rstor or neck strap?

happyclappy

happyclappy

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i have become a slightly nervous rider after many years break and starting to ride a newly trained rising 4 year old, never did ride much or well. just for safety i am thinking of having a neck strap, but keep seeing the rstor bing advertised. thoughts please? neckstrap just sits there, rstor has to be held and i more expensive.

i am getting too old for this horsey stuff!!

cheers:)
 
My issue with the RSTor is that you have to hold it the whole time - it's very hard to focus on contact and communication down the rein, when you've got a handful of something else to contend with. I also feel that it's a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy - if you're so convinced that you're going to come off that you have to hang onto something the whole time you're on the horse - the chances are that you will! I would only opt for one of them if I was on a horse that made it his life's work to dump people in as spectacular fashion as possible.
A neck strap is there if you need it ( and are quick enough to grab it), and its further forward, so you can lean back and balance yourself on it if a horse does start broncing. I much prefer them
 
i prefer to just put a leather strap on the saddle- you can loop one through the little d-rings above the horses withers: do this for my dad so he can hold on when going fast for a more secure seat! not sure exactly where i got the strap from though...
 
or a hunting breastplate? I always find a neck strap 'too far away' to grab in an emergency, but with a hunting breastplate the handle is easier to grab.

No views on rstor but imagine a breastplate would work out cheaper....!
 
Haven't tried the rstor so can't comment on it but agree with Sidney that I sometimes find the neck strap too far away to grab and tips me forward so use a hunting breastplate that has saved me in some rodeo moments. Still have a neck strap on as well just in case. Tried a strap on front of saddle but found was too close.
 
I like monkey grabs that clip to the d-rings of the saddle. I have short arms reaching forwards for a neck strap throws me off balance...
 
The neck strap should be big enough to lie just in front of where a breastplate lies .
One of the things my old fashioned riding school taught me was a lightening grab of the neck strap that's nearly fifty years ago and I still have it .
I often see neck straps on horses that are not big enough .
Teaching the horse to stop when you pull them is very very worthwhile .
 
Goldenstar said:
The neck strap should be big enough to lie just in front of where a breastplate lies .
One of the things my old fashioned riding school taught me was a lightening grab of the neck strap that's nearly fifty years ago and I still have it .
I often see neck straps on horses that are not big enough .
Teaching the horse to stop when you pull them is very very worthwhile .
Click to expand...

Brilliant idea.
 
Goldenstar said:
The neck strap should be big enough to lie just in front of where a breastplate lies .
One of the things my old fashioned riding school taught me was a lightening grab of the neck strap that's nearly fifty years ago and I still have it .
I often see neck straps on horses that are not big enough .
Teaching the horse to stop when you pull them is very very worthwhile .
Click to expand...

All the Fox-Pitt horses were trained to stop on the neckstrap - such a useful trick! I've done the same with all mine ever since. Sort of forgot with Alf, but as his behaviour is less then impeccable at the moment, I feel a few training sessions coming on!
 
I ride with an RS stor and get on well with it, I find it no more distracting to hold in the hand than a whip would be. It makes me feel more confident, which is at least half the battle won!

However, I am very taken with the idea of teaching the horse to stop when you pull on the neck strap, what a great idea. Can one of you experts on the neckstrap stop tell us how you teach it, please? I'm guessing that you give it a pull in 'normal' transitions to halt using seat and rein and then gradually ask the horse to halt with just the neckstrap?
 
I have used both and prefer a hunting breast plate. I let go of my RS-tor the 2 times I fell off with it coz I forgot I had it on !
 
Tiddlypom said:
I ride with an RS stor and get on well with it, I find it no more distracting to hold in the hand than a whip would be. It makes me feel more confident, which is at least half the battle won!

However, I am very taken with the idea of teaching the horse to stop when you pull on the neck strap, what a great idea. Can one of you experts on the neckstrap stop tell us how you teach it, please? I'm guessing that you give it a pull in 'normal' transitions to halt using seat and rein and then gradually ask the horse to halt with just the neckstrap?
Click to expand...

I have taught my youngsters this by simply using the neck strap every time I used the reins to stop. They soon learn the neck strap works the same as the reins... Also means when you grab the front of their rug in the field as they are about to run off they stop ;)
 
Mine has learned to stop on a neckstrap, and as other have said it has saved misunderstanding on a number of occasions. Prior to my ownership my horse reared quite a lot, and if he is tense I let loose the reins and ride off the neckstrap.

I don't find it too far forwards as I only need to hold it when the horse is tense, so his head is high and he is shortened, and the neckstrap is magically within reach!

I have used something similar to an RStor with a different horse, and it is OK and useful if the horse throws himself about, but I have found that if you actually need to USE the reins (because the horse has raised his head and shortened himself) then it is tricky as the RSTor gets in the way for quick adjustments.

The other good thing about a neckstrap is that it is now dressage legal for BD.
 
One of my clients has an RStor. She loves it - though admits it makes her wonky handed, she always holds the RStor in the same hand and cannot use it in the other. This in turn means her stick must be in the opposite hand. This, however, is not our primary concern at the moment!

I had a sit on her horse a couple of weeks ago. This meant I had to hold the RStor as otherwise it flopped around everywhere. I HATED it and found it very distracting. I personally use a neck strap and agree with the poster who said that far too many are too small.
 
