Advice on comfortable reins for trail riding

[katarine]

I like the 10’ closed loop yacht reins or flat nylon woven reins. The 8’ loop is standard length and way too short.

I do not like cotton reins- they are soft but in AL they get GROSS with sweat and heavy and nasty. I have a pr, they get used only when it’s nice and cool LOL.

My SO loves is skinny little yacht rope el cheap Stacey Westfall Weaver reins- they have little water ties for safety/AKA the end will break off the rein if the horse got loose and stepped through the loop- but they are so small in diameter they’ll hurt your hands if you ride w/ contact.

My personal fave? The wintec reins, padded and non padded alike.

at the end of the day some sort of beta or biothane rein is ideal for the easy clean up and no care other than rinse 'em off.

[chancy_deal]

I buy yachting rope at a local Gander Mountain and make loop reins at whatever length I want them to be.
I attach the reins to my snaffle bit using slobber straps.
Put a flame to the ends of the rope, after cutting them, to melt & seal the ends.
You can buy different colors of rope too!

[howardh]

Zilco makes the best soft reins for endurance. look at Toklat.com for Zilco. They come in lots of colors and are extra long and have clips on the ends and a buckle.

[hctjudge]

I agree with Chancy Deal.

I do alot of trail riding and I use nylon rope with slobber straps
and big snaps. The rope is about the circumference of my
pointer finger and the length I want. Got the rope at Lowe’s,
straps from eBay and husband put it together.

[AlfalfaGirl]

I have leather reins, round cotton rope, round braided synthetic reins and I just was given a pair of hand crafted flat 9 strand plaited rope reins that are fabulous.

My friend’s husband plaited these and he gave them to me. They are about and 1.25" wide or so and are not stretchy but feel cool in my hands - not too wide - not too thin. They have a loop on the end that you thread a snap through so you can change the snap without unplaiting it so they can be washed. Right now they are dirty and need to be cleaned! She said she washes them and they come out snow white. Love them.

[twofatponies]

I use plain leather English reins that have the little stopper thingies every few inches. Gives me something to rest my fingers around and helps prevent slipping the reins if the horse makes a big move or dives for grass or something. They’re thin, but I’m not death-gripping them (usually!! ) so no biggy. They’re leather, but I’ve never found them high maintainence. I clean and oil them every few months and that’s plenty.

[jeano]

http://www.horsesdacor.com/

These folks are very nice to deal with, are prompt, answer emails and phone calls, and are real live trail riders. I bought their 10’ flat braided rope reins, which are near as I can tell identical to what longriders offers.

I have horrible osteoarthritis in my right hand and very little grip strength as a result. I can hang on to these reins fairly well even gloveless. My hands are small and these are much more comfortable than round rope reins. They are soft, and come in pretty colors and with good brass hardware.

I had some really nice webbing english reins that the horse broke for me on his first ride with a bunch of other horses. I loved those reins, but the flat polypropylene no-core rope reins have supplanted them in my affections. I’ve only been searching for perfect reins for the past four years. I have plenty of used reins if anybody wants 'em!

[system]

I have Wintec Cushion Grip Reins and I love them! So comfortable on my hands!

[Liberty]

I got my round woven closed-loop nylon reins from Liberty Bell Tack and had them add 18" to their standard 8’ length for a very nominal extra fee (can’t remember how much it was, but it wasn’t much). I LOVE these reins, the price was definitely right, and there’s a nice choice of colors:
http://www.libertyleather.com/roperein.htm

They have great deals on other stuff too and are excellent to deal with.

[painted_spirit]

I’ve used the nylon type of reins for the past couple of years and my only issue is it has broken the mane hairs of my horse that you can trace along the path where the reins lie. He’s a walker so has a full mane. I’m switching back to leather for the next year to see if I can salvage the damage. Roping or barrel reins are too short so I’ll go to my local amish tack store (so lucky they are local!) to get some custom length ones.

[jlrcoats]

reins

I second the wintec cushion grip…love them!

[candyappy]

I use the heavy rope reins by John Lyons and now offered by others as well. I like the ease of holding them and the weight as well. Other reins feel too light and flimsy after all these years.

[system]

Hello,
I like reins in rope.
I ride with a side pull.

[shalomypony]

Split leather reins with weighted ends…super long,from Dan’s Albequerque NM.Awesome,well balanced reins that get better and better with age.