Draw reins

[hagazusa]

Several people at my stable use draw reins for both schooling and hacking. Curious to hear your views on this.

(I do not use them myself and don't think they would be a good idea for my particular horse.)

Comments

[young_modern]

i exercise/train polo ponies, and eight of the nine ponies under my care have draw reins on their bridles. they stay on no matter what we're doing, whether it's prepping for a game or going for a relaxed trail ride. we're not always actively using the draw reins, but they are always there, ready when we need them.

[skitty_kitty]

Out of curiosity, how can you have draw reins just attached to the bridle? The ones I've seen used are separate pieces of leather that go through the bit rings and get attached to the underside of the girth.

[flax]

I'm fairly sure she just means they're on the horse but not necessarily in use all the time - it's easy to put them on and keep them loose enough not to come into action, after all.

[young_modern]

i didn't say the draw reins were just attached to the bridle. i said their everyday tack included draw reins.

if reins are only attached to the bridle, they're not really draw reins then, are they.

[skitty_kitty]

under my care have draw reins on their bridles.

Just trying to understand what you meant by this. I ask questions to see if there's something new to learn, and like I said, I was curious if there was another form of draw rein out there I didn't know about.

[blauereiterin]

i'm just curious here too, bc it sounds like the way you use draw reins is the way i use draw reins, so i have to ask. you say they're there if you need them: what would make you need them?

[young_modern]

to keep their heads out of the sky when they run, as they can get extremely hollowed out when they're excited. and for added stopping power with the more anxious horses, but i try to keep that as a last resort for when the horse just really isn't listening.

we generally use them in a "i'll keep the reins gathered up this much, and if their head comes up too high, then they'll hit the reins and get a reminder to keep their nose down" sort of way.

[blauereiterin]

gotcha...that's what iw ould use them for...they never fail as stopping power ;)