Side reins

Perfect Pony · #1 15th Jul 2005, 11:05 AM

I lunge my horse with a side reins on to teach him to work on the bit, although he does this very well and even with side reins off he is getting better, when i ride and ask him for his head and to go on the bit he objects by putting his head in the air, he is in a straight bar happymouth snaffle at the mo which he is easiest to ride in as he is not strong in his mouth so i dont want to change to a stronger bit, if i ride with the side reins on will it do any damage?
What are your opinions on side reins and riding with them on for a helping hand to begin with??

Carla xxx

Sam the Man · #2 15th Jul 2005, 12:36 PM

I ride my young horse in side reins and have done so for a little while as he goes both ways, tries to put his head down sometimes and trys to lift it up, for now i wouldn't be with out them as i find them beneficial and don't believe they are doing them any harm as i don't have them on tight.

eventerbabe · #3 15th Jul 2005, 01:11 PM

side reins are there to HELP the horse learn to maintain a light contact on the bit whilst moving forward. if your horse is having trouble doing that without them then i'd be worried that the side reins weren't actually doing their job, just forcing his head down a bit.

i HATE side reins and never use them, particularly on a young horse. as with most other gadgets, they don't fix the problem, only mask it. in most cases they are used incorrectly and can do as much damage as draw reins. long, lose side reins are just as bad as tight ones.

you can ride in side reins, but only on a well balanced horse. a young horse may panic about their head being held down to some extent. i caught my old instructor schooling toby with side reins on and asked her to leave there and then. they are a quick fix and have the potential to do long term damage to their neck and back, which is why i wouldn't touch them with a barge pole i'm afraid.

Perfect Pony · #4 15th Jul 2005, 01:16 PM

My horse is 14 and very well balanced, his head natural head carriage is ok and he doesnt strain against the reins when lunging and i just wanted a 'helping hand' when riding to improve his topline as i want do do some dressage with him, he knows what to do and he is very supple as he has done 3 day events in the past but hasnt done any dressage in a while and id like to develop his topline and manners for his head carriage instead of wanting his head all the time, its only really gone down hill since i started doing lots of cross country and show jumping with him and not focusing on the schooling as much, i do admit its my fault not his, and i know with a lil help he will work witha fantastic head carriage naturally and i just wondered whether side reins would give me a kick start.

eventerbabe · #5 15th Jul 2005, 01:21 PM

if you need a kick start, book some lessons. a top line will come with correct schooling and time. if he's taking his head when off the side reins, it just makes me think he's relying on them and not actually working through with his back end properly.

Perfect Pony · #6 15th Jul 2005, 01:27 PM

He doesnt really take them, just prefers to work witha longer rein, he will work perfectly on the bit when i ask him but it takes a lot of work to get there and just wondered if i hav the side reins on but not tight it would help me as im not heavy in my hands at all, iv had a few lessons on it and im just putting it into practice, but i get so agrivated when it takes me an hour for him to listen, its like hes fighting with me to work properly, but one iv got him, he stays there and works fantastic, also when we go to a show he works really well on the bit as hes excited and his beautiful natural head carriage comes back but its difficult to get him like that at home, i no iv spoilt him by letting him get away with it for far too long!!! Would the side reins do any damage to him? and would they help me?

colouredcrazy · #7 15th Jul 2005, 01:32 PM

I agree with Eventerbabe on this one. I think they tend to force a horse into an outline in many cases, and if they're loose enough not to do that they have no effect anyway!

Although my second pony, Poppy (I want Poppy back! Why cant she grow?!!!!) did used to be ridden in them. We crossed them at the base of her neck and clipped them onto the D's of the saddle, because she HATED grass reins and it was the only way to stop her from putting her head down! I loved my Poppy!!!!!!

Ellie (uh oh, six !'s! a sign of the insane mind)

eventerbabe · #8 15th Jul 2005, 01:33 PM

side reins can do as much damage as draw reins through the horses neck and back. i was working on something similar late last year with my instructor. we started off by getting my horse to work long and low and really using his back end and not hollowing through his back. then we gradually took up a contact and asked him to work forwards but into a very light contact. took several hours worth of lessons but we got there in the end. even the top riders spend hours working on such things at home so don't be disheartened

my friend got to the scottish dressage champs with her horse and she still spends hours at home trying to get good work out of her boy.

as to whether the side reins will help you, i don't really think so. others may disagree but i'm not a gadget person and prefer to persevere and work on things without such aids.

Perfect Pony · #9 15th Jul 2005, 01:42 PM

thanx for all your advice, esp eventerbabe, i think il just perservere with him and grit my teeth, i know were doing well developing i just wish he would listen to me before im too tired to work with him, he is so highly strung its tiring!!!

I will still lunge with them tho, seems to be helping and he doesnt fight on the lunge, just works perfectly!!! dam him!!!

Thanx again
carla

MeMe · #10 15th Jul 2005, 01:44 PM

I dont mind gadgets for the right people and horses, each has a time and a place, alough nothing outweighs correct schooling.

My horse used to go way overbent, ex SJ'er, bombed around at speed and gagged up to the eyeballs, and just looked 'pretty' its taken the past year of correct schooling, but he is now getting there, building topline and back muscle and not working so behind the bridle.

