What do you use when long reining?

really? so if something absolutely loses the plot how are you going to bring it back in to you under control (and i mean broncing and launching, trying to get away from you not just speeding up a bit).

IME unless they are very very laid back, the second line around their butt only exacerbates the situation once they start really letting rip with some big bucks. trying to hold on just grabs them tighter.

worst case scenario if they get loose, 2 loose lines are less likely to bring them down than one joined one (again have seen it happen and would always want open ended lines) plus its far far easier to walk up to them and reel in 1 loose ended line than to get in close to get the joined line that is inevitable round their legs.

when you do this a lot you learn to look at it from the worst case scenario angle, if you only do it with 1 or 2 well behaved and generally chilled horses you might not realise the implications.

certainly no one i know that i look to for help(studs and eventers/dealers who start hundreds of horses a year) use joined lines, NEVER.
 
I find the thought of that quite alarming, tbh!

P

actually have never know it cause any problems :) the dropped rein just stays out of the way.

I was taught to long rein at a racing yard funnily enough-we did it for a couple of weeks pre backing to give them a mouth. With youngsters I start off with two reins direct to my hands-no roller and no feeding through stirrups (have you seen what can happen in that situation should they whip round?). Plus, if its direct to hand it's much easier to get them onto a circle with much less torque on the mouth.

I have changed things slightly over the years in that I do it off a padded headcollar/cavesson first these days and I only introduce lines to a bit and then through a roller once they are established, never when I am out on the road and only through high or terreted rings for schooling. I teach lateral work initially through in hand work and then on the long reins-I wish I could get more training in it tbh as I love it but it is very skilled.
 
I just hang on for grim life PS!!

And I mean hang on, box rested horses do not make easy patients for straight line work especially if a rattly trailer goes past apparently. Still, I know what high school movements he's capable of in hand now at least :D
 
im well versed in hanging on, but if they are kicking/bucking back AGAINST a line behind them(if they spin round or try to bolt and you have to circle them) they are more likely to wrench it out your hands and if thats all one conjoined line.....well good luck hanging on to that!

i dont like making things more dangerous/difficult than it needs to be. 2 lines=more options IME.
 
These are the ones I have
http://www.4horse.co.uk/product.php?code=TE17
They are 10.7m long therefore 20m circles are not really an issue, I would love to have the problem of them being too short for a 35m circle as that would mean that I have a massive arena to work in but alas not ! :-)
As for them being joined, in an arena it does not really make a difference, if they arse about, as my 3yr did when I first started him, then you can just drop the outside part of the rein and reel them in with the nearside rein, it is no real difference to having two lines,(I always use either a roller or a saddle ) if the horse is going forward then line will trail along behind him, if they spin around then it is the same for both in that they may step on the line etc but that is the same if they are joined or not and the lines are so long .... Obviously if I was going outside the arena then I would have them separate, as stated before, if they were to get away from you then it is far more likely to get hooked / caught on something.
When L/L I go on circles, up the long side, change reins, all the things that I do on board with the exception of cantering around the arena, can only keep up to half way lol !

Anyway, like with most things, 200 ways to 'skin a cat' and we were all taught differently, you have to do what works best for you and your horse, taking into account all the pro's and con's ..
 
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