Side reins or not on a 3 year old

boomchakawowi

boomchakawowi

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I’ve recently bought an ex racehorse who was 3 in 2025 I’ve decided I’m not going to ride him until next year but I am doing a lot of ground work with him including lunging and long reining, I just wanted to ask your opinions on using side reins at this young age?
 
I'm not averse to side reins to help create a mouth in a youngster but it depends on the horse and the mouth and the plan.

Is there a reason you are planning on doing lots of groundwork and lunging?
Assuming you've ridden the horse, what is his mouth like?
How experienced are you at long reining? To do it really well and help educate a nice mouth, is really quite tricky and not many people do it well enough. If you can do it well, it would be my choice over lunging but would rather do nothing than long rein poorly
 
Our latest one, not a racehorse but a 14.2, 4yr old, we didn’t long rein at all. Yes, we used side reins for lungeing and actually at first when he was ridden! He is quite a lad, to put it mildly! They were not short or to hold him in a certain position as I have seen done with show ponies but as long as possible but to stop him putting his head right down and exploding! They were great, dispensed with now, his contact between hand and mouth is excellent and he isn’t lunged anymore before getting on. He is about to be turned away for the winter.
 
I'd never use anything that in the mouth that is fixed in any way

I'd want the horse to stretch forwards and take the contact when ridden lengthen the neck and round the back into a soft , giving and flexible contact, seek the contact
 
I always think that if people have to ask if they should use a piece of equipment / training aid then they do not have enough knowledge to be using them.

Input from strangers on the internet with various degrees of experience and various levels of self awareness to accurately gauge their competence should not be where someone turns for a definitive answer.

In direct response to the original poster, involve an experienced trainer who can advise after seeing both the horse and your skill level.

Artifical aids need to be used carefully and with correct timing and feel.
 
No, never. I had a young horse on livery and someone who thought they knew it all came over and put pony side reins on the poor mare and she went straight up and over onto her back within the wash bay. She has SI and back problems in her ridden career so not sure if it was down to this incident. I feel bad for not stopping the person putting them on but I didn't know better at the time.
 
I agree with rara and GS. A loose set of side reins would probably be beneficial. How competent do you feel at long reining? Id want to be sure I was working the horse properly regardless of side reins.
 
A horse only benefits from lunging when it's used to teach and improve lateral bending, which is the key to everything else (especially suppleness, impulsion, straightness, collection). Learn how to bend your horse from behind by engaging his inner hind leg so that it steps properly under the body. The rest of the body will follow, including the neck. Bending is crucial. Without, your horse can't find his vertical and horizontal balance on a bent line and long-term this will cause damage to his body.

I'd never use side reins or similar aids and I'd never lunge in a snaffle either. (I use a cavesson.) The horse's mouth is sacred and must be treated very carefully and gently - if at all.
 
QueenBella said:
No, never. I had a young horse on livery and someone who thought they knew it all came over and put pony side reins on the poor mare and she went straight up and over onto her back within the wash bay. She has SI and back problems in her ridden career so not sure if it was down to this incident. I feel bad for not stopping the person putting them on but I didn't know better at the time.
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So dangerous
 
NR88 said:
I always think that if people have to ask if they should use a piece of equipment / training aid then they do not have enough knowledge to be using them.

Input from strangers on the internet with various degrees of experience and various levels of self awareness to accurately gauge their competence should not be where someone turns for a definitive answer.

In direct response to the original poster, involve an experienced trainer who can advise after seeing both the horse and your skill level.

Artifical aids need to be used carefully and with correct timing and feel.
Click to expand...
So asking a question offends you???? I merely asking a question on whether side reins should be used on a youngster... I am not actually using them i am just wondering if there would be any benefits to using them.. That why i came on here to ask because unfortunately I'm dint profess to know it ALL!!!!!!!
 
OK, sticking head above parapet - whilst my young NF's are a long way from a young TB they are introduced to loose side reins as part of their lunging/long reining equipment as a matter of course. Ditto when we move on to ride and lead - not to fix their heads in any sort of outline but just as a safety precaution.
 
boomchakawowi said:
So asking a question offends you???? I merely asking a question on whether side reins should be used on a youngster... I am not actually using them i am just wondering if there would be any benefits to using them.. That why i came on here to ask because unfortunately I'm dint profess to know it ALL!!!!!!!
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Woah! Take a pull there! NR88 was answering your question, as requested. No need to get arsey because you don't like the answer. You can ignore, or not post, it's simple. No need to be rude.

I don't use side reins, as I don't want my horse to risk gobbing itself. Plenty of people use them and that's ok too.
 
boomchakawowi said:
So asking a question offends you???? I merely asking a question on whether side reins should be used on a youngster... I am not actually using them i am just wondering if there would be any benefits to using them.. That why i came on here to ask because unfortunately I'm dint profess to know it ALL!!!!!!!
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I didn't hear offence! I saw a poster answering your original question in good faith. No need to go off on one. This isn't Facebook, you know 🫣 .
 
I think it all depends what you are using side reins for, if you are trying to make a horse go in to some sort of contact or outline with them no, if you are fitting them loose to get used to have have something flapping and just something there, I think they are just the start of the education.
Racehorse are ridden in training most of the time with very little contact, using their whole body to move and balance them selves mainly in walk and canter with a rider most of the time. The idea of contact often means been driven so you really have to think about how you over ride that training.
Our TB who had years as a riding horse but had made it to the racecourse could not stand contact on his mouth and that included having contact through the riders stiff shoulders,you rode though your seat and body weight, but could do a reasonable Novice test.

Depending on the yard young TB's are a bit like a production line and often things are not checked unless there is a problem. Ours was head shy and had really bad teeth so I would get him sedated and get his teeth checked by an equine vet before you start.
 
One word to side-reins on ANY horse: don't.

And certainly never ever on a youngster, especially a 3yo.

There's absolutely no substitute for bringing a horse on slowly and doing things the old-fashioned way - where the rider actually has to do some work and get the horse fully engaged from behind FIRST before putting what is essentially a "block" on the front end.
 
Side reins cannot replicate a riders hands, unless it's a fairly uneducated rider with stuff arms carrying their hands down by their knees....acting very harshly on the bars. So it's a hard no from me. I'd also suggest looking at very simple, short sessions of closer in hand work for posture (great preparation for the weight of the rider) and connection rather than just lunging and long reining.
 
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