I detest riding in sidereins, they have a place for lunging for me on occasion alough I lunge in the De Gouge, or a Chambon, they encourage a better freer outline from the horse and dont encourage a horse to back off of the bridle and come below.

Side reins are hard to control the effect of whilst on the lunge imo, every horse will come below/behind to a degree, as if they are fitted tight enough, its hard to get the quarters working through on the lunge correctly, but at times on experienced horses they have a place.

eventerbabe · #11 15th Jul 2005, 01:45 PM

horses do love to test your patience don't they??

i do know how you feel, my horse is one of the most stubborn, obstinate horses i've ever ridden and if he doesn't want to do something, it takes a lot of gentle persuasion to change his mind!!

EDIT: just an add on after reading MeMe's post, theres a great lungeing book by Jennie Lorristen-Clarke that might be worth having a look at. will look out my copy and find the title when i get home

MeMe, toby used to be incredibly overbent after this so-called "instructor" had ridden him in side reins, took me ages to correct it, and even now he will sometimes hollow his back and just go into a false outline, and i put it down to that woman

MeMe · #12 15th Jul 2005, 01:49 PM

I like lunging with 2 lines, but Zak isent keen on things around him, he runs on, thats why I cant use a pessoa on him, but have found them brill on other horses, worked wonders on my TB that I had before Zak.

MeMe · #13 15th Jul 2005, 01:50 PM

One of my old TB's was ridden alot in sidereins, his owner at the time used them, I used to ride him for her but detested having to use them, never did if she wasent there.

Its not just that I dont like the effect they have when being ridden in, its the safety aspect, if the horse goes over what happens? Same as those darn Harbridge's, when an old share horse of mine ended up on top of me all 17.2hh of her!

Perfect Pony · #14 15th Jul 2005, 01:54 PM

Yer i thaught about that, i was advised by te chiropractor to use when lunging so will keep doing that but i guess il work very hard while riding!!!

MeMe · #15 15th Jul 2005, 01:56 PM

I honestly cant recommend a De Gouge or a Chambon enough for lunging, you can also ride in the De Gouge, we had one adapted to use double reins, so you only used it if you really needed it.

They are less restrictive and encourage correct use of the back, whereas sidereins only really concentrate on the front and you have to work so hard on keeping the back end from trailing, no mean fete for even the most experienced lungers and lunge horses.

Perfect Pony · #16 15th Jul 2005, 02:07 PM

well you c i got told by the chiro to lunge with 3 stretchy bandages, one tied around his neck where the martingate goes, not tight of course, and the other 2 tied at each side then tied together around the back end, and because theyre stretchy they have the same effect as them gadgets just cheaper

so i lunge like that with the side reins

angelfben · #17 15th Jul 2005, 02:17 PM

I use sidereins on my girl at the moment, I use them so loosely that she can throw her head right up or down and even reach around to swat flies off her sides without yanking on her mouth - that sounds pointless I know but I use them to help her get used to having a very gentle 'feel' on her mouth. She has only just been bitted and lightly backed and is not yet properly mouthed so I use side reins for her to get used to having something connected to her mouth without having to worry about anything else at the same time such as a rider etc. I don't have any tension on them, even just the weight of the side reins and them moving about is enough to get her used to having a a very light feel on her mouth. I also don't work her in them, just let her stand and get used to it all under supervision and lead her around a little with them on so that basically almost replicate a riders hands for he rto get used to. So yes I find side reins do have their uses, but I probably don't use them for their conventional use!

I will never forget many moons ago myself and a friend were lungeing a pony that was being brought back into work after an attack of laminitis... a couple of girls who were studying at the local equine college had come down to the yard as they used to ride there and were watching. The pony had been on restricted turnout and out of work for a few months so was napping and bucking etc. which we weren't concerned about as we weren't expecting her to 'work' we were only just starting to get her out and doing a little bit again. One of the girls from the college who had been watching appeared with a pair of side reins "you want to get these on her, get her working properly" and proceeded to strap her head in quite tightly with them... she then lunged the poor pony in them while the poor thing obviously distressed bucked and tried to fight them the whole time, it was years ago now but I'll never forgetting wondering how on earth anyone who was supposed to be the 'experienced' one and studying horses as a profession could of thought that was benfiting the poor pony?

chev · #18 15th Jul 2005, 02:38 PM

I use them occasionally too, for the same reasons angelfben gives - I found that used with care they can give a horse the feel of a contact when you first start working them.

I would never use them to try and get an outline though - and if you're not careful they very often encourage the horse to lean on the bit and go on the forehand - the very opposite of what you want if you're aiming to do dressage...

Esther.D · #19 15th Jul 2005, 02:44 PM

ditto Chev and angelben - I use them occasionally on Rupert to help get him used to the idea of contact, but they are very loose and it is more to have the weight of the reins on his bit than anything else...as they are full size side reins and he is 13hh they certainly cannot be fastened tight enough to have any impact on his outline as they are like washing lines

Greta · #20 15th Jul 2005, 09:43 PM

Gina doesn't have the best of balance and didn't come onto the bit by herself. We worked her with side reins and after one session, she came down without the side reins on!!! She has been given a break as I was away on holiday,but I'll be working her in the same fashion soon.