I love my neckstrap. I have been backing baby horses and wobbling around on baby horses consistently for the last couple of years and my neck strap has saved me many times from exciting moments.

I do ride some in a breastplate but don't think its as helpful to grab it as it's not as tight as I like the neckstrap
 
I have an rstor just for confidence. It does the job out hacking but it's a pain when schooling so I tend to tuck it away. I've not needed to use it since I've got it though (and hope that remains the case!).
 
Tiddlypom said:
I ride with an RS stor and get on well with it, I find it no more distracting to hold in the hand than a whip would be. It makes me feel more confident, which is at least half the battle won!

However, I am very taken with the idea of teaching the horse to stop when you pull on the neck strap, what a great idea.
Click to expand...

Exactly the same here! Am now going to make a note to ask the person who is backing my youngster to see if she can teach the neckstrap stopping aid! Have already asked her to train him to stop if someone falls off!!! :D
 
Experts please..how to teach the horse to stop if I grab the neck strap...or I fall...broncs to the end of the school usually ensue? RS stor does look like something extra to have in your hand to juggle when changing over the whip?
 
Hunting breastplate for me. I've tried a neckstrap and it just seems to go round and round when I need it but a hunting breastplate is "fixed" and can't move. Saved my bacon on a bucking Irish Draught.
 
I prefer my RStor type strap. I have lost confidence and find it very helpful. I do not have to grab it, as it is in my hand already. and I can still use both hands on the reins.
 
Goldenstar said:
The neck strap should be big enough to lie just in front of where a breastplate lies .
One of the things my old fashioned riding school taught me was a lightening grab of the neck strap that's nearly fifty years ago and I still have it .
I often see neck straps on horses that are not big enough .
Teaching the horse to stop when you pull them is very very worthwhile .
Click to expand...

All mine stop on the neck strap, I heartily agree it is one of the most useful things they learn.

I wouldn't go anywhere without my neck strap, in fact I have been known to fall off something that wasn't wearing one because I went to grab it and as it wasn't there I fell out the side door!
 
thanks for your responses, i was thinking neck strap - just for that feeling of something. was not keen on holding the rstor. no mane to grab, other horse chewed it all off!
 
I bought a RS-tor when I was bringing my kissing spines horse back into work. I never needed it with him, but it made me feel safer. Sadly he had to be retired though. I now use it on a mare at my yard that has just been brought back into work after 3 years of various problems. Again I haven't yet had to test it, but it makes me feel safer and more confident on her. I don't feel it is at all distracting or cumbersome. Nor does it interfere with schooling and contact as it has plenty of 'play' in it. The mare did rear with me pretty badly once (when I didn't have it on). She was full on trotting and taking a strong hold and then as quick as a flash managed to throw herself back into a rear and spin. I did not have time to grab her martingale neckstrap and almost pulled her over backwards onto the fence, I remember hovering over the fence for what seemed an age. If I had expected the rear, obviously I would not have done this. The rs-tor would have prevented me doing it had it been on the saddle at the time.
 
Wagtail said:
I bought a RS-tor when I was bringing my kissing spines horse back into work. I never needed it with him, but it made me feel safer. Sadly he had to be retired though. I now use it on a mare at my yard that has just been brought back into work after 3 years of various problems. Again I haven't yet had to test it, but it makes me feel safer and more confident on her. I don't feel it is at all distracting or cumbersome. Nor does it interfere with schooling and contact as it has plenty of 'play' in it. The mare did rear with me pretty badly once (when I didn't have it on). She was full on trotting and taking a strong hold and then as quick as a flash managed to throw herself back into a rear and spin. I did not have time to grab her martingale neckstrap and almost pulled her over backwards onto the fence, I remember hovering over the fence for what seemed an age. If I had expected the rear, obviously I would not have done this. The rs-tor would have prevented me doing it had it been on the saddle at the time.
Click to expand...
How does the Rstor work??
 
pippixox said:
i prefer to just put a leather strap on the saddle- you can loop one through the little d-rings above the horses withers: do this for my dad so he can hold on when going fast for a more secure seat! not sure exactly where i got the strap from though...
Click to expand...

Flash strap is perfect for this. I have one for my son on his pony's saddle.
 
I voice train my horses to stop.
Then I just use pull on the neck strap and use my voice command release the pressure and pull again and give the voice command and repeat until they stop praise then ride on and repeat .
In time I gradually reduce the voice until they stop quickly just from the neck strap.
The idea is if you are in trouble and go for the neck strap the horse should stop as it feels you take it up and it pulls against the neck.
Sometimes it just distracts a horse , say one who is going to bronc long enough for you get the situation under control.
I am very quick it take up a neck strap I was taught it at five it's an instinct I am not sure it's so easy to learn when your older .
I hate anything that attaches to the saddle the last thing I want if a horse is going to bronc is something that interferes with the feel of the saddle for the horse .
 
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In an emergency, I never remember the neck strap is there. I have been taught to SIT UP if things go wrong, knees in knee rolls, heels down. If all else fails, grab some mane, but if you're that far forward, unless the horse will stop when you lose your balance, you're probably coming off anyway.
 
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