said:
First of all, despite how annoying this owners habit is,

ETA *takes a breath, gets a grip and gets on with life* :o
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OP, did you see the recent thread about how professionals use social media? If I was employing you to ride my horses, and I came across you making narky comments like this on an open forum, you would be out of a job pronto.
 
Skib said:
T
What is sad is that the owner wasnt curious enough to investigate herself and explain it to you. I dont think she can blame you for trying to sort it out in your own mind. I have learned from this thread.
Click to expand...
Where did you get that the owner doesn't know why it's done?
 
Tiddlypom said:
OP, did you see the recent thread about how professionals use social media? If I was employing you to ride my horses, and I came across you making narky comments like this on an open forum, you would be out of a job pronto.
Click to expand...

This!! Quite frankly if I'm given the opportunity to ride someone else's horse I would ride it in the tack they ask me to unless it was harming or causing the horse discomfort in which case I'd have a polite word with them. I would never dream of b!tching about them on a public forum and definitely not with a picture of me as my avatar. Very poor form indeed and if I were the owner I'd be telling you not to worry about my "lectures" as you'd be no longer riding my horses.
 
I've been working for her for two years. I don't just ride her horses (and when I do, I don't get paid). I'm responsible for all field management, get feeds/supplements/anything she needs me to and keep the horses fit so that she doesn't have to spend time bringing them back in to work or worry about them being too fresh when she does ride. I have no problem with the tack she wants used, just the lectures I get when we ride together.
 
Jinx94 said:
I've been working for her for two years. I don't just ride her horses (and when I do, I don't get paid). I'm responsible for all field management, get feeds/supplements/anything she needs me to and keep the horses fit so that she doesn't have to spend time bringing them back in to work or worry about them being too fresh when she does ride. I have no problem with the tack she wants used, just the lectures I get when we ride together.
Click to expand...

You would not be working for me any longer I am afraid.
 
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