Anyone have a brand of curb rein they like? I would love to find a rubber lined leather curb rein with handstops but I am striking out. Not a fan of the flat leather… what is the best size for them too? 1/2in or 5/8in?
I’ve never seen a curb rein like that but have seen people ride with a narrower normal rein with handstops on the curb.
When my upper level dressage horses transition to the double bridle, I use a plain leather 1/2" curb rein. My snaffle rein may have the soft pimple grip and/or stops, but not the curb rein.
1 Like
It’s totally a matter of preference. Bartville Harness or somewhere similar can always make them for you if you can’t find them elsewhere.
1 Like
I don’t know this brand but here are some in 1/2” with rubber lining and stops. I fox hunted in double reins (1/2” curb with stops) and always felt like anything lined was too much thickness in hand-feel but like everyone says, it’s a personal thing. https://shop.olsonstack.com/products/1-2-rubber-lined-curb-rein
I just putter around in the double bridle.
One thing the horses “told” me is that they appreciate a 3" or more longer curb rein. This gives me a margin of safety and convenience when I shorten my reins. It also helps me to NEVER get the curb rein too short.
I ended up getting a 1/2" “notched” warm blood sized reins for my curb rein, which works well with my horse sized 3/4" bradoon reins.
The horses “cuss me out” less with the longer curb rein.
If you’re looking for a rein with hand stops with one side rubber and the other side leather, there are a few.
This pair is by VR Tack and only come in black at 54" long with a width of 1/2" width.
KL Italia also has a pair. They are 5/8" width, 54" long, and only come in black.
Nunn Finer has a pair that are 58" long, havana or black (currently sold out in black I think?), and come in widths of 5/8" or 3/4".
Schockemöhle has a couple different pairs as well and I believe Kavalkade does as well, both brands on Riding Warehouse.
So, just because I am curious, I foxhunt with a curb rein that is flat and a little shorter than my main rein. Why the stops and longer? Just wondering.
I do not know if your question was for me, but here goes.
I have MS, and my proprioceptive sense is very bad, I have to consciously keep track of my whole body. The notched reins I use as a curb rein help me keep both curb reins even, at least my riding teacher does not yell at me as much about that.
The first way I learned to shorten my reins without taking a hand off a rein was by spreading my hands. This did NOT work for me with the double bridle reins like it does with just a snaffle rein, the curb rein always ended up too short irritating the horse out of the wazoo and I had to take a hand off contact to adjust my bradoon rein to the right length.
With my MS I REALLY depend on the horses cooperating with me. The horses fussed and fussed no matter how careful I tried to be with the shorter curb rein. The horses no longer fuss at me because of the too short curb rein, they go to the next most irritating thing to fuss at me about.
I also ride Forward Seat, I do not use collection and I want the horse’s nose poked out and forward. The lower shank of the curb means that the curb rein has to go further up to my hand even when I keep the curb rein under my little finger, and with the horse’s nose stuck forward combined with the shanks of the curb my pair of curb reins ended up being around 6" too short for the horses (they were pretty specific about this.) Plus I ALWAYS keep the curb rein sagging a little, which necessitates a longer rein if the center buckle/stitching of the curb rein are to end up in the same place between my hands.
My riding teacher has never ridden in a double bridle though she has used Pelhams. Since I had already introduced four or five horses to the double bridle before I started riding with her, she lets me use the double on her horses (my riding teacher and her horses trust my contact with the bits.) So far I have introduced 4 of her horses to the double bridle, and I changed to a longer curb rein because of what the HORSES told me.
With the longer curb rein the horses rarely fuss at how I use the reins on the double bridle in spite of my myriad problems that my case of MS causes with my hands.
The horses are happy, my riding teacher is happy with how I ride her horses, and I am happy. Win, win, win.
1 Like
Wow, I get it.
