How do you get a martingale stopper on reins?

laceyfreckle

laceyfreckle

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2007
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Ok I admit I've only had reins with martingale stoppers already on them.

I now have a lovely KV bridle (Kis vihar) but now Harvey has a breastplate with martingale (aka "oh sh** strap;):p) how do i put normal martingale stoppers on my nice new(ish) reins???!
 
Put in hot water first then take two lengths of baler twine or string.

Thread one length through the rubber ring and tie it into a loop. Do the same with the other one so your rubber ring has two loops of string hanging off it.

Put your foot into one string loop and hold the other one then pull upwards. You'll be pulling the rubber ring open and can slide the rein through with the other hand.

Works for rubber bit guards as well.
 
HeatherA said:
Put in hot water first then take two lengths of baler twine or string.

Thread one length through the rubber ring and tie it into a loop. Do the same with the other one so your rubber ring has two loops of string hanging off it.

Put your foot into one string loop and hold the other one then pull upwards. You'll be pulling the rubber ring open and can slide the rein through with the other hand.

Works for rubber bit guards as well.
Click to expand...

Thank you...and there was me thinking it was a 5 second job:o

I looked bloody ridiculous trying to put them on yesterday! lots of stretching (from me!)
 
Can't remember what reins you had, are they plain ones? I'm sure they are. :)

Go from the middle buckle - where the reins join. Unbuckle the reins so they are seperate.

Grease them. ;)

Bung the rubber martingale stoppers in hot water. Heating the rubber makes it much easier!

Put a piece of baling twine through the rubber stopper, quite long, and tie it so it's a loop.

Put another piece of string through the stopper, exactly the same, tie it in a loop.

You now have a martingale stopper with 2 loops of string on.

Hook one loop over a fence post (or your foot!)

Take the other loop and pull (wrap something round your hand to stop the string cutting in!) and hey-presto, you are now stretching the hole in the martingale stopper.

You might need to do some wiggling to get the rein started, but with your free hand (hey, you can have 2 free hands if you can rope a child in to do some pulling! :)) you can shove the rein through the hole and wiggle it along the rein into position.

Then do it all over again! :rolleyes:

Obviously the 'hole/point end' rein is easier than the 'buckle' end rein.

The buckle rein requires some fiddling, but once the buckle and loop are through the martingale stopper, you should be able to wriggle the stopper down the rein. :)

Good luck! :D

ETA..... CROSS POSTED WITH HEATHER A - great minds think alike! :)

Greasing the reins helps a lot too!!
 
with great difficulty :rolleyes:

suggestions above work - I can vouch from personal experience - I am lucky, I have a hubby that seems to have the "MAGIC" touch

its getting the stop on the martingale that really scuppers us every time - makes getting the stops on the reins seem easy!!!!
 
Snowyboy said:
with great difficulty :rolleyes:

suggestions above work - I can vouch from personal experience - I am lucky, I have a hubby that seems to have the "MAGIC" touch

its getting the stop on the martingale that really scuppers us every time - makes getting the stops on the reins seem easy!!!!
Click to expand...

Now thats why I bought a breastplate with martingale attatchment..fastens on to a ring and doesn't need a 'stop';):D

I will try the other fab ideas but if it all seems too much work I might try it at home, along with the odd 'oh, you possibly couldn't know how hard this is and how weak and feeble I am' and then my hubby might do it:p He is more 'practical' then me and loves me to think he's better then I am at stuff:)
 
Oh good heavens please don't struggle - just look all weak and pathetic and get your significant other half to earn his keep - after all thats what we keep them for isnt it - helping with all the tough stuff we ladys struggle with?;)
 
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