Side reins & Elastic training rein - Whats best ?

[shmoo]

Hi,

I bought (I thought) side reins to lunge my ex-racer in before bringing her back into steady work. Whats arrived is a long elastic thing called an elastic training rein. It goes over the poll, through the bit and attaches to the roller/saddle by plastic clips.

Anyone ever used one of these? I'm old school - what you get for being old I guess, and haven't seen one of these before.

Is it harsher/softer than side reins? Will I hurt her or do some irreversable damage if I use it without having seen one used before? (I have common sense and know my way around side reins).

Anyone any experience or advice ?

As ever, many thanks...

 

[Goldenstar]

It's commonly called a bungee rien I prefer them to side riens but it does depend on the horse and what you are working on you can fit plastic Clips in between the forelegs or to sides of the roller or saddle/ girth depending on what suits what you are trying to achieve .
They are a useful tool and some of a range of things I keep in the tack room that often don't see the light of day for months and are then very useful for a time.

 

[Pale Rider]

Neither.

 

[brigit]

^Neither again. I'm all for getting them into a natural outline whether it takes a year or not- tried both a bungee and side reins with my boy and just put him into a false outline and he found the whole ordeal very confusing. Just took a lot of patience and now he comes round with a squeeze - just my experience of them though