Side reins

[Darcey22]

What are the benefits of riding with side reins?

 

[DabDab]

Personally I don't think there are any. There's no riding situation I can think of that would have been improved by having my horse's bit attached to my girth.

 

[ycbm]

Is someone suggesting you should use them? If so, what for and when?
.

 

[Darcey22]

No I saw someone riding their horse (professional rider) in them earlier today and wondered what the benefit was to riding in them? The horse made a nice shape but can’t imagine it would stay like that without them.

 

[ycbm]

Well, I'm with DD, but I have seen an international trainer instruct a friend of mine to ride with one side rein on because the horse was crooked and took a stronger hold on one side.

I thought it was a terrible idea to do that rather than work out why the horse was crooked.
.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

It's pointless really and can make a horse sore if continually forced into an outline it's not capable of maintaining without them.

 

[sbloom]

Not a fan, historically not considered gadgets but I would say they are. Head and neck is a balancing rod and dropping into an "outline" is the result of correct work, lifting the thoracic sling, de-rotating the ribcage, working straight...not holding the head in/down.

Edited to add as I missed the ridden bit - and that's for lunging! Control of school horses would be the only reason to ride in them (it's not uncommon in continental riding schools especially for kids), to help the customer get a better feel, I could even just about stomach draw reins in the very rare instance that it helps someone on a school master to learn better feel though it's definitely not something I'd personally countenance.

 

[humblepie]

Was always taught not to ride in side reins but that was BHS health and safety. I don't see why anyone would.

 

[j1ffy]

I used to have a copy of the German cavalry riding manual (the one the FEI dressage rules are based on) and that advocated side reins for beginners, as sbloom mentions above. It didn't advocate them for fixing any schooling issues.

When I rode at riding schools in Hong Kong, the use of running reins for non-advanced riders was mandated at the HKJC riding schools and quite a few of the instructors were very anti it, with good reason. My then-OH had a nasty accident when his horse ran off with him, tried to jump a fence and couldn't as his head was tied down so crashed through (OH would have fallen regardless, but the poor horse didn't need to crash through!).

 

[Peglo]

My friend gets dressage lessons in Germany and her and another girl had to ride in them to start with to get used to riding in an outline or something like that. I was a bit taken aback as she spoke about it like it was totally normal.

 

[Flying_Form]

Hate them!!! If you want your horse to work in an outline, there are so many things that the horse needs to be doing correctly (and you riding correctly) for that to happen, ie, engaged hind quarters, bend, straightness etc. using them as a cheat can just encourage a horse to force their head down when everything else is so wrong resulting in a sore horse and lots of physio bills for you in the future ? some people use them for control as well, and to prevent a horse throwing their head up but that’s a whole other rant for another day ??‍

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

My Louis I occasionally lunge and I have an elastic bungee and I put it over his head and twist it then put the throat lash through it, it's not tight and he can be ridden in a upright frame so he just stays in his normal frame so I just tend to keep him in that set up.

 

[Goldenstar]

For riding theres no benefit .
They can be useful for lunging though as part of a development programme .

 

[Glitter's fun]

In the wrong hands they can be cruel.
I know of a trekking centre that uses them routinely to stop the horses reaching down for grass when ridden by beginners. It "works" in the sense that they are able to make more progress & get home again to collect the next batch of holidaymakers. One of their horses in particular stretches her neck constantly when ridden without the side reins. Poor thing must be really sore.

 

[sbloom]

I know of a trekking centre that uses them routinely to stop the horses reaching down for grass when ridden by beginners.

Why on earth don't they use proper grass reins? Side reins are a big compromise for this and, as you say, cause other issues. They should not be used for long periods of time. If they're registered with a body it might even be worth reporting them, depending on that body's guidelines.

 

[maya2008]

Why on earth don't they use proper grass reins? Side reins are a big compromise for this and, as you say, cause other issues. They should not be used for long periods of time. If they're registered with a body it might even be worth reporting them, depending on that body's guidelines.

Many commercial ‘grass reins’ attach like side reins, but more loosely. Perhaps these are they. Equally, I’ve never met a Daisy rein that actually worked…

 

[Nari]

Well if the horse panics about something it's a good way to increase the chances of getting yourself hurt or killed, whether or not that's a benefit is a matter of opinion.

 

[moosea]

What are the benefits of riding with side reins?

To answer the OP's question, the benefits of riding in side reins are that during lunge lessons the rider can work without reins and the horse still has a stabkle contact to work into.

They should not be used for any other reason that I am aware of.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Well, I'm with DD, but I have seen an international trainer instruct a friend of mine to ride with one side rein on because the horse was crooked and took a stronger hold on one side.

I thought it was a terrible idea to do that rather than work out why the horse was crooked.
.

A lot of high end riders do stuff that just doesn't sit with me. At a top event rider's yard I know , everything is ridden in draw reins , the staff/pupils ride in draw reins , a lot of them go on the walker in draw reins. It makes me very uncomfortable.

 

[jhoward]

So the horse may have its head and neck in a pretty position but what's the rest of the horse doing? That's the thing to consider.
Strapping a horses head down by any way may make it look like its " on the bit " but in reality it won't be actually using its body.

Whilst ridden they will restrict a horses head and the riders hands on the bit will do nothing but confuse

They have a place but every day riding is not it.

 

[Boulty]

I can't think of a benefit for using them ridden (other than the riding on the lunge with no reins example already given). Will admit that I used fairly loose lauffer reins for a few months after instructor advice / guidance to get the fuzzball used to having a bit of contact on the bit prior to sitting on him whilst I had a lunge rein / long reins attached to his lunge cavesson. (Also it helped with his habit of wanting to sniff every grain of sand in the arena) She felt this would be a more stable contact than I'd able to give from the end of a lunge line. I only used them for 5-10 minutes at a time & don't use them anymore. I'm sure someone more skilled than me would not have needed them. I've never ridden in them & would never plan to.

As an aside re crookedness a friend did successfully use specific gentle groundwork exercises using a siderein on one side to help with a crookedness issue (alongside other things) under physio guidance. She was basically given a plan tailored to the horse and how it was doing at that point in time.

 

[Leandy]

I always thought it was regarded as dangerous to ride in them. I do use them for lunging where correctly used they help encourage self carriage and balance by leading the horse to a correct outline and either encouraging a stretch, where placed low, or mimic-ing the stable hands of a rider for a more advanced outline where placed higher. Obviously the horse also needs to be worked correctly forward to the bit for them to help, you aren't relying on them alone to "force" an outline as some seem to think.

On the use in riding for novice riders, I can see that that could benefit the rider, and the horse, in providing the horse with the stable contact a novice will be unable to provide on their own and in giving the rider the feel for that without the horse being able to evade or tug a weak rider around as many riding school horses learn to. I think the instructor would need to control the environment well for this to be a safe way of working though for both horse and rider.